Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Cleaning

Malfurion woke up.He couldn't tell how long he had been in a coma, but he knew it would definitely not be short.At least a day, or longer. As he slowly regained consciousness, Malfurion noticed something troubling.His body is almost unconscious, as if his soul is coming out of his body in a dream state.But the archdruid knew he was still in the real world, not the Emerald Dream. His head suddenly felt like a heavy blow.Malfurion tried to relax, and the pain eased.This confirmed his fears.He has been reduced to a prisoner, and the man has a good understanding of the druid's ability.

Malfurion cautiously tried to open his eyes.He first narrowed his eyelids and found that it did not cause more pain, so he started to try further. He saw himself hanging a few feet above the ground.Malfurion tried to turn his head away, but the pounding in his head started again, accompanied by a sharp pain, reminding him of the pain he suffered before he was hit in the head. The archdruid was forced to close his eyes again and relax.After the weather calmed down, he tried again.But this time Malfurion just looked ahead, guessing his surroundings from the corner of his eye. He could barely see his feet spread apart, and he judged that he was tied between two tree trunks.It was strange that someone had taken the trouble to put him in prison, and all they had to do was kill him.But the other party's failure to do so made the Archdruid feel worried.

This place is not far from where he stepped on the trap.Malfurion could see no sign of the two sentries, but presumably they would not be spared.And the reason why he didn't die was entirely because of his own strength.Malfurion was furious at the needless loss of two lives.The Sentinels were killed only because they happened to show up at the same time as the Archdruid. The nearby trees tried to warn him, but it was too late.That was clearly an ingenious trap.Malfurion almost dared to swear that it was specially set up for him, otherwise how could it happen to appear in his path? He regretted not sending someone to inform Maiev now.

Something moved at the edge of his vision.A moment later, Jarod's sister appeared in front of him.With the helmet in her arms, she looked around suspiciously, apparently looking for Malfurion's captors. He tried to speak, but his head hurt again.But he obviously made a noise anyway, because she looked up at him. "Yo, finally woke up." These words revealed the terrible truth in front of the archdruid.There must have been a dazed look on his face, because Maiev smiled knowingly at him. "Great and mighty Archdruid Malfurion Stormrage," she declared wryly. "The savior of the Kaldorei clan..." Maiev spat on him. "It's better to say the other way around, it's the destroyer of all this..."

Despite the unbearable pain, Malfurion let out a hoarse guttural sound. "why?" She frowned. "I must admit, this is quite a surprise. You should have been killed by our trap, and now you can speak clearly. It seems that you are even stronger than I expected. " Maiev looked aside.Niva and two other watchers came into Malfurion's view.They saluted Jarod's sister, but were not at all surprised by the prisoner before them. "Everything is ready," Nivahui reported, glancing in Malfurion's direction. "We have to get rid of him first, mistress."

"No...he's good here. Nobody comes from Darnassus to this place. As for our prey, it's just because they feel they're safe from any threat even now!" She looked at the Big Drew Yi. "No...he has to live for the time being. I have made a decision that he should be given a special sentence." "Your brother—" Maiev glared at Niva suddenly. "You know who he is. You must not touch him. He trusts me, and will speak for us. Let him be ignorant, and give up your wish." Niva nodded silently, and was frightened for a while. "Those idiots will be here soon. You better go and be with the others." She looked around. "Where's Gaela?"

"As you ordered, the remaining evidence is being destroyed." Maiev snickered. "Very well. When the Sentinels are dead, no one will know we sent the Archdruid here." She cast another glance in Malfurion's direction. "Go on with your business. I'm going to let this people's hero enjoy the pain again." Niva snorted at Malfurion, and left with the other guards.Maiev also walked out of the arch druid's field of vision. Pain hit him again.Malfurion wanted to scream, but his mouth would not work. After the severe pain subsided, Jarod's sister walked back.She looked at him now with utter contempt.

"It's much better this way. Silence is golden, especially for you. I'm glad you woke up, Archdruid. Niva wants you to die and get out of the way, but I always feel that you really don't deserve a clean Death. Because you have committed so many crimes against our people..." Although unable to speak, Malfurion still tried to express himself with his eyes.He must have succeeded, for Maiev replied with a shrug, "No, I guess you're blind to everything. You're always convinced that you know everything. But if that's the case, you and Tyrande won't let these disgusting murderers go back." Come among us! The Highborne have only one path, and you will walk with them!"

