Chapter 20 Chapter Nineteen

Danas hit the palm of his left hand hard with his right fist. "The Orcs are at our fingertips!" he cried. "All we need to do now is rush in and find them!" "Yes, but not now," replied Tasrethar, one of Alleria's rangers.Somehow, he became an advisor to Danath during his pursuit of the Horde.Although his attitude was very cold, most of what he said was relatively correct, so Danas still liked him very much. "We need to wait until tomorrow morning." "By tomorrow morning, they'll all be underground," Danas objected.He looked down at the thin elven ranger with tawny hair, and then across the bone-strewn wasteland to the huge ruins rising in the distance. "If we attack now, we can take them down before they settle down and build defenses!"

"Look around you," Tasreza advised him. "Maybe you can throw yourself into battle all the time, but your soldiers can't. It's getting dark now, and they're tired. You'd rather have them stumbling underground, facing those threats in the dark, while being too tired to Can it withstand the orc's ambush?" Danas looked at the elf with anger and pain on his face. "They killed Kurdran!" This news shocked a group of soldiers who had already been exhausted by Danath's driving.When the Wildhammers returned, their eyes were filled with tears from the deaths of their kin, including their beloved leader.Danath didn't want to watch the dwarves cry, so he forced himself to turn away.He'd lost a lot of his comrades, and now, his blunt, always-happy dwarf...how many more would they have to lose before the damned greenskins were stopped?

"I know," Tasreza whispered. "But it would be an insult to his spirit if you took these tired soldiers into battle to avenge him. They would just die with him." Danas frowned, but he knew that the elf was right.All the way since the orc fortress he had been pushing his men forward at full speed, in order to catch up with Ner'zhul's forces in time.But ironically, even now that they had caught up with the orcs, there was nothing these weary soldiers could do to the orcs. "One night," he said at last. "Here we will camp and rest for the night. Tomorrow we will strike at dawn."

"Wise choice," agreed Tasreza.As usual, Danas couldn't tell whether the Ranger's words were sarcasm or sincere.He decided not to think about the tone of the elf's voice, but to take it literally. "Disband the soldiers and set up camp," Danas instructed his lieutenant. "We attack at dawn." He reassuredly handed over these tasks to his deputy, then dismounted, and took the thirsty and tired horse to the river to drink water.He scooped up a handful of water, splashed it on his dusty and sweaty face, took a few gulps of water, and walked back, eventually collapsing in his tent.

Several hours later, Danas woke up.To his surprise, not only several tents were set up nearby, but also several small fortresses, roughly forming a huge square. "What does that mean?" he asked Sergeant Herrik. "We're only here for one night." Herrik shrugged. "It was mentioned that this would be a good place to build a fortress," he explained. "They wanted to set up a base here, and I didn't see anything wrong with it, so I said yes. The construction was done quickly, because the elves helped too." "Given the sacrifice of our dwarven friend, I thought it would be a good memorial," Tasrethar explained, coming up to them from the shadow of the tree. "After all, we're an allied force, and having a fort would be a nice symbol."

Danas glared at the elf ranger. "It's you who said, how tired my soldiers are! And now you don't let them rest, but let them cut down trees to build a fortress?" Tasreza smiled, and said, "It's just a few houses, and everyone works together, so the work is not tiring. You can see the result yourself." Danas looked in the direction pointed by the elf: the dwarf, The elves and humans stood together, talking in low voices.They still looked tired, but they were all smiling.While they were talking, one of Danath's soldiers patted the elf and dwarf on the shoulder.

"Your soldier is right. This forest is not only of strategic significance, but it is also the only land on this planet that is not red. At least this forest is still full of life. If we Returning here one day, and having finished what we started today, we should name it 'Alelia's Post.' The name is appropriate, as the orcs destroyed much of the forest in Quel'Thalas, and we It makes sense to occupy the only place on this abandoned continent that is still green. Even if we cannot return, when the Alliance forces enter this forest, they can still claim it for themselves."

In this brief speech, Danas heard a passion in Tasreza that he had never discovered before.He glanced at his soldiers again, then nodded. "Let's deal with the orcs first, eh?" He took the food from Herrik, found a quiet and deserted campfire, sat down beside it and began to eat.When he had finished eating, he stretched his legs, folded his arms across his chest, leaned his back against the trunk of the tree behind him, and fell asleep again. Danas was disturbed by some strange chirping and shouting in Salas.He stood up and asked, "What happened?" In the confusion, he didn't get any verbal answer.Danas ran towards the source of the noise, and saw about a dozen or so elves piled on top of something that was making this scream.

"Back!" he ordered.The elves stood up reluctantly and patted the dust off their bodies.There were two elves who kept watch over and grabbed that one of the weirdest things Danath had ever seen.The trespasser was wearing a dark purple robe, but the robe was torn and covered with blood and grass.It's about the size of a human, with arms and legs, but that's about it as far as human imagination goes. In its hood is not a human face, but a bird's head. Its face is long and pointed, and most of it is taken up by its glossy purple beak.Its narrow oval eyes glow yellow in the night.There are feathers clustered above each eye that look like human eyebrows, and red, purple, gold, and brown feathers grow on its head, equivalent to human hair.One of its eyes was closed, and it seemed that the elves were very rude to their captives.

