A cool and soothing wind blows through the tall oak trees in the Hearth Castle Forest, and peace falls in this quiet forest, leaving a lonely thought.His gray warhorse trotted along the path.Even though prey had been scarce for weeks, Tirion was unwilling to give up.Compared with the coldness and crampedness of the castle hall, how wonderful is the fresh air in the countryside.For this piece of woodland where he has been hunting since he was a child, the criss-crossing rice fields are as familiar as the back of his hand.It became his refuge whenever the bureaucracy overwhelmed him.He thought, maybe one day his son will come with him, and the child will be able to experience the magnificence of the motherland for himself.

Paladin Lord Tirion Fordring is a big deal.Over fifty years old, he is full of strength both physically and mentally. He is regarded as one of the greatest fighters in the world, and his energy is not inferior to that of young people.His piercing green eyes still shone brightly despite the graying of his trademark beard and neat brown hair. Tirion is the Archon of Hearthkeep, a prosperous duchy in the Alliance.Hearthkeep sits in a wooded area between the towering Alterac Mountains and the misty Lake Darrowmere.Tirion was revered as a just archon, and his reputation spread far and wide.His castle, , is the bustling trading center of Hearthcord.The citizens of Hearthkeep are deeply proud of the fact that their castle never fell, even during the darkest days of the Orcish Wars.Even so, Tirion had something to say about the recent haste of various armies rushing through his castle.

In recent weeks, the city has been flooded with envoys from all the states of the Alliance traveling here, with their own secret diplomatic missions.Tirion met most of them warmly in a personal capacity and helped them as much as he could.Although the world applauded his efforts, Tirion could sense the tension among them.He guessed that the ultimate purpose of their trip was to bring dire news to the Alliance Supreme Council.Although it is impossible to directly know their true purpose, they can always guess something.Tirion is not a fool. After serving the alliance in the name of paladins for more than 30 years, he knows that there is only one possibility: the war is about to return to Lordaeron.

It has been almost 12 years since the war with the Orcs ended. It was a terrible war that swept across the northern continent. How many kingdoms in the alliance were razed to the ground overnight, and how many warriors fell.The war also took away many of Tirion's friends and soldiers.Although the Alliance rallied at the last moment and defeated the orcs in one fell swoop, it also paid a heavy price: almost an entire generation of young people gave their lives for the freedom of the Alliance. Towards the end of the war, hordes of the Horde (Horde) were captured and held in heavily guarded asylums.Although the alliance sent a large number of cavalry and infantry to guard against problems, the orcs became tame and lazy day by day.In fact, gradually the violent nature of the orcs seems to have disappeared, replaced by a strange depression.Some thought the immobility had deadened the brutal beasts, but Tirion begs to differ.He witnessed the cruelty and bloodiness of the orcs on the battlefield. Even after many years of war, their atrocities still linger like nightmares.He never believed that the warlike nature could be wiped from the orcs.

As always, Tirion prayed every night that war would never come to his people.Perhaps naively, he hoped that his young son would never be spared the rigors and horrors of war.He had seen too many children killed or orphaned in war, how lonely and chilled they were when they were surrounded by panic and violence.He would never want this to happen to his own children again.However, contrary to his wishes, he could not avoid the status quo.In recent months his cabinet and advisors had been telling him rumors that the orcs were at work again.The envoys who have arrived recently seem to be confirming this rumor.

If the orcs were stupid enough to act again, he would do everything in his power to stop them.Responsibility has been a constant theme throughout his life.He spent his life defending Lordaeron in various ways.Although not of a famous family, his steadfastness and loyalty earned him a knighthood at the age of 18.Tirion served the king with infinite loyalty and won the praise of his superiors.When the orcs first invaded Lordaeron a few years later, he was one of the first to be baptized and made a paladin with him. Uther, Tirion and some other pious knights were personally promoted as the spokespersons of the Holy Light.Their sacred mission includes two parts: under the guidance of the holy light, the paladins should not only fight against the evil forces of darkness unyieldingly, but also save the innocent people in the bed of those wars.Tirion and his companions were endowed with the divine power to save lives and heal the wounded.With great strength and wisdom, they were able to inspire their fellowmen and make the Holy Light shine.In fact, it was the leadership and power of the paladins that turned the war around and allowed humanity to survive.