Maiev drew a dagger from his belt, eyeing it fondly. "See? It's a special dagger. I made it for your brother, but never got a chance to use it. It was taken from me before I was cast into the Warden's cage in Outland, and it wasn't until later Got it back after defeating Illidan at the Black Temple. I was hoping his death would be slow so he would have time to reflect on why he had to be punished. Well, you and he were made for each other! Not just born together, Just as arrogant!" She threw the dagger.Malfurion watched it fly towards him, thinking he was doomed.However, at the last moment, the dagger automatically changed direction and flew past his head.

"After all the destruction the Well of Eternity has done to us, Illidan recreated it! Why? Because he declared it to be for the good of our people! Then he joined the ranks of demons, from god to form For one of them! Why? Because he declares that to survive we must become like our enemies, and use their own evil against them!" she said mockingly. "We are all very aware of the later results... and we all know how false his words have always been..." Maiev lifted her hand aside.The dagger fell into her hand with the hilt facing forward.She looked at it again, as if she found it extremely charming. "We could have saved so much trouble about that brother of yours, but you put him above our people. You let him attack us, Archdruid, as if you had him Like the one released from prison...and this is just one of your crimes..."

From Malfurion's point of view, Maiev was undoubtedly mad, and had probably been mad for a long time.She has been good at survival all her life, so she knows how to hide her true colors cleverly, pretending to be what Tyrande and Malfurion want to see. "You know, I've learned some tricks over the millennia. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to survive your brother's fake mercy." Her eyes became hollow for a moment, as if caught in a dark memory of the past among. "I got some little gifts, like this dagger, and learned some new abilities that I can use to trap demons... and Highborne. I've made so many sacrifices, but it's all worth it. I know This is the day I work for, to cleanse the stain of the Highborne from our people once and for all, and to root out your ugly influence..." She put away the dagger, then stared at her prisoner for a few seconds.From Malfurion's point of view, it seemed that Maiev no longer saw him in his eyes, and no longer believed in his existence. Jarod's sister went on again, only now in a more kindly tone. "I must go, Malfurion. Some guests must be attended to by me. Archmage Mordant and his company want to know why I have invited them here, and I do not want them to disappointment……" Malfurion was trying to get her attention, and it was all for the Highborne's sake.He knew that what Maiev was planning to do to these spellcasters must be extremely harmful. "Don't bother," she joked. "When I'm done with them, I'll come over and take care of you myself. You won't feel slighted, I promise. I've chosen a special place where I'll keep you for your sentence, like your brother That." Maiev's voice became more contemptuous. "That's a good place. Since you think it's best for us to lose our immortality, then you can rot there slowly until you die..." After speaking, Maiev bowed mockingly and turned away.Malfurion waited, but she came into view again.He was indeed alone now. Since the beginning, the archdruids have tried to find weaknesses that could be exploited, but Maiev's traps are well thought out.Yet he kept trying.Apparently Maiev had every intention of killing Mordant and a few others.The other assassinations were little more than tests and taunts.Now she was fully convinced of her ability to challenge the leadership of the Highborne. Just as he was trying, the headache and throbbing started again.But Malfurion was reckless, focused only on his own attempt to escape.Maiev may be completely insane, but the archdruid knows her determination, her wit.If she was not sure that she could succeed, she would not attempt to assassinate those spellcasters.And if she thought so, nothing—absolutely nothing—could stand in her way. After all, in her heart, she was just doing her duty faithfully for her own people. Jarod stopped by the Temple of Elune to find Malfurion, but the archdruid wasn't there.Tyrande must be in Ashenvale by now, so the ex-guard captain thought she could find her husband near the Sisterhood of Elune, since they were the ones most likely to tell the Archdruid High Priestess what was going on. He asked the temple assistants on duty, but got nowhere.They hadn't seen Malfurion since yesterday.Someone suggested that Jarod look for it in the Cenarion District, and since there was no other place to go, Jarod went there too.But the druids he encountered there were equally unhelpful.Their leader often goes out alone to communicate with the forest.With no real reason to ask them to look for Malfurion, Jarod could only be content with their assurances that as soon as there was news of the archdruid, they would remind Malfurion that his former officers were eager to see him. Jarod knew that no matter where Malfurion was, he had to wait patiently for him to return.But he faintly felt that it was too coincidental. This intuition had saved his life in the