"What kind of creature are you? Also, what are you doing sneaking around our camp?" Tasreza asked. "You're wasting your efforts," Danath said. "He doesn't understand our language." "But Grizzek, yes! He understands! He doesn't want to hurt!" The creature's voice sounded like some kind of strange trill, but it was understandable.Danas blinked at him. "He's like a trained parrot . . . vocalized but doesn't know what he's talking about," muttered a soldier, raising a fist to silence the birdman. "No, wait a minute," Danas ordered. "Say it again."

"Grizzek! He doesn't want to hurt, no, no! Just wants to know—who are you? Why are you here?" Danas looked at Tasreza, who shrugged and took a step back, allowing Danas to continue the interrogation. "Your name is Gretzick?" Danas continued, watching him nod vigorously, "Answer our questions, and maybe we'll answer yours. What are you?" "Grizzek is the arakkoa," the birdman replied, his pronunciation eccentric, and every time he said a word there was a whistling and sighing all around. "An ancient race. Probably the oldest in the world. Gretzick is curious, do no harm!" "You keep saying that, but why are you spying on us? How did you learn our language?" "Arakkoa is smart," Gretzick said proudly, "smart. Grizzek follows you, listens to you, and learns quickly! I think you are weird. Curious." "Is the arakkoa a friend or an enemy of the tribe?" That statement elicited his most emotional reaction yet.The feathers on Grizzek's face suddenly became very fluffy, and he curled up like a frightened bird. "Grizzek fears them, hates them...I...yeah. It wasn't bad before. I've seen it. But now..." He shivered. Danas could see clearly that Gretzick couldn't pose any real threat.He nodded to the two elves who were still holding the arakkoa, and told them, "Give him some water to heal his wounds." Then he said to Grizzek, "Explain." "Arakkoa, ancient. We don't mess with others. But! We look at the peaceful draenei, the original orcs! But who would have thought? The orcs are crazy. What...we don't know." Robe, but he was still trembling, feathers floating uncomfortably, until he tried to go on. "Orcs and draenei are not friends...but they don't hate. Respect." "Stop, stop," Danas said, holding out a hand. "Slow down. Orcs and draenei? Draenei of Draenor?" "This world, they are called Draenor, yes. They are proud to name the world after themselves. They were strong... Once upon a time." "You say there's some kind of madness... the orcs attacked the draenei?" Gretzker nodded. "Yes, yes. There were many, many draenei. They used light. Lived here for a long time. They thought they were good and strong, unstoppable, no one, no one. But the orcs..." Greg Rizick let out a "hoo" and waved his arms in front of him. "Gone. Only a few are left. Once proud draenei, now hiding." Danas felt a chill. "The orcs... wiped out the entire civilization?" He looked up at Tasreza. "Looks like they practiced a bit before going to Azeroth." "That's right. It's just that Azeroth isn't at their mercy like Draenor. We're stronger." "Maybe, it's luck." He shook his head with a serious expression. "All civilization of peaceful people. What a shame." He turned his attention back to the arakkoa. "Keep going. You said the draenei are peaceful but powerful, and the orcs were uncivilized to begin with. How could they destroy these draenei?" "The orcs..." Grizzek considered his words. "Unite, never separate." "The orcs do have different clans," Tasreza said. "It sounds like they're not a unified, led tribe." "Long ears are right!" Gretzick exclaimed excitedly.The insult filled Tasreza's face with anger.If the time was changed, Danas would definitely burst out laughing. "Orcs . . . unite. They grow stronger, savage. Skin becomes . . . well. From this," he pointed to a brown feather, "to this," and then he pointed to a green feather. "Their skin changed color too? From brown to green?" Danas asked with his eyebrows raised. "Yes! The green-skinned orcs attacked and killed the draenei. The arakkoa said, we are next!" He pointed to the huge ruins faintly visible from the forest. "Auchindoun. Delany dead sleep there. It's holy. Most..." It patted the ground. "Most are underground?" Danas asked. Grizzek nodded. "Underground, crooked. Yes. All dead now." An idea flashed in Danas' mind. "Have you ever been there? To Auchindoun? Those winding tunnels?" Grizzek nodded eagerly. "Do you know how to get in?" Danas asked. Grizzek nodded, "I've been down, down, many times. But...why do you want to go there?" "I am Danath Trollbane of the Alliance," Danath replied. "We chased the orc horde from our world up here. I want to attack them tomorrow, watch them die, eliminate their threat. They hide in those tunnels. I'm going to find them. We... can Let you help us." Tasreza looked at him disapprovingly, but Danas ignored his gaze.Gretzick is not a threat, and he clearly hates the Horde.If he could keep the Alliance from getting lost in the maze of a dead city, Danath was willing to do so. "Grizz—me. I know a way. The orcs who live here don't know this way." He leaned forward. "I know where they live, and the way the new orcs will go." Danas and Tasreza looked at each other again. "Unbelievable, but