Chapter 14 Chapter Thirteen The Edge of Nightmare

The druids are exhausted.They are so committed that some druids have not rested for days.They had not gathered as much power as Teldrassil, but they still hadn't seen success...at least in Hamuul's eyes. For the others, he had become a useless part of the tauren, though Fandral hadn't made any public condemnation of what Bloor had done.Fandral didn't even tell Hamuul about the missing druid's actions.He just looked at the tauren with disapproval, for so long that it seemed to everyone else that Hamuul had fallen out of favor. Naralex and some of the others were reluctant to alienate him(1), while Hamuul avoided them as much as possible, fearing that they would suffer.The old tauren was willing to side with him, backing Blore from going unnoticed.He trusts his friends.Fandral, though, has every right to be angry about it.

The archdruid who took the lead insisted on staying in Teldrassil, away from Darnassus.So only he returned to the city, and every time he went back, Fandral would try his best to persuade the druids in a new way.He tried to convince them that they had made new progress and that the World Tree was being restored. Hamuul had to admit that he was not such an experienced Archdruid in understanding Fandral's actions. The tauren sat cross-legged, separated from the others by some distance.The druids figured, trying to regain their strength to continue with Fandral's next round of spells.Hamuul felt a tension he had never felt in his life, not even during a week of hunting as part of his bar mitzvah.During that ceremony, a full fast was required.

The first thought that came to mind was that I'm really old...it's just that the rest of the night elves still don't seem as strong as he is.Therefore, the plan of the elder archdruid seems to be only to lead each druid to the brink of destruction. At this time, Hamuul thought of Fandral again, and he couldn't help looking at him.However, there was no sign of him anywhere.The tauren can only infer that Fandral may have returned to the Cenarion Council to discuss some ancient documents.Hamuul hopes this will give them some results that are more accurate and detailed than they could get themselves.

Finding that he couldn't calm down and think, the Tauren stood up, seeing no one noticed him, he got up and walked towards the World Tree. Although Hamuul didn't like this huge monster very much, while admiring its majesty, he also lamented Teldrassil's great influence on the world.As a tauren, Hamuul was a great believer in the balance between nature and the life forms of Azeroth's various races.That's why he had been looking for Malfurion Stormrage, asking for guidance in the druid's training.Even though Hamuul has only been a druid for a few years, he still believes he has proven himself well.Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to become an Archdruid like he is now, and he would be the only one of his group.

The tauren prayed that he could do more for Blore. He always believed that Blore's choice was correct, although it was against Fandral's will.Now, he stood in front of Teldrassil, looking through the clouds at the complex of Darnassus.If the gate was very close, he might have tried to walk right through it, and now, Hamuul had no choice but to fly... Hamuul snorted, leaning one hand on Teldrassil's branch. There was more to do.If Blore— There were whispering voices. Hamuul walked gently away from the tree, looking for the speaker.However, the talking stopped immediately. He frowned in thought.The archdruid was getting closer and closer to the tree trunk.

The talking started again.Hamuul stared at Teldrassil...and then down.There, his right foot just touched the root of the World Tree. He put his hands on the tree trunk. Whispering sounds entered his head.Hamuul couldn't understand.This is not the language spoken by any of the intelligent peoples of Azeroth.Instead, he thought of something else, something the tauren should know very well. "Shaku, please raise my spear..." he whispered, speaking the tauren spell.Shaku was his grandfather, the tauren calling to his revered ancestors, and he was watching them from afar.He couldn't understand the tree's spell verbatim, and Hamuul was asking his ancestors to help him understand the language she was hearing.

The archdruid is now listening to Teldrassil's voice. The druids can all understand tree language, but there are some differences in the degree of understanding.This was not the first time for Hamuul to touch and hear the voice of the World Tree, but it was the first time for Hamuul to hear these whispers.The sound of the Yggdrasil is usually performed in the place of branches and leaves, heard through the flow of sap up and down the huge trunk.Usually an intelligible whisper. But this time, Hamuul couldn't make sense of what he heard.There is no regular rhythm and no form to speak of.The archdruid continued to listen, and found that the voice was still going on, and vaguely felt that it was saying——

"What are you doing, Hamuul?" came Fandral's voice suddenly. Trying to smooth over the surprise, Hamuul turned to the druid leader. Unaware of the arrival of the night elves, Hamuul chose to be honest.This is what Fandral and all druids should know. But how to better explain all this? "I want to say... Fandral, would you listen to Teldrassil for a moment? I'm afraid things are more dire than we imagined! Just as I laid my hand on the trunk—" The night elf didn't wait for him to finish.Fandral laid his palm flat on Teldrassil, closed his eyes, and concentrated.