war, but recently it made him suspicious.It may be that someone deliberately misled the archdruid, leading him elsewhere when he was most needed.But suffering from no evidence, he can only investigate the truth alone. Jarod decided to go to Idric, hoping that the Gilnean would know where Malfurion was, and it would be even better if he could help the former captain of the guard find the archdruid.Idrik shared Jarod's concerns about events such as the murder, so the night elves thought the werewolf might lend a hand. Worried about running into another trap left by the killers, Jarod detoured further south.He was familiar with the land now, and knew that there was a road that led directly to the Gilnean camp.In addition, Jarod hoped to meet a werewolf who would represent the king in dealing with Darnassus.That way he'll get an answer sooner and avoid taking unnecessary long trips. Although he made his way to their camp without incident, the ex-guard captain saw no sign of a cursed human.According to his usual understanding, things were a little unusual.There is usually at least one or two werewolves traveling between the camp and the capital on official business. As he approached the camp, Jarod noticed another oddity.True, the werewolves were silent in the woods, but he should have heard some movement.Now it seemed like they were all asleep...or gone. But as he thought about it, Jarod felt he was no longer alone.He was anxious about his mind, so he simply stopped and waited. Just as the night elves had hoped, a werewolf slipped out of the woods.In fact, this was the werewolf he was looking for. "Idric, great! I want to talk to you—" The werewolf motioned for him to be silent.Jarod immediately complied. There was a muffled gasp, followed by a grunt, from far away from the direction Jarod had come.Idrik jumped past the night elf, and Jarod turned and followed. Someone is following Jarod.The night elf found that he hadn't noticed at all.Whoever that man was, he must have been extremely well trained in stealth. He immediately thought of those killers.If they could kill the Highborne, it would be easy to track a fool like Jarod.After all, his skills are obviously greatly degraded. After a few steps, he almost collided with Idrik.The werewolf stood stiffly, staring not far ahead. It was another werewolf...without the head.To Jarod's surprise, he remained in his werewolf form after death. That killer was really skilled.Jarod could see the werewolf's head cut off neatly.Even more shocking was the evidence before him that the werewolf was confronting his killer. "I warned Samuel not to be careless! I warned him they were dangerous even to us!" "Who?" Edric didn't answer.With a roar the werewolf rushed in the direction of the murderer of his fellow man.This time Jarod was so bewildered that he had no choice but to follow.But Jarod found it difficult at once, for the werewolf was running on all fours, and his speed was greatly increased. The werewolf ran and sniffed the air, tracking the source of the scent.The two quickly left the vicinity of the camp, and soon crossed the most remote edge of Darnassus.The trees in the dense forest swaggered ominously, but the two did not slow down, despite Jarod's premonition of what lay ahead. Idric stopped in his tracks. He stood up, turned his nose to the sky, took a deep breath and let out a low growl.Jarod looked around, but seeing nothing but trees, he couldn't help but wonder what the Gilneans were up to. "It's impossible to lose them," Idrik whispered. "The smell is here..." Jarod smelled a rich fragrance of flowers.There was nothing strange about this at first, but in Garald's opinion, the smell was a bit out of harmony with the surrounding environment. Edric didn't seem to notice this.He was thinking of other things at the moment. "I shouldn't be here at all... I should have left this up to you night elves! The king wants all our warriors to go with him, leaving only a few to look after the children and the sick! I was going to Gone, but I begged him to let me stay! Why should I do this? It's your problem, not ours... But the Archdruid has done so much for us; I can't sit idly by..." "What are you talking about?" Jarod asked, distracted by the werewolf's muttering. His companion stared at him.There is a gentleness in those eyes that is different from the appearance of other beasts... gentleness, but not weakness.Edric is still human at heart. "Never mind that! These assassinations! It's so close to us, I don't like it! The Lord ordered us all to leave it alone, but I couldn't. I went to investigate. I found out the truth, but I didn't know there was Who's going to believe me! That's why I'm here! I can't sit idly by—" He didn't say any more.Suddenly, from the depths of the woods came the sound of a branch snapping. Something flew towards them. "Lie down!" Jarod yelled, and rushed towards the werewolf.Idrik screamed and rolled to the ground with Jarod. The moonblade skimmed over where the werewolf had been standing before, mowed through the bushes behind, then circled and flew back the same way. Idrick pushed Jarod away. "Stay still, night elf! This hunt is mine!" Jarod wanted to call him back, but the Gilnean was confident in his abilities.The werewolf hopped through the trees, oblivious to the other moonblade passing him. The