Chapter 23 Chapter Twenty Two

"The village is ahead!" Barak reported.He rested his hands on his lap, panting heavily.In Cargas?After Bladefist ordered the Shattered Hand clan to abandon Hellfire Citadel, a few orcs bound Barak hastily.To this day, his bandages are still stained with dried blood.Despite this, Barack was actually one of the least injured members of their squad. That's why they're here. "I'm going by myself," Kargath told Barack and the others. "I'll finish it as soon as possible." He looked around at the other orcs and said, "Treat them as soon as possible. After I come back, we will head towards the Dark Temple."

As Kargas walked, he thought about how a group of them got to this point.To be honest, when Ner'zhul ordered him to stay in Hellfire Citadel and slow down the Alliance soldiers, he knew that the old shaman did not expect them to survive.Whether it is for Kargath or his Shattered Hand orcs, dying in battle is not a problem at all.But it's one thing to die for honor, it's quite another to die for no reason.What's more, it would be a great disgrace to him and his clan if the Alliance were left to deal with Ner'zhul and the other defenseless orcs.That is why, when he saw the Alliance forces breaching all their defenses and taking Hellfire Citadel, Kargath gathered all the warriors he could find and marched himself to the Black Temple.But he found fewer orcs than he had hoped for, and many were so badly wounded that some didn't even survive their first night.Now, his remaining orc soldiers were few and far between, and all of them were wounded.

He moved on, partly observing the scenery around him.Most of the Draenor continent is similar to the Hellfire Peninsula, full of barbaric scenes and the cracked red land.But why is this area still so green?Lush green grass pads at the feet of Kargath, and small bushes and big trees intertwine with each other.Nagrand hasn't become as desolate as the rest of the world, but why? From a certain point of view, this is full of irony: on the greenest and healthiest land in Draenor, there are sick and weak among the orcs.Kargath climbed a hill and saw the village ahead.The walls here are close together, the roofs are semicircular, and the architectural style is the same as most orc villages, including his own village.For a moment, a thought flashed in Kargas' mind. He wanted to bring his warriors here, drive out the residents, and take the village as his own.They could ignore the war of the orcs - Ner'zhul didn't think he would see these orcs again, and the old shaman wouldn't be surprised if they never appeared again.They can completely let the tribe go to other worlds, and they live here in peace, raising livestock, planting crops, and when their ancient bloodlust is rekindled, they go into the forest to hunt those native beasts.

but not.Kargath blamed himself.He had sworn an oath to fight for the Horde all his life.How could he live alone—or with eyes on any of his fighters—if he didn't give himself?Besides, he thought in his heart, shuddering, occupying this village meant facing the current residents, and his soldiers would definitely not do that. Kargath walked down the hillock and marched warily towards the village.He saw a few orcs walking slowly, their brown skin contrasting sharply with the surrounding green, but they paid no attention to Kargath.When Chief Shattered Hand was more than thirty yards from the nearest cabin, he stopped slowly.

"Gayaan!" he yelled, coughing violently as the deep breath aggravated his injury. "Grandmother Gaiyaan!" The orcs he noticed earlier looked up in surprise, and then quickly disappeared into the nearest huts.Kargas thought helplessly, hoping they were going to summon Gaiyaan.He didn't know if he still had the strength to shout again. After a while, the curtain in front of a hut shook and was pushed open.Grandma Gaiyaan appeared from the room and strode towards him.Under the sun, she couldn't help squinting at each other. "Who's there?" she called, her voice as shrill as ever.

"Kargath Bladefist, chieftain of the Shattered Hand clan." He replied, forcing himself to straighten up to welcome the opponent. "Kargath, eh? I haven't seen you in years," Gaiyaan said.She finally stopped about halfway between Kargath and the hut, and looked into his eyes.Her eyes were still purple, Kargath noticed, and her long hair was still thick with only a few strands of silver in between.She didn't look sick, but she was impatient.And her lips were curled—was it her disgust that he saw? "What are you here for?" she asked, her tone confirming Kargath's opinion even more.

"Alliance forces invaded Draenor," Kargath told her.The urgency in his tone was very incompatible with his own respect for the other party - which was taught to him by the elders of the clan when he was young. "They have completely captured Hellfire Citadel, and will soon be heading for the Black Temple." "Oh? But what does that have to do with me?" Gaiyaan asked, very dismissive of Kargas. "These two places are full of the breath of war. We'd better stay away from that place." "I need fighters," Kargath explained, hoping to sound confident rather than desperate. "Any orc capable of fighting must follow me at once."

Gaiyaan looked at her, her eyes wide open. "Are you crazy?" she exploded, "This village is full of sick men, have you forgotten?" She stared at him with a sly smile on her lips. "No, I know you haven't forgotten—perhaps, we should continue talking in the hut?" Kargath's smile became more pronounced as she began to move with difficulty. "Just as I thought. You know someone who lives here." Her smile disappeared suddenly, replaced by a scowler. "And now, you want to drag them all into this stupid war and increase their suffering for no reason? Why are they fighting? Why should any of us go to die with you?" She glared at the other party and said , "You have invaded the human world. This, is the consequence."