Although the power of the holy light is slowly disappearing from his body as time goes by, he can still feel the power flowing in his body.If need be, the power of the Light will be enough to make him fight again for the sake of his son and his people, he swore inwardly. Returning from his contemplation, Tirion found that he had walked a long way before he knew it.The path winds through the dense forest, and there's no outpost around here, Tirion remembered.In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he'd traveled this far.The stream was gurgling and the air was refreshing. He couldn't help but stop and take a rest in this beautiful place.The sky was deep and clear, and two eagles hovered high.He loves his homeland.In any case, he had come to hunt, and he could not help reproaching himself for being distracted.Tirion jumped on his horse and rode down the hill whipping along the path.Holding the reins tightly, he drove his faithful steed into the dense forest.

After a few minutes, he gradually slowed down and ran into the open space around an abandoned guard tower.He stopped at the base of the old sentry tower and gazed at the lonely building.Like other ruins that can be seen everywhere in this land, it can't help but remind him of the painful dark time.The black traces of war can be seen clearly among the broken walls, obviously the masterpiece of the orc catapult.He also vividly remembers the time of war, when these destruction machines threw flaming shells one after another, and the whole village was razed to the ground in an instant.He was amazed that the building was still standing after such heavy damage.Suddenly he found a series of strange footprints beside the base of the tower.When he dismounted to examine, Tirion's blood seemed to freeze: the huge footprints were by no means human, and the footprints were made not long ago.

Tirion looked around quickly and saw that the clearing was covered with such footprints. The orcs must have been gathering here for days.He was amazed that these cruel beasts could regroup so quickly.No, the borders of Hearthkeep are safe, there must be another reason.There was no way the orcs could have stalked under their noses for days without being noticed, nor would it be in the wild nature of those beasts to be reckless.As soon as an orc approached Hearthkeep, his scouts and guards would see it right away.Still, the footprints are puzzling. Tirion led the horse around behind the tower, drawing his heavy sword from the saddle.He wished he had carried his mighty hammer with him.Although he is also proficient in swordsmanship, whenever he faces danger, he hopes to hold a warhammer like a traditional paladin.

Tirion walked around the sentry tower lightly, and walked in quietly.The front door of the tower was already damaged, and the huge wooden tower beam fell to the ground, and the debris was scattered all over the place.He walked into the deserted guard room, only to find a small and simple fire pit and a rough patchwork bedding. The embers in the fire pit were not exhausted. Obviously, the orcs temporarily lived in this abandoned tower.Strangely, there are no weapons or loot that orcs like to collect here.He wondered why the orcs were so desperate to attack Alliance territory. He decided to go back to gather the manpower first, so he strode out of the sentry tower.To his surprise, a huge orc suddenly appeared at the edge of the forest.The orc was also surprised when he saw him, quickly dropped the firewood in his hand, and touched the huge battle ax behind his back.Gritting his teeth, Tirion swung his sword, and the orc steadied his pace, and slowly unfastened the battle ax behind his back.

