Chapter 16 Chapter fifteen

Khadgar found himself particularly fond of looking at the night sky of this world. It's not red. The archmage sighed, adjusted the telescope in his hand, and pointed it at a particularly bright star.The star was approaching a nearby constellation that he had named Turalyon's Hammer.Now, if it could then— "How much longer?" Startled, Khadgar began to slide downwards.He hastily grabbed the top of the tower with one hand. "Fuck, Alleria, stop doing these sneaky things around me." The handsome elven ranger gazed at him from the window and shrugged curtly. "My movements are naturally so quiet. And you're so focused, I guess if an ogre climbed up here, you wouldn't be able to hear it. How long?"

The mage sighed and rubbed his eyes. Honor Hold was the name of the outpost where they were now.Khadgar was sitting at the top of the tower in the keep.It took them several months just to lay down the foundation of Honor Hold.In the months since, the Crusade has only completed its outer walls and a building or two, including the tower where Khadgar currently stands. During this time, they have been attacked by the Horde, but thankfully most of them are only minor.The Horde is out there, that's a fact.But it is also true that they have been hiding their strength.Khadgar came out every night to look up at the stars, partly to find out why the Horde did it.

Over the past few months, they have been taking on various challenges. Since arriving on Draenor and winning their first battle on the world of the orcs, the Alliance has controlled the Dark Portal, at least on this end.Soon after the expedition passed through the portal, they were encouraged by the arrival of more soldiers and supplies.These, they were told, were "the courtesy of the kings of the Alliance." And the most popular of these was a small luxury from Magni Bronzebeard: several casks of ale. But it didn't last.On the originally agreed day, the second team's supplies were not delivered in time.The Union Army sent a small team of scouts to find out why.Not long after, they returned with bad news: the Horde had taken control of the Dark Portal on the Azeroth side, and the supplies were gone.The supplies that would have kept them alive—or even made their existence possible—were delivered only here and there, and the soldiers who had been promised to be sent were few and far between.Turalyon once predicted very optimistically that they could launch an attack within a month.But as the Portal of Darkness was constantly being occupied and counter-occupied, those soldiers could not pass through the portal to Draenor.

The orcs have camped in an eerie castle west of Honor Hold.Although it is not in line with human aesthetics, the defenses of this huge castle are very strong. If they want to successfully attack, it will require a lot of strategy and preparation. "Soon," Khadgar told Alleria, "it will happen immediately." At first, there was something that confuses them.Not long after they arrived and started building Honor Hold, the orcs attacked.This is not so surprising.Surprisingly, they have kept up the offense.Although the attack is not every day, and the number of people is not large each time, it is enough.What's even more strange is that it seems that they are no longer interested in controlling the Dark Portal.

Turalyon said to Danath, Alleria, Kurdran, and Khadgar one night, "Whatever you think of the Horde, they've never been stupid. So why have they always been How about attacking us rashly? Their numbers are so small that they can't take Fort Watch. And they don't seem to be for the Dark Portal." "I don't think it's too late to stop Ner'zhul from opening portals to other worlds," Khadgar mused, "though I'm not sure why he hasn't done so already. He already has the artifact he needs, Clearly he needs something else." Khadgar leaned back in the rough wooden chair, stroking his long white beard thoughtfully.

"Does this process require a lot of energy and some very complicated spells?" Danas asked. "Maybe he's spent all this time on these details." "Doubtful," Khadgar said. "Yes, it's very complicated, but I'm pretty sure he can start casting spells with the artifacts he's got. The Scepter of Sargeras, the Book of Medivh and the Eye of Dalaran." He pondered . "What else? What would he be waiting for?" They had tried to question some of the captured orcs, but the orcs had said nothing useful.They are not death knights, but peons.They were cannon fodder, sent by the Horde to delay the Alliance's actions so that Ner'zhul could wait... whatever he was waiting for.

Although Khadgar knew the importance of traveling light, he always carried a few things with him.The ring on his body allows him to understand any language, and also allows others to understand the Common Tongue he speaks.With this ring, they can communicate with those orcs who speak with a guttural voice.There are also several spellbooks, and a book that once belonged to Medivh.There is nothing strange in this book, and it is mainly about Draenor's records, including its sky and continents. Khadgar enjoyed looking at the night sky on the world of Draenor, which was only red during the day.And there was another reason: he liked to relax by identifying the constellations while studying Ner'zhul's secrets.

Finally, one night, Khadgar's all-night musings brought him an answer, as if the stars had answered him—and it was, in a way, true. "Scepter, book, and eye!" He rushed out of his room, shouting at Kurdran. "Huh?" The startled dwarf snorted, "Young man, it seems that you are finally crazy. Am I right?" "Call the others. We need a meeting." After a while, several commanders came to the tower. "Turalyon, you first. Go over there and look through that telescope, and tell me what you see." Turalyon gave him a puzzled look, but heeded the archmage's instructions.He looked through the binoculars and said, "I see... the stars. What the hell am I supposed to see?"

