Chapter 8 Chapter VII

"Tell us all about it." Khadgar nodded, not looking around.That's pointless.He had been summoned to the Dalaran Council, and the leaders could only see him if they wanted to. He'd been in this council room before, when he'd been told he was going to apprentice with Medivh.Since then, he has always been in awe of this room. It is like hanging in the air. Only the ground can barely see the connection with the world. It is dark, bright, and the storm keeps changing around. This is obviously not something that can be seen normally. s things.The members of the council also awed him, only hoods and cloaks could be seen, and other things such as body shape, face and even gender were covered by clothing and magic.As impressive as it is practical, the leaders of these wizards are secretly chosen to avoid bribery, threats or other pressures.No one knows their identities except members of parliament.This disguise ensures that.But this also gave the council a mysterious atmosphere, and many members of the council were very happy with this chaos, so that everyone who had entered or exited this room would feel at a loss, where did they come?Who are they seeing?Often even what they said and heard was vague.All of this had happened to Khadgar profoundly. When he left here, he felt dizzy, amazed by such profound spells, and couldn't clearly describe what had happened.

Although only a few years have passed, many things have changed.Khadgar has greatly improved both in knowledge and in strength.His appearance had changed as well, and he amused himself by thinking that maybe this time, some members of the council would be as confused about the identity of their visitor as he had felt.From now on, he was an old man instead of a young man, and though he lived far shorter than them, he looked older than some of them. Still, Khadgar found himself unwilling to play the game.He is very tired.He teleported himself to Dalaran, and while his mana was strong enough for the job it was still a daunting distance.What's more, he got up very late because of the first official strategy meeting planned with Lothar next week.Khadgar appreciates that his past leaders are interested in what's going on now, and he thinks they need to know what's going on in Azeroth, but at this point, this posturing of shadow games is completely unnecessary .

That's why he finally held his head up.He stared straight at the figure on the left. "I am happy to state these matters, Prince Kael'thas." He said politely. "But I think if I can see my audience, I think I can describe it more easily." From there he heard a gasp of surprise, which quickly turned into laughter. "You are right, young Khadgar," the mage replied. "I guess I also think it's hard to say anything to a mass of black figures." With a quick gesture, the elf prince removed his disguise, revealing his magnificent violet-gold robes, his long golden hair Sliding over his shoulder, his expression revealed a kind of alertness as expected. "Is this better?"

"Much better, thank you very much," Khadgar said.He looked at the members of the council around him. "Then what about the rest of you? Although I can't see your faces. Lord Krasus? Lord Kel'Thuzad? Lord Antonidas did not wear a disguise. Prince Kael'thas also removed his disguise after full consideration." .Then can the rest of you do the same?" Sitting in an invisible chair before Khadgar, Antonidas laughed. "Of course, young man, of course," he agreed. "This matter should be taken very seriously, and you are no longer a novice to be fooled by these techniques. Show yourselves, my friends, and let us settle this matter before the night grows thicker. "

The other mages heeded the advice, and there were some complaints, but Khadgar soon found that he was clearly facing six men.His slender stature, graceful features, and silvery hair with some red in it made him instantly recognizable to Krasus.The same goes for Kel'Thuzad, an impressively attractive man with dark hair, a beard and wonderful glassy eyes, as if he wasn't looking at the world around him.The other two, a stocky male and a tall, curvaceous female, Khadgar didn't know who they were, though their faces looked distinctly familiar, as if he had once been a student at Violet Castle. The lobby passed them by, but it was not so eye-catching to remember their appearance.

Now, no matter what, they are very attentive. "We have done what you asked for," Kel'Thuzad complained. "Now, tell us what happened." "What do you want to know?" Khadgar asked the elder mage. "Everything!" There was also this longing in his eyes.He is also known as a dreamer and researcher, constantly seeking knowledge, especially about the source and potential of spells.He was also the most interested in Medivh's mysterious library in the Kirin Tor, and Khadgar surmised that he was the least happy of all at its destruction.He didn't want to bother telling them that he had selectively taken some books with him before leaving the tower.

"Very good," so he began.Gratefully accepted the chair offered by the chunky male.Khadgar sat down and described everything that had happened since he left Dalaran.He told them about his strange teacher-student relationship with Medivh, about the erratic moods and strange disappearances of the head wizards.He told them of his first encounter with the orcs.He told them about the wizard's murder.Also explains Medivh's betrayal and how he and Lothar ended the wizard's life.Then he started talking about the Horde and the war that took place, about the siege of Stormwind, the death of Lion, the fall of the city and their subsequent journey.