Kargath's anger gradually suppressed his fear, and his lips were pulled back, looking angry too. "We are all part of the tribe," he reminded her. "We are a race, born and died together." He looked at Gaiyaan, and then began to change the subject. "Ner'zhul says he can help us get out of this place. If he can get to the Black Temple and hold the Alliance soldiers down for a while, he can open portals to other worlds. You can have a of the world, for you and your patients." "What's wrong with this world?" Gaiyaan responded.She pointed to the green areas all over her, "I like this place very much, it's very good here."

"This is a dying world." "It's just part of it," she retorted. "A part of you and those stupid warlocks. Nagrand is still as alive as ever." She looked smug. "This is the Mag'har—unfallen. And so are its people. Maybe they're dying from rashes, but at least their skin's brown, and they're not haunted by the Horde's dark magic. corroded." "This is your duty!" Kargath insisted. "All your warriors must follow me at once!" Gaiyaan sneered at him. "Do you want them?" she asked. "Find them yourself. As long as you can pull them out of their sickbeds, you can take them to war."

Kargath glared at her.Now, the anger in his heart has overshadowed everything else, including the fear in his heart. "They don't look so sick," he said, looking at the orcs Gaiaan was tending to who had just come out of the hut to watch.From here, he could see that some of the orcs were limping, and others were mostly stooped, but none of them seemed to be missing arms or legs.Under such circumstances, as long as the orc can pick up the hammer, he will also take it in. He walked towards the village.At this moment, a figure walked out of his hut and walked towards the crowd.It was a male orc, a young warrior.As he approached, Kargas could tell that he was tall and muscular, but his walk was shaky.On his slightly pale brown skin, red pustules can be seen here and there, and many small sores are still oozing red liquid, which looks more like contaminated teardrops. Kargas was shocked.He knew who the young man was.Garrosh?Hellscream, son of Grom! "What happened?" Garrosh asked, stumbling over to Gaiaan. "Why are you here? Is it a tribe?" The expression on the young man's face became very strange. "Is it my—?" Garrosh groaned, drowning out what he was about to say.I saw him kneeling on the ground, gasping for breath, spewing blood and bile from his mouth, flowing from his cheeks and chest, soaking the grass below. "I warned you not to use too much force!" Gaia'an snapped, putting a hand on his shoulder to stabilize him.It didn't seem like she was worried about the consequences of touching his body. "Your illness is not completely cured, don't leave your hut!" Then she turned to look at Kargas with a sinister smile on her face. "Do you want him to join you in the battle? Is this the warrior you want to find?" Kargath had flinched when Garrosh started to vomit blood, and he was backing away even more now. "No. They're not fighters." Disgust and desperation made his tone vicious. "They're not orcs anymore—they're just a bunch of scum." He looked at Gaiaan, Garrosh, and the other villagers behind them. "You pathetic weaklings!" Raise your voice. "Do the tribe a favor and die here! If you can't even protect your own people, you have no right to live!" After he finished speaking, he immediately turned around and went back along the way he came.All he can do now is get out of here with his remaining warriors.Even if they went to the Black Temple, they could do nothing with their small numbers.Moreover, since he was abandoned by Ner'zhul in Hellfire Citadel, the more he thought about it, the more he felt that he didn't owe Ner'zhul anything.No, he will take the few remaining soldiers and find a shelter to start over.One day, they will grow strong again; one day, they will retake Hellfire Citadel and other places.He swore that even if he died, he would die in battle.He thought of the orcs behind him, and couldn't help trembling slightly.In any case, he will never become like them. Gaiaan criticized Garrosh, but she was much more lenient now. "We need to put you back in bed." Garrosh shook her hand away. "What did he say?" he whispered, his voice hoarse.After spitting out so much fluid, his throat was convulsing. "Is...is it about my father? Is...is he still alive?" Gaiyaan looked aside, not daring to look into the boy's expectant eyes.Is Grom still alive?She doesn't know.But that doesn't matter.Over the past few years, she'd learned a lot about old Hellscream, about his ferocity, his frenzy in battle, and his lust for violence.He was the first orc, she knew, to sacrifice himself to the Horde and to Gul'dan's evil magic, and after that, he fell completely.Even if he is still alive, he must be hopeless. "He didn't mention your father," she told Garrosh, grabbing his arm to keep him from throwing it off again. "I believe that he is still alive and well, otherwise Kargas would have mentioned it." Garrosh nodded.His energy was exhausted, so he let Gaiyaan lead him.Gaiaan's thoughts were with him, and with all the orcs she nursed.Can they survive the torment of the rash?Some orcs, maybe, but not all. Part of her couldn't help thinking that at least they'd die cleaner than those orcs whose souls were polluted.Their skin color is the best marker.Shaking her head, she continued to walk with Garrosh, never looking back at the green-skinned Kargath who was still marching into the distance.