Chapter 7 Chapter Seven Into the Jungle

Hadrisa hadn't expected to hear from Darnassus so soon, but that didn't mean she would hold back just now.Believing the orcs were on the move, she took another team the next day to scout the hills to the east of a night elf camp called Meisena's Post.She took Shannon with her because of his sharp eyes.Dani stayed in the fortress to preside over the overall situation, which made Hadlisa's adjutant a little unhappy. "As the supreme commander, you should stay behind." Dani once advised in her most polite way. "What if there is trouble outside?" Her words were right, but at the time Hadrissa could not shake the thought that perhaps Dany thought she could handle the hardships of the journey or the dangers of the encounter better on her own.So Hadrissa rejected her subordinate's suggestion without hesitation.However, during the ride, Hadrissa felt sore all over her body from time to time, and she couldn't help thinking that she should have listened to her more.

But when Shannon returned from scouting with two sentries, Hadrissa put all thoughts aside.It was unlikely that the tribe would have any plans for such a remote place, but Hadrisa chose this place deliberately, knowing that the enemy might take advantage of this habitual thinking.Thinking from the enemy's point of view has saved the Commander many times, even though doing so repulses her at times.But she must do her best to anticipate the enemy's opportunity. Of course, Dany and Shannon both looked dubious when she announced where she was going with the team. However, at this moment, Shannon's face was no longer suspicious.In fact, his tense expression made everyone waiting in the back—especially Hadrissa—sit up nervously.

"What's the matter?" Hadrissa asked as soon as he approached. "You'd better see for yourself," he said before he had recovered from the gallop, "this way!" This strange answer made the commander frowned, and she waved her hand to signal the team to follow behind Shannon.Well-trained night sabers leap into the forest lightly and noiselessly, weaving nimbly through the trees and crawling over uneven ground.Thousands of years later, Hadrissa still marvels at their agility.These big cats are in the prime of life.For the first time, the Commander remembered her old mounts and their tumultuous end.Although some night sabers were killed in battle, many lived out their old age with disabilities.It made her aware of her growing decline again.

The night elf was cautiously on the alert, though there was no sign yet of what Shannon or the other two sentries had seen.At this moment, Shannon lowered his body and galloped like a leopard, which showed his determination to take the commander to the destination as soon as possible.To her, it was an ominous omen. Then they went deep into the dense forest and came to a rolling hill. Shannon suddenly signaled the team to slow down.Hadrissa drove the leopard to his side, then leaned sideways. "what……?" "listen." She knew Shannon had better ears than most, too.But even with that in mind, the Commander was surprised at what he heard.Even the Nightsaber Pack didn't seem to notice anything unusual.

"I didn't—" Hadrissa began, then stopped.A very faint voice came from far ahead.An eerie and unsettling sound.Even with a strange rhythm, repeated again and again without stopping. "What's that?" someone whispered. "Sounds familiar..." "I'm going to check again." She glanced back and ordered her subordinates. "Now Shannon and I are going to investigate. The others stay behind! We will signal when your support is needed." The other Sentinels didn't look happy, but they followed orders.Shannon pushed his nightsaber forward at a slower, more cautious pace.Hadrisa also kept her mount at the same speed.

As they approached their destination, Shannon held the Moonblade in his hands.Hadrissa followed suit. There was a loud buzz.It was a head-scratching squeaking noise, with creaking and creaking in between.The commander recognized it as the sound of trees snapping. Although the details are still unclear, she now fully understands what happened.The Horde has been on a quest to expand like crazy, with an insatiable appetite for wood.They were to be used to build houses, to burn fire and forge, and to build ever-expanding fleets. That's why they're salivating over Ashenvale. "We'd better walk over here," Shannon whispered in her ear.

Hadrisa nodded, she got off her mount, and together with Shannon tied the reins of the nightsaber to the tree.These night sabers are extremely intelligent, and they will stay where they are told unless called upon by their riders.If the situation is urgent, the war leopards can come to help quickly, which is of great benefit to Hadrisa. Shannon squatted down and led the way forward.The wind changed direction and came towards them.This not only prevented the orcs from smelling them, but also answered Hadrisa's question. The wind mingled with the smell of fuel and steam, the hallmark of goblin machinery.Judging from the suffocating strong smell, it was several machines.Goblins are almost the antithesis of night elves; they believe in machines rather than the forces of nature, and have little, if any, respect for the latter.

"Look at that!" Shannon said in a piercing voice, pointing to the northeast with one hand. At first Hadrissa thought it were giants in armor striding through the forest.One of the giants is ready to kill, with a madly spinning curved blade on the end of one arm and a huge four-tooth claw hook on the end of the other arm.At this moment, the giant was holding a thick oak tree in one hand, and stretching the spinning blade towards the trunk with the other hand. To Hadrissa's horror, the blade sliced ​​through the wood with ease.In a blink of an eye, the huge oak tree shook, and it had lost its life.