After a moment, the druid leader looked at the tauren. "I don't feel any difference. Teldrassil still hasn't recovered, but things are improving." "'Change'?" Hamuul couldn't help opening his mouth. "Arch Druid, I clearly feel—" Fandral interrupted him, his expression sympathetic. "Hamuel, you are too tired, and I have neglected this in your time with you. You are loyal to your friend, but I think your friend must be responsible for his negligence. I must say, It was my fault for expressing such disappointment in you." "I--"

Fandral raised a hand. "Listen to me, faithful Hamuul. I have just returned with some very good advice. Here are some innovative and daring attempts to cure the disease that plagues Teldrassil. And your mighty spirit will be here There is great value in this work, but you need to replenish your energy, if you feel that the World Tree still has compatriots, it is indeed good news for you." The tauren lowered his head and replied, "As you said, Fandral." "Great! Follow me now. I'll tell you more about what we're going to do next. It's going to be exciting. Take at least one more day to figure out how to get out of this..."

Fandral walked away, and Hamuul followed.It's just that although he was listening to the night elves explaining the process, he kept looking back at the area he had just touched.He had been listening to the incoherent murmur, and he knew it was the voice of the World Tree.If the archdruid hadn't started to intervene, he would have understood more deeply than he did now.Although he now has enough attention to continue to speculate... and worry. For Hamuir, the whispers just signaled one thing. Teldrassil went mad. They did not go directly to the gate, although that was indeed their destination.Eranikus and Alexstrasza cautiously probed forward, their strength probing deep, to see if there were still any traps set by the rotting Lethorn and Emeris.When they knew that they were satisfied with the detection results and no traps were found, the dragons would decide that it was safe for Eranikus and the night elves to move forward. "Damn time." Blore muttered, and Tyrande nodded, hinting at his choice.They were all desperate to find Malfurion now.One thing that bothered the two was the missing Lucan Foxbrood and this mysterious orc.The orc was most likely an accidental intruder, just... "You can't understand the threat of nightmares." The green dragon replied with a painful expression. "Unless you're completely prepared, don't even think about getting into it." Alexstrasza nodded in agreement. "Yes, Blore Bearskin. Only if I'm right, Malfurion Stormrage has been more or less trying to help guide you." The dragon smiled coldly. "And we've now accomplished those things." "I'm ready," Eranikus said. "Are you sure?" the dragon asked. The expression of pain is more obvious. "Yes. Thank you." She nodded.A warm, comfortable, and radiant expression rippled from Alexstrasza's face.The night elf smiled, and Eranikus looked grateful. "May you all be safe and guide you to success." The Red Dragon Queen said loudly. "We are deeply honored and grateful," Tyrande said. Eranikus took a deep breath, then spread his wings. "I want to take a step first...to protect you." As he approached, the energy inside the gate expanded rapidly.What is commendable is that the green dragon walked straight into the gate without any hesitation. Then, he disappeared. Blore and Tyrande strode towards the door. "You should stay here," he told her. "I have been separated from Malfurion for too long," she retorted. Before he could speak, she had already walked over. Blore made a displeased sound and followed. The feeling of entering another realm is close to that of a person just before falling asleep.Blore hadn't had time to think about when Letthorne had attacked them, but he realized it now.This is very different from the mist directly bringing his dream form over.In the dream, he felt as if he had let go of the weight of his body and finally got away from all worldly troubles. But not at the moment.He felt more strongly than ever what the nightmare had brought, even at this moment, he could only see the thick fog ahead.The nightmare never went away. "We can't go through like this," Eranikus emphasized.The dragon flapped its wings slowly above the night elf, who appeared to be crossing the waves of a flowing river.This was something Blore hadn't considered in his desperate fight.The same is true for Tyrande. The dragon was hunched over, breathing in the mist.Groups of soft emerald green light spots suddenly appeared in front of them. "Elune, please protect us!" As the priestess prayed, the way became clearly visible. But even with the company of the dragon, it seems that it is not enough at this moment. Once, the Emerald Dream was part of the world of Azeroth, and there were no such races as the night elves.Because it has not been eroded, the mountains are beautiful.Tall grass and beautiful trees dot the rolling hills.Animals are not afraid of life, and there is a peaceful scene everywhere.For druids, this is heaven. But at the moment, there was no better name than it, at least for the land in front of them, this name was what Eranikus called... a nightmare. The land has turned soggy, rotting swamp, bubbling.The once-beautiful emerald halo had turned into a rotten color that smelled of rancidity.What was once a tree has now become another look.The leaves turn black and become sharp and covered with poisonous spines.Small dark poisonous insects crawled on the scabbed trunk, stopping to suck the thick, putrid sap that flowed from the cracks in the trunk. "Cenarius, please protect us..." the druid shouted sharply.He still couldn't believe what he saw in front of him, so he walked forward involuntarily.The crunching sound under his feet made him look down involuntarily. The ground was covered with small dark green scorpions, sturdy millipedes, finger-sized cockroaches, fist-sized spiders, and other insects.The bottom of Blore's shoe was covered with a thick layer of sticky asphalt, which caused many small bugs to stick to the bottom of Blore's shoe every time he took a step. "They're everywhere." Tyrande gasped. "Looking around, they're covering everything." "It won't be too long." The green dragon replied resolutely.He exhaled to the ground.It felt like it was releasing fire.Thousands of small insects were burned, making a crisp sound that even the giant dragon couldn't help but tremble. The disciples cleaned up by Eranikus are now charcoal black.He expressed satisfaction with his labor. However, the remaining animal crusts began to change.A burnt cockroach now has grown many legs, growing from its predecessor into a horribly new cockroach. To the dismay of the three, this behavior was repeated in every poisonous insect that had been destroyed, and no matter what Eranikus destroyed, they would all be resurrected... Tendrils of mist swirled around the ghastly sight, as if waiting to regain the air Ysera had just cleared.Another blast of flame from the green dragon pushed the mist back...at least for a while. "It's so strange..." said the priestess, choosing her steps carefully with no hope of success.With every step, there was a crunching sound and the sound of thick juice oozing from the trembling corpse.To make matters worse, as soon as she took a step, the corpse left by the previous step would be resurrected again. "That's only part of it..." Eranikus muttered, the light in his eyes dimmed here. "I feel that the nightmare is more powerful and terrifying than I can imagine." As he spoke, they noticed changes at the edge of the mist.Its appearance is almost visible... though not quite. "The Shadow Satyr has returned." Tyrande concluded. Eranikus said nothing.Instead, he once again spewed a cloud of fire, surrounding it in a vaguely visible mist.Immediately, the sound of burning came to mind due to the demonic creatures underfoot. Soon, frantic begging for mercy sounded, and all creatures began to resist.The green dragon was a little surprised, and soon stopped attacking.And Blore and Tyrande covered their ears to block these terrible cries.This is not the wail of a vanquished monster. "Ysera, please forgive me!" Eranikus prayed, as the mist cleared and creatures began to emerge. These are - or were - night elves, humans, orcs, gnomes... all species of the material world.The charred torso still shaking after Eranikus' attack, trying to call for help, at least longing for the end of the pain. Ignoring the vermin beneath his feet, Blore rushed to the nearest place, Tyrande with him.Eranikus remained where he was, the green dragon clearly stunned by the damage he had inflicted. "Sleeping people..." Blore realized now, "These are sleeping people..." "I could have killed everyone in Azeroth, as if I had stood by their bedside and set fire to them!" Ysera's mate choked. "They cannot escape the torment of the nightmare, they are suffering the same pain as they are at this moment." "You don't know it's them." Druid argued, "You don't know..." Then he knelt on the night elf's shattered bone. At this time, a black, thin hand grabbed his wrist, and a head with a destructive gaze poked towards him. The mangled corpse began screaming in pain again.It stuck out more broken fingers. Blore pulled as hard as he could. "I can't pull it out!" Tyrande drew her sword, but soon, she hesitated.Then she began to pray. The screaming became weaker and weaker.The skeletons