The chief mages remained silent for most of the presentation.Occasionally someone asked some questions, but they showed amazing thinking skills, and the questions they asked were short but to the point.When he concluded with the Alliance and the Paladins, Khadgar reclined in his chair to catch his breath and waited for any other questions the mages might have. "You didn't mention the Council of Tirisfal," Kel'Thuzad pointed out, causing Antonidas to cough violently. "Why?" asked the spell researcher. "This has a lot to do with Medivh!" "Yes," Khadgar replied. "I'm sorry for my mistake, but" he looked around, trying to judge the knowledge of these mages from their faces, and then chose carefully-"I only know very little about the actual situation of the Council. Medivh was one of them, and he mentioned the existence of the council, but he didn't name the other members or mention their actions."

"Of course," the woman agreed, and Khadgar could clearly see the frustration and disappointment on his and Kel'Thuzad's faces.He realized that his choice was correct.They didn't know anything about the Council, just trying to find out those secrets by deceiving him.It didn't work out and then they shouldn't be concentrating on it. "But I'm more concerned about Medivon himself and what happened to him," she continued. "Are you sure you saw Sargeras inside him?" "Very sure." Khadgar leaned forward a little. "I saw this Titan once and recognized him immediately."

"So, Medivh—or Sargeras through him—opened a passage for those orcs," the stocky male mused. "What do you call their world?" "Draenor," Khadgar replied, trembling slightly.His mind flashed back to another scene he had seen in Mediventaso, about him as an old man—or so he seemed to be—leading an army against the There are a large number of orcs.Garona had told him the name, and it sounded like Draenor, which seemed to indicate that his fate would point there, and it seemed likely that he would die there.He forced himself to turn his attention back to the things in front of him.