However, that huge figure was not satisfied with this.It changed its posture and began to plan the tree into small pieces again. That's when Hadrissa saw that there was a seat at the head of the thing... a small figure sat on it, manipulating the joystick deftly.He has green skin and long ears, with a sadistic smile on his face. "A logging machine," she whispered to Shannon. "A Goblin Shredder!" There have been reports of such a machine far to the east, but finding one so close is a nuisance. "Wait," Shannon whispered. "Keep listening." Before she could ask why, the buzzing sound came from another place.The two saw another logging machine slowly coming out.The machine, painted silver and red, stopped, and turned its upper body sideways. If a living thing did this, it would surely break its spine.There was another goblin half-hidden by armor on that seat. He surveyed the nearby woods, and after selecting a target, he pulled a handle, and the spinning saw blades began their brutal work.

Hadrissa cursed silently at such blasphemy.She was about to stand up—but her instincts made her crouch down suddenly, when two more logging machines came into view. "They're doing massive logging here," Shannon told her. "I saw two earlier. They're destroying this area of ​​Ashenvale like the trees don't feel like they matter at all!" "Six logging machines." Hadrisa calculated. "We can handle so much—" At this time, a more terrifying nightmare appeared in front of them.Another logging machine came in, followed by one after another... Soon there were more than twenty logging machines in front of them, and the number was still increasing.