It had been years since Tirion had looked at an orc this way, with hatred in that unflinching gaze.However, despite his blood boiling, Tirion still noticed that the orc in front of him was unusually calm, which was different from other orcs.Although the creature in front of him was as thick and round as he had seen before, with well-developed limbs, green skin, ape-like stance, ugly fangs and pointed ears, it was not the same as the savages Tirion had seen in the war. The animal is the same, but it behaves somewhat differently from theirs.It moved with age, its eyes were wrinkled, and its unkempt beard and chignon were gray and white.While the other orcs wore plate armor and gauntlets, this one was covered only with stitched hides.Its calm and firm expression, as well as its skillful fighting posture all show that it is no longer a reckless young man, but a battle-tested veteran.Regardless of its apparent age, Tirion felt it was more dangerous than any orc he had ever met. The stout creature stood still, as if waiting for Tirion to move first.Tirion looked around quickly, wanting to see if there were other orcs lurking in the forest.Looking back to his eyes, he found that the orc hadn't moved an inch.The orc nodded slightly to Tirion, as if replying to Tirion that he was indeed alone.The orc's knowing gaze made Tirion think that it was trying to remind Tirion to face the battle with all his might. Facing the orc's calm demeanor, Tirion rushed up somewhat flustered.The orc moved sideways lightly to avoid Tirion's first wave of attacks, and swung his ax in an arc.Tirion dodged back, avoiding the fierce blow, and rolled, squatting defensively.Tirion lost no time in stabbing the sword ren at the orc's exposed belly, but the orc deftly blocked it with his battle axe, and took a step back to gain more space.Tirion feinted to the right, and swept horizontally with his sword.But the orc deftly dodged in the opposite direction, and slashed high with a big ax, trying to cut Tirion in two.Tirion rolled, and the ax landed not an inch in front of him.Both of them stood still again, looking at each other in amazement.Tirion realized that the orc in front of him was a formidable opponent he had never faced.A grim sneer ran across the orc's bestial face, as if to indicate the same feeling in the orc's heart. The two of them began to walk slowly in circles, evaluating each other's strengths and weaknesses.Tirion was struck again by the orc's demeanor and poise.The orcs he had encountered before had always rushed forward without exception, preferring savagery and brute force to cunning and strategy.Yet the orc displayed uncanny skill and self-control. For a moment, Tirion began to wonder if it could defeat the creature.For a moment, he even felt that his tired body and reflexes would kill him at a critical moment.He couldn't help but think that his beloved wife and son would lose him forever, which distracted him even more.He made a self-deprecating snort, and put aside his conventional thoughts and prepared to continue fighting.He has faced death hundreds of times for his duties as a paladin.He relented slightly, regaining his fighting instincts.The Holy Light shone upon him.No matter how impressive the orc's fighting power is, it will always be the product of darkness, the sworn enemy of human beings, and they must die! ! With determined determination, Tirion charged at the orc again, striking with every ounce of strength in his body.Facing the furious offensive of the paladins, the orcs were forced to retreat step by step.Tirion pressed forward with every step, and the tip of the sword seemed to burst into flames.The orc parried, dodging every blow from the paladin, but the paladin's final delicate blow tipped the balance.Tirion hit the orc in the thigh, causing it to stumble into a mud puddle.The orc groaned and fell into the dirt.Knowing that the situation was extremely unfavorable, the orc endured the severe pain of the wound on his leg and tried to get up.To its surprise, Tirion took a step back and slowed the motion to get him up.The orc blinked in surprise. Tirion is a paladin—a knight of the Silver Hand.For him, slaughtering an opponent who fell to the ground in a one-on-one fight was extremely disreputable.Codex rules required him to give the orc a reprieve.He gave the orc a definite nod, motioning for it to stand up.Gritting his sharp, black and yellow teeth, the orc slowly stood up holding the ax tightly.They stood still again, staring at each other.The orc straightened up, fists clenched on his chest.Tirion realized it was a salute.Now it was Tirion's turn to wink in disbelief. These savage beasts had never saluted in battle, and it made him realize that there was more to the creature than he knew about savagery.However, it was now his enemy.He nodded to the orc, and raised his sword again. Now it was the turn of the orcs to attack violently.Unable to bear the pain of the wound, the orc was forced to attack the paladin.The orc slammed at Tirion with the giant ax in his hand, and the paladin was forced to dodge, stepping back towards the entrance of the sentry tower.Barely evading a deadly blow from the orc, Tirion retreated into the guardhouse in the sentry tower.With a low growl, Tirion's right shoulder was deeply cut by the sharp axe.He remained calm through the pain, and the blow landed on the orc's bare hand.The frightened orc howled furiously, but the ax fell to the ground.Tirion continued to attack, hoping to end the battle as soon as possible. The orc clung to a fallen beam and waved it at the paladin. Tirion took a small step back as the orc swung the beam.Logs smashed against the flimsy walls, and dust and loose stones fell from the ceiling.The rest of the beams creaked too, as if complaining that they were overwhelmed.Tirion went on the attack, chopping the orc's makeshift weapon to pieces.After realizing his desperate situation, the orc simply dropped his weapon and rushed towards Tirion with his bare hands.With a roar, the maddened beast grabbed Tirion by the neck.The paladin managed to stab the orc to avoid the orc's full weight.The fierce struggle between the two finally toppled the already fragile tower wall, and the ceiling fell on them both. Tirion heard only the creak of wood and the click of stone, and the dust that filled the air around him blinded him.Everything in the guard room suddenly went dark.His body was numb, but he still felt something pressing tightly against his chest.When the dust cleared, he found himself pinned under a huge beam, with his legs pinned down by chunks of mud.He looked around for the orc in panic.If the orc were to come and finish him now, he would be powerless to fight back.With all the strength he had left, he lifted the log up, and the log slid sideways. Pain flooded Tirion at once, his head in pools of blood gushing from his arms.He tried to stand up.However, the severe pain of broken ribs made him unbearable.His right leg also appeared to have been broken by the mud.He was so exhausted and miserable that he felt like he was dying.The rest of the walls are still creaking, and the whole tower is about to fall.As consciousness faded, Tirion heard rustling behind him.Tirion tried to stay awake, but saw only the orc's menacing green hand reaching out for him.At this moment, a burst of darkness enveloped him. -------------------------------------- Notes: