Chapter 2 Chapter Two Attacks

The thick and long branches of the nearby trees hang down against the breeze in the forest, like arms full of branches and leaves, stretching towards the bearded figure in the forest.And he watched the branch swinging by without moving...just smiling. Malfurion Stormrage stood still, letting the leaves caress his cheeks.Even among his peers, he is unique.At first glance, he is adorned with animal symbols representing those beast forms that druids are best at summoning.Only a closer look reveals that some of these traits were originally part of his body, a result of his strong connection to Azeroth and his years of immersion in the Emerald Dream.As his dream form became more attuned to that plane, his sleeping body—still connected to his spirit—began to take on the hallmarks of those powerful beings.Thus grew the gray wings of a storm-crow on the edge of his arm.A pair of feline-like paws representing the nightsaber with which Malfurion's race is particularly closely related are actually the Archdruid's foot rather than the boot.Additionally, the crooked teeth of a nightsaber adorn the front of his kilt, while his hands wear gloves with bear claws.

One symbol has little to do with the Beast, perhaps unique to Malfurion.That is the blue lightning logo on his body that stretches diagonally from his shoulders to his waist.And from his elbow down to his forearm, there is also a small lightning pattern that matches it.Stormrage is not only the archdruid's surname, but also alludes to the immense power he can command, power he only uses when there is no other way. The ends of the twigs fiddled with his long green hair, deftly avoiding the most conspicuous hallmark of this striking night elf.A pair of gorgeous and majestic antlers protruded from his forehead, more than two feet long.They symbolized his close connection to Azeroth and his mentor—his mentor—the demigod Cenarius, as well as stag form.

Several thicker branches moved under his arms.Then, gently lift Malfurion into the woods like a parent lifts a baby. The archdruid opened his heart to feel the heart of Teldrassil.Malfurion studied its health and found that few traces of the corruption left by the insane Archdruid Fandral Staghelm's unholy rituals remained.Malfurion was grateful for this; he had opposed the creation of this second World Tree, but it was now an integral part of the night elves' existence.However, this is completely different from Fandral's original plan.He suggested planting Teldrassil in Malfurion's absence only for his nefarious purpose.Fortunately, it was finally stopped.

Although there were no obvious signs of corruption, Malfurion was determined to check the giant tree from time to time.The Nightmare remains in the Emerald Dream, and as long as the darkness remains, the danger of corruption hangs over Teldrassil and even the night elves. Nevertheless, Malfurion was satisfied with the status quo of the World Tree, so he took a moment to look at the surrounding environment.Not too far from the Archdruid there is a moonwell—the well water in these holy springs has various mysterious properties.The reason why he chose to come to the oracle grove northeast of the city was because he felt that this place had a unique connection with the giant tree it stood on.Here the archdruid can enter meditation in the most ideal state, allowing his soul - or dream form - to enter the Emerald Dream.

Druids still use dream form to travel on that plane, but now with a few more precautions.Despite being trapped there for years by the Nightmare Lord, Malfurion returned to his old place in a short time.The archdruid didn't consider himself brave enough to do so, but wished to investigate further whether there were changes in the Emerald Dream that he hadn't noticed before... and to clear some thoughts from his mind with this unique journey. As if mocking him, Malfurion felt a sudden sting.This is not the first time he has felt this way recently, and I believe it will not be the last time.

Eternal life was gone from him. The Archdruid has seen comrades from other races age, but experiencing it is another matter.Although his race is still far longer than humans or dwarves.Thinking that he himself would not be aging like this, Malfurion tried his best to suppress the flash of anger in his heart. The sharp pain disturbed his thoughts.Malfurion tried to calm down again, turning his attention deep into Teldrassil.He felt himself calm down.He has already confirmed that communicating with Teldrassil can help him achieve the state of separation of dream form and physical body.Now, his physical body lies surrounded by branches, protected by the surrounding trees.And these trees growing on top of the giant trees are like extensions of Teldrassil.

Malfurion's dream form rose from his motionless flesh, ghostly yet radiant with emerald green.It floats for a moment— Malfurion! The dream form of the Archdruid flew back into his physical body as if blown by a strong wind.He knows who is calling him because of the unique connection between her and him. Tyrande? The archdruid responded immediately.At Malfurion's silent plea, the branches had lowered him to the ground.Tyrande! What's the matter? Can't say enough! Come on! There was unmistakable anxiety in her tone.So Malfurion hurried on as soon as his feet hit the ground.But after a few steps, he found that the speed was too slow, so the archdruid concentrated and leaned forward.

His bones cracked and deformed, his skin pulsated and grew thick hair.The archdruid's face began to elongate, and his nose and mouth became a bearded maw.His teeth grew longer, his eyes narrowed, and he turned into a big black cat, which looked somewhat similar to the saber-toothed cats that the night elves rode.In this way, Malfurion's speed increased more than ten times. The big, strong cat shot out of the woodland like an arrow, and in a blink of an eye it covered the short distance to Darnassus.The sentinels who saw him rushing all moved aside wisely, they knew who was going to rush into the city in this form.The guards of the city all recognized the Archdruid's transformation into a feline, and had seen its power in battle.

Most of the city is divided into so-called "districts", which represent the different divisions of night elf society.He has already rushed through the warrior area, and the artisan area is now on his right.But Malfurion didn't pay much attention to this, nor did he care about the beautiful gardens and pools in the center of Darnassus.He focused on the shining building in the south of the city - the Temple of the Moon God. But his concentration was suddenly distracted by a crowd of night elves huddling together.Malfurion smelled anxiety from them, and it triggered his feline instincts.He bared his blade-like fangs, and slashed his sharp claws on the ground before turning around to find out the reason.

The night elves dispersed to make way for the cat, and the archdruid recovered before he could stop.People who noticed Malfurion's majestic image bowed to him respectfully. Malfurion paid them no attention, however, for he already knew what drew the crowd's attention...and why they emanated such unease. The hooded figure staggered forward in the direction the archdruid was going, but the weight in his arms obviously slowed him down.The figure covered under the traveling cloak was clearly that of a female night elf. Malfurion could not see the man's face, but the woman's hood had slipped off.Her flabby lips were a dire omen.

A sentry tried to step forward to help the woman's companion, but was thrown away by the man.The sentinel backed away, and her expression and posture showed unusual respect. Then the sentry caught a glimpse of Malfurion from behind the battered man.She spoke with a little relief. "Arch Druid! By Elune—" "'Arch Druid'?" The hooded man took a deep breath, as if the word meant a lot to him. Malfurion was startled.He didn't recognize the voice, but he knew it was someone he knew—although the voice was altered by nervousness or something. The man carefully moved the baby in his arms, then turned his head to look at Malfurion.The pain produced a visible change on his face.Yet the archdruid recognized the night elf right away, even though it had been centuries since the latter had last seen among his kind.Malfurion couldn't believe his eyes. He had deduced that this man had died in an accident or a fight. He whispered the name suspiciously. "Jarrod Shadowsong..."