ex-guard captain grabbed a heavy stone and threw it.The stone hit the Moonblade and deflected it to one side.The deadly weapon slammed into a tree, cutting a deep gash, before bouncing off the trunk and landing on the ground not far away. Jarod crawled forward and reached for the weapon.He is not good at using moon blades, but prefers long swords.The night elf cursed himself, not only for lack of training in this area, but also for not carrying his favorite sword with him. Jarod grabbed the Moonblade as best he could, crouched low, and followed Idric.He didn't see the werewolf at first, but he knew the general direction the Gilnean was going. Jarod felt a tingle all over his body as he walked through the thick undergrowth, but he tried not to notice it.As long as he survived, there will be times of pain in the future. He sprinted through a wall of trees—just barely enough to catch a tree branch before falling to his death.The ground in front of him suddenly dropped nearly a hundred feet.Garald stepped back to a safe ground, thinking for a while that there is such an amazing landform on the World Tree. Those druids must have paid a huge amount of money when shaping such a country that simulated the continent of Azeroth. effort. A sound of fighting brought him back to reality.He heard Idrick's roar and another grunt.Then there was a bang. Jarod held the moonblade tightly and followed the sound.The fight must be around the corner— A curved blade grazed his throat.On the nick of time, Jarod noticed a glimmer of light out of the corner of his eye, and was able to raise the weapon he had come with just in time. But unlike the previous one, this time the oncoming weapon was not thrown out of hand, but held in a seasoned hand.At first Jarod thought it was a sentry—until he saw the face. Niva sneered and swung her Shadow Crescent Knife again.There was madness in her eyes, but there was also cunning in the madness.She forced him back against a tree, then pinned his weapon. "Isn't that romantic?" she said mockingly, pressing the Darkmoon Knife to his neck. "It's just you and me..." "Where is Edric...?" "That bitch? I'll skin him later! Make a nice cape..." He was furious to hear of the death of the brave werewolf.Jarod had been worried that the Gilnean would underestimate the stalkers, despite Idrick himself warning his people. There was one other thing that still puzzled Jarod.Why was he being followed in the first place? Was Niva worried that he would know something and was going to warn Maiev? Maiev... Jarod cursed, and now he knew it all.Niva laughed harder and her expression became more mocking. "Got it, don't you? You're not only good-looking, you're smart too! Your sister is going to cleanse our people of all defilement! No Highborne, no dogs, no humans... no alliances! We don't Need anything from them and they bring their filthy way of life to us!" She would be crazy if she really believed this, and Jarod's sister would be even crazier if she really helped Maiev carry out this "cleaning".He can understand how things happen.Her entire life has been defending the night elves in various ways.And the return of the Highborne must have been a turning point, as if Zin-Ezsari had once again claimed dominion over their people. The edge of the Darkmoon Blade approached his throat.Niva is powerful, and while she may not be as powerful as Jarod, she uses leverage to her advantage. "She...why...want me to die?" he hissed. "Maeve doesn't want to! She thinks she can use you as a puppet! But I've been watching! You're more dangerous than she thinks! She'll understand why I killed you. She knows what I believe in!" Jarod knew there was no way to persuade Niva to give up her brutal methods.In her fanatical eyes, she is just a stumbling block. A dark figure suddenly jumped out from behind Niva.Jarod looked bravely behind her, and he saw Idric, covered in his own blood and the blood of others, pounce on Maiev's lieutenant. But Niva is even more skilled.She moved the Darkmoon Knife away from Jarod, spinning it in a circle just in time to disembowel the charging werewolf. Unfortunately, Niva's actions made her vulnerable to Jarod.He was too late to save his savior, but was able to avenge him.The stolen moonblade sliced ​​deep into the back of her neck. Niva turned around and fell to the side.She stepped on the ground and barely clung to the edge of the cliff.But even so, she still grabbed Garald's arm persistently, trying to drag him down together. A pair of sharp claws tore at her wrist.Coughing violently, Idrik bumped into Niva, causing her to let go of Jarod. The two entangled and fell to the ground below. The sound of the impact made Jarod shudder inwardly.The night elf looked down and saw that the two bodies were now separated.Lying there on his stomach, Idrik looked as if he was asleep rather than dead.As for Niva—— Niva moved.Almost imperceptible.In such a place, far from any priestess or druid, she had no hope of recovery, but the assassin was not dead yet. Jarod suddenly prayed that she would hold on.He endured the pain and climbed down to the position of the two as soon as possible.He had seen enough death on the battlefield to be able to conclude that the werewolf was dead. Niva groaned.Jarod knelt beside her just in time to see her open one eye. "C-come to kiss me