retreated. Another wave of victims began wailing again.Tyrande continued to pray, using one hand to spread the power of the moon god across the field of vision. The ruined body disappeared.When the last one was gone, the priestess stopped singing.At this moment, she began to shake. Blore and Eranikus aren't too good either. "They are in agony!" shouted the druid. "They were really tortured in pain!" "I don't know!" The dragon argued in every possible way. "I didn't hurt innocent people! That was a nightmare." Eranikus thought of this. "He knows how to hurt you the most, how to scare you the most... That's why it's like this..." Tyrande found hope in this. "In other words, is what we see all hallucinations?" "No... the greatest nightmare a nightmare can bring is that it becomes a reality." This reminded Blore. "We must find Malfurion, as soon as possible..." He looked into the mist, realizing for the first time the horror of his guess. "It's just... which direction should I go?" "I'll find out where he is," the High Priestess declared with conviction.She looked anxious. "No one knows him better than me, including you druids, Blore." He does not deny this fact. "But I have an idea about how to find him, and I—" The ground suddenly began to shake.Night elves were thrown into the infested lands.Eranikus flew up.However, even he was affected. Eventually, everything was quiet.Tyrande stood up, and quickly slapped the millipedes and putrid creatures away from her.Blore muttered a curse under his breath, but the vermin didn't respond.They didn't look like animals from Azeroth, like the High Priestess, and he gave up and started patting them down. Eranikus flew down.The High Priestess looked at him with reproach and surprise, and the green dragon looked away guiltily. "What now?" Blore asked Eranikus.They were now in a hilly country, with horrible shadowy paths leading into hellish mists. "That's the fog. Don't ask me the reason for anything unless it's not what we want." Tyrande slashed forward, "There is a castle-like building on the third hill." Both the green dragon and Blore shook their heads, said the druid. "As far as the eye can see, there are no buildings at all." "Then what I'm seeing is bound to be part of a nightmare." Another change occurred in the mist before she could see more.The high-ranking priestess wasted no time, showing the light of the Moon Goddess, pointing directly at the target approaching them. But what she revealed was not what they were expecting. It was Lucan Foxbrough. "It's you!" whispered Blore.Before anyone could separate them, he caught him.Luken stared at him with unfathomable eyes, obviously it was not a hallucination. "You really..." he murmured.A pale, somewhat crazy smile appeared on his haggard face. "It's really you..." He looked at Tyrande, and then his smile became a little calmer. "You..." His faith crumbled when he saw what was behind the night elf. "We are all your friends," Tyrande advised him. Luken calmed down. "You're all...really..." He looked away. "I tried to leave, but something forced me to stay...I tried to leave, but something kept her going..." The druid heard the last part. "Her? Orc, you mean? A woman?" "Yes Yes" "You know there is no difference between male orcs and female orcs on the battlefield." Tyrande pointed at Blore. "One should never underestimate either side." "I'm not that like that. Just thinking about who she really is and why she happens to be here." "Her name is Sola." Luken said without any tone. "She came to kill him. She came to kill your friend Malfurion Stormrage." Even the dragon was dumbfounded by his words.Tyrande caught his throat, but Blore managed to calm her down. "Listen to him, my lady! It's not his fault!" "He said she came to kill Malfurion! He brought her to do it—" But finally Tyrande calmed down. "He was forced against his will, even though... I know... Lucan... I'm sorry..." Luken smiled nervously at her.Obviously he liked the priestess. Blore brought him back to the point. "The orc! She came to kill Malfurion... why? How did she find him? Did she say so?" "Hallucinations...she accidentally mentioned hallucinations...she said...then they brought her to me...then they told her the way to find him...the hallucinations made her think she had to take revenge, had to save Azeroth herself S, she said." "An orc blood curse," Tyrande muttered. "I know that. She will not stop until she is killed or succeeds." The high priestess shook her head. "Or ... insanity." "Anyway, some people want her to succeed." Druid nodded.Then he turned to Lucan and asked, "But the first doubt... Who does she think Malfurion killed her? What happened? Orcs can only understand the meaning of death on the battlefield." Luke concentrated. "She said—she said he was a 'scumbag murderer.' He betrayed friends and killed people when they turned their backs on him out of trust...or so it was." This was far beyond Tyrande's tolerance.She swung the moonblade, and Lucan took a step back in fear. "Lies! It's all lies! Threat to Azeroth? Haha! As I expected, they are all lunatics! Don't say they are traitors - there is no way Malfurion has done such a thing! He even This kind of opportunity is rare, because there are only a handful of orcs he can command!" "Only once did she mention a name! Brox Shiga...Brox Shiga—" "Brox Shiga?" The high-ranking priestess staggered, the moonblade fell out of her hand, and tears welled up. "Brox!" Tyrande yelled at the others. "An orc living in legend. When I was a novice priestess, although he was captured by my people, we were friends. He appeared to repel the Burning Legion, and Elune did it Pray." She swallowed, "He died gloriously for his own beliefs, and Krasus can confirm that he died at the hands of Sargeras." Druid's eyes widened. "This must be what she said he was." "But he's Malfurion's friend!" the priestess continued, almost insane. "They never quarreled. And Malfurion had as much respect for him as I did! You remember, Blore! We built statues of him, and he was the only orc we worshiped!" "I remember...now." Blore frowned. "If she was talking about him, then he must have been bewitched...and the nightmare was the trigger..." "But why?" "Isn't it obvious? My lady. Because Malfurion is a threat to this mysterious evil, even now. At least, it gives us some hope. It means he desperately needs to have power to fight." Tyrande regained hope.Eyes are no longer moist.She continued, "Then we must hurry to find him! Lucan, did you notice which direction she went when you escaped? I know the fog is everywhere, but there stands a... Castle..." The High Priestess pointed to the distant shape. "Do you have any impression of it?" He straightened up, his face more confident. "Yes, yes. My lady! It...it reminds me of location and direction!" The draftsman pointed to his left. "That road..." "We can fly there," said Eranikus, "but I'm afraid he won't be able to lead us from above. The fog is too thick to see clearly..." Tyrande had already grabbed Luken by hand. "So we can move." As for humans, she commanded, "Follow us!" Nodding, Luken took a step forward.Tyrande put away the Moonblade and followed.Blore followed Tyrande, and the dragon flew above the three of them. "This income has always bothered me," Druid said. "I couldn't have predicted the danger she might pose." The green dragon scoffed at it. "Orcs are hardly a threat in a place like this! Not even if nightmares guide her. And your Malfurion is the first druid among you, and his actions are worthwhile to us." My lord! No weapon in the world can pose a threat to him..." Luken swallowed. "She has an ax." Tyrande looked at him cautiously. "The orc with the ax?" She turned him to her. "Describe to me what it looks like." "A bladed axe, a battle axe." "How is that made? Is the head of the ax steel or iron? Tell me quickly!" Blore walked over to silence her, but she turned him back.Tyrande waited with bated breath for Lucan's answer. "Neither steel nor iron," he said at last, his face contorted from concentration. "I think...it looks like it's made of wood..." The human nodded. "Yes, wood! I've never seen an ax made of wood before! Doesn't sound very practical, unless it's sharp, unless it's likely to cut—" "Made of wood." The female night elf muttered, her expression shocked.She looked at the other night elf. "Of course you don't! You weren't here when Cenarius made it for Brox!" "I've heard rumors," replied Blore.His expression was the same as hers. "Forged of wood, blessed by the demigods(2)... so powerful it could even cut Sargeras..." "She seems to use it to kill Malfurion," Tyrande added.The priestess peered into the mist, especially at the looming structure—the only structure. "Luken, did you escape from her?" "It's not that... she said she doesn't need me anymore, she's around." "Nearby... Tyrande's eyes widened, the Moonblade clenched tightly... and he rushed into the mist. Remark: (1) The original book reads "Nararex and some people openly despise this evasion". After comparing the translation translated by Feng Wuxing, it is found that the content of the original book is not easy to understand, and it is easy to cause misreading and misleading , then borrowed another translation "Nararex and some people do not want to alienate him". (2) In the original book, it is "worshiped by demigods". In order to avoid misunderstanding and misleading readers, another translation is borrowed, "blessed by demigods".