useful news." After a while, Danas said, "We..." "Ah!" The Arakko stood up excitedly, staring at the griffins resting on the trees.The griffin's claws are sunken deep into the branch they are on, and their heads are nestled in the wings.He ran to the griffins. "Gorgeous!" he whispered, reaching out to stroke the flank of the nearest griffin.The griffin trembled slightly, but did not wake up.Danas noticed that Grizzek's hands were more like sharp claws, but he was so gentle when he stroked the feathers of the griffin. "Over there, what are you doing!" a Wildhammer dwarf yelled, walking quickly towards Grizzek. "Relax, Furgon," Danath called to the dwarves before they grabbed their potential new guide. "They're called griffins, and they're from our world," Danath explained to Grizzek. "Every griffin has a rider, a Wildhammer dwarf like this Fulgon." Grizzek has touched the last griffin here.It was shivering there, as if from the cold, though it had been a warm night, "she was sad," he said, stroking its wings and back. "That's Tianyi," Furgon's voice sounded hoarse than usual. "Kurdran's mount." Grizzek opened and closed his bird's beak, and looked at Danas with his head askew. "The rider of the Skywing, Kurdran, is the leader of the Wildhammer dwarves," Danath explained. "He... died in today's battle." Gretzker nodded. "Ah. Captive. I see him." "Captive?" Danas exclaimed. "The orcs brought their captives into Auchindoun. Looks like him," the birdman pointed to Furgon. "Red hair, on the chin. Blue pattern on the face. He's noisy." Danas felt excited inside.Kurdran still alive?He turned to Tasreza. "We need to free him." "The dwarves understand the risks of the mission," the ranger replied grimly. "You should focus on the overall situation, not personal grievances." But Danas shook his head. "Kurdran is one of Turalyon's most trusted lieutenants. Since he is alive, it must be because the Horde knows that he knows our army well, so they want to find some valuable information-if they can make He spoke. We need to get him out before that happens. And this... arakkoa can lead us to him." Tasreza sighed. "Grezick, it's dangerous for you to help us, there's no doubt about it. Why are you doing this?" "Simple answer. You're against the Horde," Gretzick said. "I hate the Horde too, for what they did to the arakkoa, to our world." Danas turned his gaze from Grizzek to Tasreza.The Ranger nodded.This was their best chance—and if Grizzek tried to betray them, he would pay the price, soon. "Go ahead," he said. Grizzek sketched out a rough map of Auchindoun and its many passages, then explained the places to them in increasingly coherent Common Tongue.Danath, who had originally decided to send a small force of soldiers to rescue Kurdran, abandoned the idea.Because, he already had a better plan. Now, he was walking in a dark tunnel, and the torch in his hand was the only light source.Grizzek was about ten steps ahead of him, and the arakkoa and elves didn't need any lights to see clearly. Behind Danas is half the strength of the alliance army. "The passage is wide—ten Alliance soldiers can move together," Grizzek assured him. "And it's high. Even an ogre only has to bend over. The draenei are well built. The explosion that wrecked... the central passage didn't affect the outer tunnels. Still clean, dry, and safe." The arakkoa persuaded Danath.Danas was even more convinced of this when Rilian and Grizzek entered the tunnel that Birdman told them and came back to report. "Like a long hall in a palace," said the Ranger, "exactly as he said. I saw no other activity, not even a bug." "We'll split into two teams," Danas decided. "Half the army followed me through the passage into Auchindoun. The other half attacked from the front gate, over the ruined temple, and drew the attention of the Horde inside, while we moved from their rear. Once we were in position, we would attack, trap the orcs among us, and kill them all." And now, less than an hour after entering the tunnel, Grizzek paused, pointing to a door embedded in the wall. "Behind here, the stairs," the arakkoa explained. "To Auchindoun." Danas frowned.He remembered the maze that the arakkoa had drawn for him. "And you don't know exactly where the Horde will be, or where they'll keep their captives?" he asked again. Unfortunately, Birdman's answer was exactly the same as last time. "I know the way to Auchindoun, but beyond that, I don't know how much." At that moment, the shadow of his hood made his narrow face look sinister. "My people—we are not really welcome. The draenei revere their undead and do not welcome outsiders. I explore here—knowing some. Only a little, though." Danas nodded.He knew that he couldn't have too much hope for the arakkoa, it was impossible for him to directly lead everyone to find Kurdran.But he also didn't want to wander aimlessly through passages that stretched for miles, while the Horde orcs could hide in the shadows and ambush them. Grizzek reached for the door—and jumped back, his beak bouncing up and down in surprise, and he crouched, paw raised.There was only a creak, and the door opened.Danath raised his shield and sword—then paused, staring at the figure emerging from behind the wide-open door.