"Constellations, groups of planets." Khadgar's excitement made the words sound vague. "Look what they look like." "Well, one is like a square, and the other is long and thin. I can't see any obvious shape beyond that." "No, that's because you are not used to seeing them. Medivh is good at many fields, including astronomy. His book contains some astrological charts that I have never seen before. The constellations of this world." "Okay, boy, but if you can't explain it to us, I don't want all these people here," Kurdran complained.

"Look at this," Khadgar shoved a book into the dwarf's hands.Turalyon continued to study the night sky of Draenor with a telescope, while Alleria, Danath, and Kurdran began to read the book Khadgar had given them. "What did you see?" "The names of various constellations," Danas said. "The seat of the staff... the seat of the scroll and... the seat of the prophet." "The Scepter of Sargeras, the Book of Medivh and the Eye of Dalaran," Alleria said slowly, raising her head and looking at Khadgar with longing eyes. "So... Ner'zhul needs these artifacts because they correspond to the constellations of this world?"

"Yes, and no." Khadgar said, his tone could not conceal the joy in his heart. "The reasons are far more than these. Every five hundred and forty-seven years, an astronomical phenomenon related to these three constellations will occur in the world of Draenor. Have you seen the red dot in the center of the Seat of Books? That is You'll see it first. In about a month you'll find a comet crossing the seat of the staff. And in the next lunar cycle, the moon will overlap the eye of the seat of the prophet. According to his From these records, it seems that this will be a rare astronomical spectacle." "So if Ner'zhul had these objects corresponding to the constellations," Turalyon said slowly, still looking at the stars. "And using these artifacts during a very rare astronomical phenomenon, it will strengthen his power, right?" "A certain harmony, a sympathetic resonance—in the name of the Light, Turalyon, if he were to use such a powerful force, it would be almost impossible for him to fail." Turalyon looked away from the lens barrel, and only said four words: "When?" "There are still fifty-five days, and those energies will last for three days." They have been annoyed by the delay in reinforcements.But having said that, at least they now know how long they can wait and when they should launch an offensive, even if their numbers are far from enough to shake the Horde. Khadgar only sighed when the elven ranger interrupted his stargazing. "We're a day closer to the deadline than we were yesterday. I can't rush the stars, Alleria." "Soon, soon; patience is a virtue," Alleria said angrily as she watched Khadgar crawl back into the room. "I hate the clichés." "As an elf, you are notoriously impatient." "As a human being, you are such a mother. I want to fight, not stay here." Khadgar's anger suddenly exploded, "Alelia, you don't want to fight, you want to die." She suddenly became silent. "what do you mean?" "We've all seen it. Your behavior on the battlefield, your frenzy for blood, your frenzy for your so-called vengeance. You are too reckless. Alleria, your way of fighting is too dangerous, and you are not used to Do it. That's why Turalyon keeps ordering you not to go far, sometimes at all. He's out of fear, that he's going to lose you." There was a mixture of arrogance, anger and coldness in her eyes. "I'm not what he lost. I don't belong to anyone but myself." Khadgar knew he should stop there, but he couldn't.All this while, he'd watched Alleria and Turalyon circle each other like two watchful dogs, but it was clear they both still loved each other deeply.Khadgar could stand it no longer. "You don't even belong to yourself, you only belong to those who are dead. Even if you die in their footsteps, it will not save their lives. Do you know, Alleria, that there is a kind and wise The best man is in this fortress, he can make you understand life better. You should try to change yourself - open your heart to those wonderful and rare things instead of closing it tightly live." She walked towards Khadgar until their faces were only a few feet apart. "How dare you say these things to me! It's none of your business! Why should you care about my choices about how I live?" "I care because I don't even have the chance to choose!" Khadgar didn't hold back from his confession.The two stared at each other and fell silent.Before, even he himself did not realize the truth of the matter.But now, the truth was laid bare in front of him. "I know that to you, the shortness of our human life is surprising. Our youth is even more fleeting. Our youth and robustness last no more than ten years at most. As for me, I don't even have the time. Alleria, I was an old man when I was seventeen. I was younger than Turalyon! Look at this face, I'm twenty-two now... But what girl of twenty-two would like a bad old man like me?" He pointed indignantly at his own face, wrinkled and white with beard and hair.She took a breath and took a few steps back.Compassion in her heart softened her expression.Suddenly embarrassed, Khadgar looked away. "I just... look at the two of you, throwing things away so easily that I never get a chance to savor... Sometimes, it bothers me. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have thrown these complaints at you. " "No, I feel sorry. I haven't given it much thought." Between the two was a heavy and uncoordinated silence.Finally Khadgar sighed and said, "Come on. Let's go to Turalyon and the others. We need to finalize the plan. Because, the astronomical phenomenon is happening in... well, you know." "Soon," Alleria said, with one of her rare smiles. "It's quite spectacular there," Alleria described.Turalyon had sent her and her rangers to scout the fortress.Now, the two of them, together with Khadgar, Kurdran, and Danath, were sitting in the conference hall discussing what the Ranger had seen and heard. "The walkway along the wall alone can accommodate dozens of orcs. And here are some watchtowers." She pointed to several locations on the map. "We should attack from this area. When you disturb them from here, I can send rangers to quickly kill the sentries. If the alarm bell does not ring, we will help you open the main gate, and the real army will come from there Break into the fort." "Very well," said Turalyon, "we're going to attack from both sides. We're going to surprise them. We're going to give them some color. Surround them and don't give them a chance to escape. After that, get close to the group and take out the Those orcs who are still fighting." "We're going to attack from above," Kurdran said. "Keep them busy with us, and then you boys and girls can rush in and get the job done." Turalyon nodded, but Alleria shook her head and said, "I guess you can't handle it on your own. They have dragons to help, remember?" They'd all seen those black figures hovering over the citadel, Pounce and swoop like a big bird at play. But Kurdran smiled. "Oh, yes, but not a lot, girl! You know we'll kill 'em all before you can blink an eye." Turalyon couldn't help smiling at the confidence of the Wildhammer leader, and said, "Nevertheless, we try not to rely on the help of the Gryphon Rider, just in case." Kurdran nodded after hearing this. Turalyon looked to Khadgar. "Is there anything you can do to restrain their warlocks, or black dragons?" "I'm sure I can," Khadgar replied.He glanced at Kurdran and said, "I have an idea that might give your griffins more advantage and help the soldiers at the same time." Turalyon nodded.Plans were forming, but this next part was what he dreaded.He took a deep breath and said, "We need someone to stay and guard Keepwatch, because we may still need to retreat. Alleria, I want you to take charge." "What?" She opened her mouth wide, staring at him. "I need someone I trust to stay here, this is the key to the plan. This is our base, we can't risk losing it, in case the orcs separate—" "You need me to complete the raid." "I told you. I need you to stay here. Send your rangers to clear the guards." She shook her head and replied, "No, you don't need to. Any soldier who stays here knows how to hold this castle. My ranger is at my command, and if you order me to stay behind, I will They will not be sent out with you." "Don't be unreasonable," he began, but she cut him off. "Unreasonable? Turalyon, I'm a veteran, and you didn't know where I was when I was in the war!" "Alleria, you...you are so reckless," Turalyon said, hating it, but he had no choice. "I saved your life when—" "And I have saved all of you, more than once!" "Gentlemen," Khadgar said softly, putting his hands on Kurdran and Danath's shoulders, motioning them to sit back in their chairs. "I'm sure you all want to see the astrological alignment I mentioned." "Oh, yes," Kurdran said.The three left the room quickly. Turalyon was so engrossed in Alleria that he didn't notice that the two of them were alone in the room, undisturbed. "Erelia, you're not as alert in battle as you used to be. I can't just keep looking over your back and trying to save you." "I have the right to revenge! They killed my family - my people -" "Do you think Lilas would want you to sacrifice yourself in vain? Is this proof that he lived?" This was the first time Turalyon had mentioned Alleria's brother, and she froze.Turayan was heartbroken, and before she could speak, she continued recklessly, "I know you're a good fighter. It's just...not now." "Lilas...and others...I wasn't with them at the time. Maybe I could have done something. But I wasn't there. I'm alive and well, but they're all dead." She cleared Her emerald eyes filled with tears.Turalyon took a deep breath. He had never seen her cry over a loved one he had lost. "So after that, I did my best to salvage something. I killed the orcs who killed them. It really helped because it took the grief out of my heart." Suddenly, Turalyon understood. "What you said to me that night," he just prayed he didn't say anything wrong. "I asked someone to translate." He hesitated and whispered, "It's 'help me forget'." Tears rolled down her beautiful and thin face. "But I don't want to forget. I don't want them to just leave. If I don't feel sorry for them...it's like they didn't really leave." Tears welled up in Turalyon's eyes too.His heart was breaking for Alleria.But she needs this, she needs to remember the dead.Killing the orc is not the antidote to her heartache, and her pain will not go away.Now, those feelings she had tried so hard to restrain seemed to be coming back, and she was on the verge of breaking down. "I can't stay behind. Don't make me do it. Last time, I stayed. I won't let my beloved die while I..." Suddenly, her arms were wrapped around Turalyon, her head buried in his chest, and he held her tightly.Alleria's slender body trembled with sobs.She was like a drowning woman, grabbing hold of him.Turalyon kissed her golden hair lightly, smelling her scent of pine and earth and flowers. "I will never leave you behind alone," he swore. She raised her face wet with tears, and whispered softly as he leaned over to kiss her, "And I, I will never leave you."