"What can we know?" Krasus asked. "The world? You told us about the sky, but can you tell me anything else?" "I didn't go there myself," Khadgar replied, not yet, at least. "But a companion, a half-orc, told me some news about that world and the orc." Galona appeared in his mind, and he quickly tried to get rid of that painful memory. "The orcs used to be very kind in their homeland - they quarreled but didn't attack others, they were numerous and smarter, and the only enemies were ogres. "What happened?" Kel'Thuzad asked "They were destroyed," Khadgar explained. "She didn't know all the details—why it happened and how—but gradually, their skin turned from brown to green and they began to try spells they hadn't seen before. This brought them Brutality, and violence. There was a ceremony, some cups of unknown contents. The warchief drank and the warriors - most of them drank that. Their skin became brighter green, and their eyes turned red. They became stronger and more brutal, and all became bloodthirsty. They killed all the enemies they encountered and began to kill each other. Their spells began to suck the blood of the land Vitality, their crops no longer grow. They face the brink of destruction, or all starve to death. But Medivh approached Gul'dan, the chief warlock of the Horde, and proposed to him a way to enter this world. Our world Gul'dan agreed, and then they created the gate together. They sent out some clans at the first time, and gradually increased their number. Then they waited, cultivated themselves, scouted the defensive forces, and finally launched an attack." "Now they sent all the troops to attack us?" Kael'thas said, frowning. "yes" Khadgar waited, but no one spoke so he spoke from the invisible chair. "If nothing else, dear sirs and ladies. I wish to be able to leave," he said. "It's been a long day and I'm very tired." "What are you going to do now?" the woman asked as he rose from his chair. Khadgar frowned.He once considered this issue when he came to Lordaeron himself.A part of him thought he should ask the Kirin Tor for protection.Or hadn't he returned to his old job as a librarian's assistant?He won't be in any trouble, and behind the world's strongest spell defenses, he'll be safe. Another part of him, how should I put it, hated the idea of ​​trying to hide from this impending battle.He once faced a demon, and he survived.If he could handle this, he could undoubtedly handle a Horde army as well. What's more, he still cares about some things, at least that person. "I will support Sir Lothar," Khadgar finally replied.The sound is purposely made to appear insincere. "I promised him my assistance, and he deserved it. Until the end of the war, if we survive—" He shrugged. "You are still a member of Dalaran," the woman pointed out. "If we needed you to come here or be assigned to do something necessary for you, would you accept those calls?" Khadgar considered for a moment. "No." He said slowly. "I won't be like that. When the war is over, if we're both alive, I'll go back to my studies. Whether I'll be here or Medivh's Tower or whatever is uncertain though." The council members and Khadgar looked at each other before Krasus finally broke the silence. "You left here a mere child, a young apprentice," he said, and Khadgar could hear the tone of approval in his voice. "But now you come back as a master, a man." Khadgar bowed his head in thanks for the recognition, but said nothing. "You will not be ordered to do anything," Antonidas assured him. "We should respect your wishes and your autonomy. But we must keep the latest information, especially about Medivh, wizards, councils and doors." Khadgar nodded. "So can I leave?" Antonidas smiled lightly. "Yes, you can leave now," said the Archmage. "May the light protect you and give you strength." "Remember to report to us," the chunky man added. "If we can learn about the orc's plan sooner, we can send troops to that area earlier, and then we can better provide spell assistance." Khadgar nodded. "Of course." He quickly left the room, but when the door closed he summoned a crystal ball.The Kirin Tor met in a quiet room, which he guessed was shrouded in magic to protect it from attack and prying eyes.But Khadgar had learned something from Medivh during his brief apprenticeship, and from the books he had picked up after the head mage's death.As he concentrated, the colors in the crystal ball began to swirl, changing from green to black and back again.Faces came into view, and there was a slight whine, and then he saw members of the Kirin Tor council in neat violet robes.Even the walls of the room changed, slowed down and finally stopped, leaving a simple room with six people in it. "—don't know how much we can trust him," the pudgy man was saying. "He didn't seem to live up to our expectations." "Of course not." Kael'thas replied. "I suspect that when you've been through what he's been through, you can't trust people more easily than him. We don't need to rely on him at all. We just need him to introduce us to Lothar and then deal with us and others. I'm pretty sure we can trust him not to sabotage our efforts, turn his back on us, withhold information that we might need. I don't see what else we need from him." "This other world, Draenor, confuses me," Krasus murmured. "If the orcs can go through that door, it means other people can too - no matter from which side. We know there are ogres there but don't know much else. This indicates that there may be other worse creatures is eager to find an opportunity to come and destroy the world. Likewise, we cannot prevent the Horde from retreating to their homelands when they deem it necessary. It is much more difficult to fight an enemy with a solid base, who can emerge, attack, and Gone again. We need to make finding and destroying that door our first priority." "Agree." Kael'thas said. "Destroy that door." The others also nodded. "Very well, this has been determined, is there anything else?" They started talking about something more realistic, planning to clean up the labs at Violet Castle, and Khadgar made the crystal ball disappear, images and all.It was better than he thought.Kael'thas is right, he has experienced too many things in these three years, and he even hopes that the Kirin Tor can express some of his lack of respect.But what they said on the matter, it seemed like they believed his story without a hint, which was a very satisfying change. All he needs to do now is to teleport himself back to the royal city, and then sleep so that he can wake up enough to deal with whatever may happen tomorrow. A week later, Lothar was standing in a command tent in the south of Lordaeron, not far from Southsea Town where they first landed.They chose to station here because this place is located in the center, and they can quickly go to any corner of the continent by boat.Outside the tent, some of his troops were training and others were resting.Inside, he was gathering at a table with the kings of Lordaeron and a few lieutenants he had chosen, staring at a map placed on it.Lothar chose Uther as his liaison with the Silver Hand and the Church—the paladins have made amazing progress in both combat skills and the use of the Holy Light.Khadgar serves as his liaison with the mage and his most objective advisor.Proudmoore runs the navy - and rightfully so.As for Turalyon, young Turalyon was appointed second in command.The young man impressed both him and Khadgar. Although he still treats Lothar as some kind of legend, but his intelligence, loyalty and hard work have shown, and Lothar is sure that this young man will be very successful Grow up quickly, not to mention, he can't think of anyone else who is qualified to be his deputy.Turayang was obviously not used to taking on such heavy responsibilities. Lothar had reminded him more than once not to poke the map absent-mindedly, at least not to use a knife. They've been discussing the same thing for a week now - which way the Horde is most likely to come from, where they might attack and how to move Alliance forces into the area as quickly as possible, at least in the fields they've joined forces to protect and crops were trampled before.Just as Graybean was emphasizing for the tenth time that Alliance troops should be deployed to the Gilneas border because he believed the Horde would be there first, a sentry barged in. "Sir, you must see this, sir!" he yelled.He tried to stop himself, then bowed quickly. "They are coming!" "Who's here, soldier?" Lothar frowned.He tried hard to see something from the sentry's expression, the man looked flustered.Anyway, at least he wasn't panicking, which made Lothar breathe a sigh of relief, trying to calm his beating heart.Because no fear means it won't be the Horde.There was some fear on the sentinel's face, but it was mixed with respect, even a sense of awe.Lothar had never shown such an expression when he saw anything. "It's an elf, sir!" the sentinel almost roared. "The elves are here!" "Elf?" Lothar stared at the sentinel, trying to understand the meaning, and then he turned around and kicked the kings there.While he was guessing, one of the kings coughed and looked very guilty. "We need allies," Terenas explained. "Elves are a powerful race, I think we'd better contact them as soon as possible." "Without discussing with me?" Lothar looked very angry. "What if they send all their troops and then suddenly announce that they are in command? What if the Horde arrives while we are integrating them into our forces? You should not have kept this information from your army commanders! It will most likely Bring us death, or at least the vast majority of us!" Terenas nodded solemnly. "You're right," he replied, which reminded Lothar why he admired the king.Most people refuse to accept mistakes, especially those in power.But Terenas is willing to take responsibility for any of his actions, good or bad. "I really should have consulted with you first, I just feel that time is very tight, but this is not an excuse, this kind of thing will not happen again." Lothar nodded gruffly. "Okay then, let's go see what the elves are like." He led the way out of the tent, with the others following closely behind him. When Lothar stepped out of the tent, the first thing he saw was his own army.There were crowds of people in front of him, and the scenery spread far into the valley. In an instant, Lothar felt a sense of pride and confidence.How could anyone, anything be able to resist such a powerful army?But then he saw the bloodbath of the Horde in his mind, an unstoppable sea of ​​emerald green, and he became serious again.At least, this alliance army is several times stronger than the previous Stormwind Kingdom, and should be able to contain the Horde's offensive. Lothar passed through his troops to the shore, staring at the sea in front of him.Proudmoore's ships anchored the entire coastline, from small fast scouts to gigantic destroyers, sailing above the waves to form a forest of masts.But now many ships have retreated to the pier to form an open passage, and a group of ships that Lothar has never seen sailing into that area. "Elf destroyer," Proudmoore said softly. "Faster and lighter than ours - they carry less weapons, but it also gives these ships considerable speed. It's an excellent, excellent addition to our force." Navy The Admiral frowned. "But why so few? I only saw 4 ships, and 8 small ships. This is just a battle group." "Perhaps more behind," Turalyon suggested from Lothar's other side. But Proudmoore shook his head. "It's not their habit," he replied. "They should all be here." "Twelve ships also means adding twelve ships to our fleet," Khadgar suggested. "The troops they brought with them anyway." Lothar nodded. "We should go and welcome them," he said.The others agreed, and they started walking across the village.Perenolde and Greyburn were a little powerless, and soon began to pant, while the others strode forward energetically. When they arrived at the pier, the first elven warship just docked in. A tall and soft figure jumped down and landed lightly on the wooden pier.His long blond hair reflected the sun, and Lothar heard someone panting from behind him.As the figure approached, Lothar saw that it was a woman, a woman so charming as to make one faint.Her slender