goodbye, won't you?" she whispered with a smirk. "No. I'm here to watch you die a slow, painful death. I've seen wounded people like you. You can live for a few more hours, maybe a day or two. I'm gone before that. You'll be alone die, unless some animal comes and gnaws you alive." The smile on Niva's face disappeared, she looked confused and shaken. "Kill me. You-you know...you know you'd...would do it." "I have no reason to give you any peace. You killed my friend, and his friend..." Niva laughed, which caused blood to overflow from the corner of her mouth. "That werewolf...was more powerful than I thought. He must have killed Tashina, when we both thought we'd killed him." After hearing that there was another enemy nearby, Jarod quickly looked around, but saw nothing. This made Niva laugh even harder...it seemed that she was getting closer to death. "Don't-don't be afraid. If...if she's around, you...you can't be alive! She and I..." The caretaker suddenly trembled. "Ugh! Elune... kill me!" Jarod was unimpressed. "Tell me where my sister is, and I will end your suffering." "You...you can't... find her in time!" At the end, Niva felt a bit of joy amidst the pain. "I can if you answer quickly. In return, I promise to do my best to help you." She glared at him. "I won't... tell you." He stretched his hands to his waist, and there was a pocket knife in his belt.Jarod unfastened the short, sharp dagger. "I'll end your pain. It's only going to get worse. I know it. I've seen it many times on the battlefield. Great and strong fighters - stronger than you and me - Weeping with pain from wounds and internal wounds. Worst of all were those who were too close to the Burning Legion for us to be near. It took them days to die." He stopped, reminiscing about the past. "I can't even remember how many times I have to hand them off because no healer can even ease their pain." Niva turned her head and looked into the distance, although every vigorous movement made her groan in pain.Her neck wasn't broken, but Jarod knew she wouldn't be comfortable with it.The rest of her body was mutilated and deformed. He reluctantly put away the knife and stood up.This action caught her attention. "you can not--" "I'm wasting my time. I'm going to find Maiev anyway—" "Wait!" the wounded assassin clenched his teeth, then panted, "Maev will—Maev will kill the Highborne. First...their leaders first...then the others." This information didn't shock him too much, because he had already witnessed it. "I already know that. Farewell, Niva..." "Wait!" She coughed, more blood gushing from her mouth. "Wa-wait. Your sister... your sister has another surprise. I... I can't get you to save those damn mages... but I... I can give you the Archdruid ..." He could hardly conceal the effect the secret had on him.Jarod returned to Niva's side. "Malfurion? What happened to him? Where is he?" She stared at him. "First of all...you...you promise. I know you, Shadowsong. Maiev said...that you always keep your promises...like a good boy. Tell me...tell me you'll kill me, and I will hand over the Archdruid to you..." There was another cough.More blood. "It doesn't matter... If the Highborne die, he will lose face..." Maiev had captured Malfurion... the horrifying thought crossed Jarod's mind.He couldn't believe that his sister wasn't ready to kill the arch druid at any time.Time is of the essence. "I promise you. I will end your suffering." She looked much relieved, but completely pale.She did her best to tell him the route he should take.Jarod, a warrior familiar with communicating with the dying, could tell she wasn't lying.There were some flaws in her description, but he felt he knew enough. "You...you promised." She continued after finishing speaking. "I know," Jarod replied, and drew his dagger. Niva looked at the knife, then raised her eyes to the sky. "You...it's too late to stop her," Niva said hoarsely. "Too late……" He said nothing, and deftly fulfilled his promise with the dagger. Jarod Shadowsong stood up when he was done.Even though Niva was an enemy, he still regretted making her suffer for so long.It's not his style.But Jarod needed to know what his sister wanted to do and where.Although Niva didn't tell the whole story, she said at least one thing.To be honest, in Jarod's opinion, this is far more important than the lives of all the Highborne combined... Malfurion's whereabouts.Nothing is more important than saving the archdruid. Jarod leaned over to Idric.With his finger, he drew a crescent moon shape towards the werewolf's body.That is the emblem of Elune.He prayed to the Mother of the Moon to take Idrik's soul to the place where the werewolves go after death.Idrik has proven himself to be an excellent comrade in arms, as good as any of Jarod's comrades in battle.With a man like that on his side, the members of the Alliance are all fools if they don't see the point.They might even reverse the Horde's gains, though they appear to be more attuned to the wild world that Azeroth has become today than the Alliance. The night elf turned away as fast as he could, and then he remembered that he forgot to ask Niva if there were any other traps between him and Malfurion.As long as there is one careless step, the rescue of the Archdruid will end before it even starts. And this time, no one will come to rescue Jarod.