"Eluen is here!" Shannon gasped. "This is worse than I thought!" "We have to go!" replied Hadrissa, who started to back away.Still watching the horrible scene, the two sentries retreated slowly towards the place where they left their mounts. The wind changed again.The heavy smell of fuel and steam hit Hadrissa from their left. "Be careful!" She pushed Shannon away violently. A logging machine darted out from among the trees and bushes, its giant metal claws tearing away branches and leaves that got in its way.A shrill, maniacal laugh drowned out the whirling sound of the saw blades.The goblin twitched the joystick with a wicked grin on his face. The blade swung at Hadrissa.She was forced to dodge to the left, but stumbled because of her blindness, and the saw blade was dangerously inserted into her shoulder.And Hadrissa was in plate armor, and the woodcutter still sliced ​​through the metal, cutting a small but painful gash in her flesh. The shallow wound surprised the commander, making her an ideal target.The upper half of the feller turned toward her.The goblin let out another wild laugh as he manipulated the whirring blade. Fortunately, no one heard the battle of the Sentinels here, partly because the goblins went too far ahead of the others, and partly because they made too much noise from deforestation.But Hadrissa isn't pinning her hopes on this being the case all the time.At least she and Shannon must get away. A whirling moonblade passed her, flying within inches of the goblin, only to be parried away by an iron arm.Shannon's weapon flew out and sank deep into a nearby tree trunk. But the blow at least gave Hadrissa a chance to breathe.Taking advantage of the situation, she jumped out of the circle and reached out to pull out her moon blade. The goblin pulled the handle, and the logging machine charged at her.It still used one arm as a shield, while the saw blade on the other arm was spinning endlessly, stretching straight forward. Hadrisa estimated the position of the woodcutter, adjusted slightly according to her impaired vision, and then threw the moonblade.At first she looked far away, but the moonblade flew past the sneering goblin and turned back.The commander's face remained calm, for fear of alerting the enemy. However, she underestimated the power of the goblin and his machine.The short mule pulled the lever, and the defensive arm twisted over his head in a way that a living creature could never do. There was a sharp clang, and her moon blade hit that arm and bounced far away.Hadrissa swore. "Come on, Zipi!" the goblin taunted. "Come give Grandpa a hug!" The Timbersaw's arms swung at her from different directions, trying to trap her and kill her again.Hadrissa fell to the ground, narrowly avoiding decapitation. She thought the goblin would immediately adjust its posture and attack again, but the arms began to dance wildly.The commander stood up and saw that Shannon was climbing on the side of the logging machine. He didn't hold the moonblade, but the dagger in his left hand was more useful for dealing with the driver of the logging machine - if the night elves could get closer . But the goblins would never allow this to happen.The feller spun around with his arms waving, intent on knocking Shannon down.Although he failed to achieve his wish, it also prevented the Sentinel from using the blade in his hand. Hadrissa knew that if she signaled to the others, she might alert all the goblins, and the rest of the Horde, that the Alliance was nearby.So she wanted to find a way to quickly take care of this lonely enemy.She looks around.His Moonblade fell too far, but Shannon's weapon was still stuck in a nearby tree.She rushed to grab the weapon, hoping her companions would hold the goblin out longer—and without dying. However, while she came to the moonblade with ease, pulling it out was a much more difficult task.The moonblade was buried deep in the tree trunk, and despite Hadrissa's best efforts—she gritted her teeth all the while, and the wound ached from the effort—it never moved. There was a loud buzzing in my ears.She glanced in the direction of the other loggers, but they were out of sight...and thus couldn't be the source of the growing hum. Hadrissa squatted down sharply. The saw blade of the logging machine slammed into the trunk.Wood chips and sawdust fell on the night elf. A sharp and piercing sound tore at her eardrums.Hadrissa rolled to one side and saw the saw blade of the feller machine cut into the moonblade.The impact caused both the logging machine and the trees to vibrate violently. The goblin flipped a few levers cursingly.Another iron arm reached out to support the trunk.Under the action of amazing force, the logger used the principle of leverage to break free. Having failed to see Shannon, Hadrissa could only assume the worst.Shannon's Moonblade had been destroyed, so she looked around for her weapon. The half-sawn tree creaked ominously.Hadrissa took a few steps back, only to realize that the danger was not as urgent as she thought.The big tree shook slightly a few times, then calmed down. The goblin adjusted the joysticks, then charged at her again.That's when Hadrissa caught a glimpse of Shannon, sprawled under another tree.Although she didn't see any signs of injury, the motionless body gave her little hope. Seeing Shannon, however, gave her a sudden, all-or-nothing plan.The Commander hoped she was right about the damage to the tree, or she would have put herself to death. "Shanon!" she yelled. "Attack his left!" The goblin moved at the sound.He pulled the lever, and the feller turned toward where he thought the threat was. If Hadrissa had charged at the goblin, he would have noticed her in time and prevented her attack.However, the night elf ran behind the tree. The goblin saw that the male night elf was still lying there motionless, either unconscious or dead.He pulled the handle, and the logger started turning back toward her. Hadrissa slammed behind a tree.The impact shook her bones, but Hadrissa heard a comforting crack from the trees. The giant tree leaned and fell. Hadrisa prayed silently to Elune. Her judgment of strength and angle is very accurate.The giant tree fell towards the logging machine. A shadow hung over the goblin's head, and he couldn't help but look up.He frantically adjusted the handle, raising two iron arms to block the fall of the giant tree.However, the goblin wanted to jump out of his seat when he realized it was clearly a mantis arm. He couldn't do it. The tree crushed the logging machine and its driver into a squashed pile of wreckage.Tanks filled with fuel burst open. The logging machine exploded, sending shards of metal and goblin remains flying in all directions. Before the big tree fell to the ground, Hadrissa had already run towards Shannon.As long as he had a chance of survival, Hadrissa would not abandon her officers. "Shannon!" the commander yelled in a low voice. "Shannon!" He didn't move, but Hadrissa noticed that the male night elf was at least breathing.He had a severe abrasion on his head and blood was all over his face and arms. Hadrissa had no choice, so she put her arms around Shannon's upper body and pulled him back despite the pain in her arms.She glanced back and glimpsed another logging machine heading towards the previous wreckage.Hadrissa huddled on the ground, believing the pilot couldn't see her and Shannon in his arms, but she picked up speed nonetheless.If they were discovered, there would be no possibility of escape. Suddenly a light flashed in front of my eyes.Hadrissa grimaced and put Shannon down to get her Moonblade.Although it will delay a few precious seconds, without the moon blade they will be powerless to fight back. The sound of the logging machine became louder and louder, but there was no exclamation of discovery.The commander hoped that the goblins only cared about their own eyes, thinking that the pilot made a miscalculation when he felled the giant tree, rather than chasing the night elves like a sadist.She only wished that their delusion lasted longer, giving her enough time to escape to her mount. Hadrissa dragged Shannon with one hand, and finally climbed several yards away to avoid the enemy's sight.Then she stopped and whistled softly. She waited there, her heart pounding.Finally, her mount Trot came into view.The nightsaber nuzzled her waist with its mouth. The second war leopard also followed.It sniffed Shannon, then growled.Hadrissa hissed at it and set the motionless officer on the beast's back.When this was done, she mounted her steed. There was a commotion behind her, goblins inspecting the wreckage of the logging machine, which Hadrissa hoped they still mistook for an accident.The commander took a deep breath, and then drove the nightsabers forward. She didn't dare to relax until she left them far behind.Hadrissa raced to get to the other members of the team, and they all looked uneasy when they saw her coming. "Take care of him!" she ordered to them both.Hadrissa turned to the other sentries as they went to nurse Shannon. "Things are worse than we thought! There are more goblin loggers out there than I thought! They've destroyed the forest here. I'm sorry, but they must be doing the same elsewhere .” "We can rush over and kill these evil spirits!" growled a sentry. "We can handle the scum!" Some of the sentries raised their moonblades in agreement, but Hadrisa immediately dismissed any thought of attacking. "We will not resort to suicide attacks! Go back now! This message must go to Darnassus!" "And we just wait like this?" Another person blurted out. "Of course not! Enough asking!" she ordered to the two night elves watching over Shannon. "Stop him! We've got to gallop!" But Hadrissa paused when she saw their expressions. "He's dead," the nearest sentry said to her and the others. "It's been a while. He's got a bad head injury." To emphasize her point, she tilted Shannon's head so that the entire group could see the bruised wound and the growing rage. blood flow.Hadrissa had seen this scene when she was on the run, but she hadn't thought about it then. The commander frowned angrily.Another person died at the hands of the tribe.She was aching all over and her pulse was racing. "They will pay. They will pay for all the deaths...including this forest." Hadrissa steered her mount forward, and the others followed her.She looked back.Shannon's body was fastened to the mount and they rode with them-she knew that the dead rider was probably a bad omen.