figure is slender and strong, just like her slender body.She is dressed in forest green or oak brown, with a light armor over a shirt, shorts, a hooded cloak thrown behind her, and a pair of leather gloves wrapping her arms up to the elbow, like Boots that protected her knees.A rapier hung from one hip, a pouch and horn on the other, and a longbow and a full quiver were slung at her back.Lothar had seen many women over the years, some of them as beautiful as the elf approaching them, but he had never seen anyone who could combine strength and grace.He could see why many of his lieutenants were fascinated by her. "Ma'am," Lothar called when she was still a little far away. "Welcome here, I am Anduin Lothar, the commander of the Alliance of Lordaeron." She nodded, walked the rest of the way, and then stopped not far away.From this distance, Lothar could see her pointy ears popping out of her hair, her wild emerald green eyes glancing around the next corner. "I am Alleria Windrunner, and I bring greetings from Anastrian Sunstrider and the Council of Silvermoon." Her voice was so sweet and melodious that Lothar suspected that even when angry Feel happy. "Thank you." He turned around and gestured to the group of people behind him. "Permit me to introduce the kings of the alliance, and my lieutenants." When the introduction was complete, he began to speak serious topics. "Forgive my dullness, Lady Alleria," he said, "but I must ask—is this all the assistance your people can offer?" This sentence made her frown. "I'll be straight to you, Lord Lothar," she replied, taking a cursory look around to make sure no one else was overhearing.The other elves, both male and female, are now disembarking, and the footage begins to gather at the pier, apparently waiting for Alleria's permission to approach. "Anastrian and the others don't care much about the information you send. The tribe is too far away and appears to be trying to conquer human territory rather than our forests. Council members thought it best to leave this struggle to the For the younger race, it is only necessary to fortify our borders against any possible invasion." Her eyes narrowed, as if she was making up her mind. "At least you're here," Khadgar pointed out. "I think that also means something." She nodded. "Letter from King Terenas"—she nodded in his direction—"tell us that you, Sir Lothar, are the last of the blood of Arathi. Our ancestors swore to help your Thoradin forever The king and all his kin. Not even Anasterian can deny this duty. He has sent this battle party in return for their help." "What about you?" Lothar asked, realizing she was only talking about the fleet. "I came here voluntarily," she announced triumphantly, tossing her hair like a refreshed warhorse before charging. "I am a ranger, choosing to bring my own squad and freely offer our assistance." She glanced behind Lothar, her eyes moving, and he knew she was watching the troops behind him. "I feel that this battle will be far more serious than our leader thought. It may easily destroy all of us. If the tribe is as brutal as you said, our forest will not be able to hold on for a long time." She Meeting Lothar's eyes again, it was only then that he saw that all this beauty came from a strong woman who used to fight a lot. "We have to stop them." Lothar nodded. "I agree." He bowed. "Then you are most welcome here, madam, and I thank your king for his assistance. But I am more grateful for your presence, and your rangers," he said, smiling. "We are discussing the next action plan. I am honored to hear your opinion. When your people are settled, I will ask you to send them to reconnaissance, so that we can know whether the enemy is approaching us." "We don't need to rest," Alleria assured him. "I'll send them right away." She gestured, and the other elves moved closer.Each one was dressed the same as her and moved quietly, but in Lothar's view they lacked her elegance.Alleria was talking to them, her voice flowing like music, the others nodded and simply nodded as they passed them, and quickly ran out of the pier and through the village.It quickly disappeared from sight. "They'll scout and report back," Alleria explained. "If the Horde comes within two days' march of here, we'll know." "Very good." Lothar patted his exposed forehead absently. "If you don't mind coming back to the command tent with us, then, ma'am, I'll tell you what we know now, and then we can hear your opinion on these matters." she laughed. "Of course, but if you want my opinion, you must stop calling me 'ma'am. I'm Aurelia, nothing else." Lothar nodded, turned around and led her out of the pier.He fought back a laugh when he saw Turalyon's face.Now he knew where the gasp was coming from. Two days later, Lothar found that nothing made him laugh.Alleria's sentinels have returned, and so has Proudmoore's, and they both bring the same message.The Horde had captured Khaz Modan and began using the dwarven mines to build their own ships, large, crude iron ships that moved awkwardly, but could hold thousands of orcs in their holds.These ships will carry the Horde quickly across the water, with their obvious aim heading straight to Lordaeron.It's not far from Greybean's Land, but it looks like if the Horde landed in the Hillsbrad area, they'd be halfway between here and Gilneas.If the Alliance can move quickly, it is perfectly fine to wait there when the Horde arrives. "Assemble the army." Lothar roared. "Throw away everything we don't need - if we live, we can send people back later! Now, we just need to be fast, go! go!" as his other lieutenants stepped out of the command tent to muster their own troops. Sa turned to look at Khadgar, with the kings standing by. "Well, let's start now." He said to the young old mage. Khadgar nodded. "I think we have plenty of time," he said. "I think so too." Lothar agreed. "Those tribes are impatient to conquer here though. That will be their defeat" he sighed. "At least, I hope so." He stared at Hillsbrad's map for a moment, trying to imagine the upcoming battle, then shook his head.There are other things to do now, and a lot of them.The war is about to begin.