Chapter 5 The Last Guardian Chapter 4 Combat - Aftermath

The moment Khadgar fell to the ground, the air in his lungs gushed out as if being drained, and the gravel surface that his fingers touched made him realize that he must have landed on a low sand dune next to the ruins on one side of the ridge. . The young mage stood up with difficulty and stood up.From the sky, this ridge looks like a forest on fire, but from the ground, it looks like the gate of hell. The wagon was almost completely covered in flames, and its contents were scattered around the ridge and glowing with flames.Cloth was unrolled and sprinkled on the mud floor, broken buckets kept leaking water, and some leftovers of food that had been taken away were scattered and mixed into the mud.Around Khadgar lay lightly armored humanoid corpses, with the occasional glimpse of a helmet or a broken sword.These should be relics of the guards who failed to protect the convoy.

Khadgar shook his aching shoulder, thankfully it felt like a bruise rather than a broken bone or something.If he hadn't landed on the sand, he would have had to fall even harder.He shook his head vigorously.At this moment, the feeling left by Medivh's spell was nothing compared to the more intense pain all over his body. There was a sound around the ruins, and Khadgar instinctively lowered his body.A strange, barking sound came repeatedly, and to Khadgar's ears the guttural language was profane and crude.They were looking for him, they saw him fall off his mount and they are now searching for him.Just like what he saw, the hunchbacked figure staggered through the ruins, casting a series of bowed shadows in the reflection of the passing fire.

Khadgar seemed to think of something, but couldn't remember what it was, and now he tried not to think about anything else, just hoping that the darkness of night would keep him from being discovered by those creatures. And that was not the case, behind him, there was a branch snapping or a boot hitting a leaf-covered pit, or something like leather armor being wiped with a brush.Anyway, it was enough for Khadgar to know he was no longer standing there alone, and he turned around, stunned to find... The kind of monster he had seen in the illusion, a green and black humanoid monster. It didn't look as big or wide as it did in the vision, but it was still a nightmarish creature: a large, protruding jaw full of protruding fangs, and the rest of the face was small and sinister.Khadgar noticed for the first time that the creature also had long, erect ears.It might have heard Khadgar before it saw him.

The monster's armor is dark, but leather instead of metal like in the dream.It held a bunch of torches in one hand, and the firelight deeply outlined the features and made the whole face look more terrifying.In its other hand it holds a spear decorated with a string of white objects.Khadgar suddenly realized that these objects were human ears, trophies of the massacre around him. Everything happened so suddenly, and the contact between man and monster was just that short moment.The beast pointed its ghastly-decorated spear at the young mage, roaring as a challenge. Khadgar muttered a few words of incantation, raised his hand and released a bunch of small magical arrows that hit the beast's belly.The monster then crashed down, and its challenge came to an end temporarily.

In a flash, part of Khadgar's mind was shocked by his reaction just now, and the other part clearly remembered what he had seen these beasts do in Karazhan's vision. The creature seemed to have alerted the rest of the squad before spotting him, and now battle howls rang out around the camp as two, four, or even a group (twelve) of the lumbering beasts swarmed toward his location.To make matters worse, there was howling from even the swamp. Khadgar knew he was not capable of bringing them all down.Summoning the magic arrow just now was enough to weaken him.If you do it a few more times, you may be in danger of fainting.Maybe he should try to escape?

But these monsters may know the terrain of the dark swamp around them better than he does.If he stayed on the sandy ridge, he would be surrounded, but if he escaped into the swamp, even Medivh might not be able to find him. Khadgar looked up at the sky, but there was no sign of astral mages or griffins.Had Medivh landed somewhere and stalked these monsters?Or did he go back to the human army to the south for help? Or, Khadgar thought in a cold sweat, had Medivh's quicksilver mood shifted and he had forgotten that he was flying with him? Khadgar quickly observed the darkness in the distance, and then turned his attention back to the encirclement itself. There seemed to be more shadows swaying by the firelight all around, and the howls became more and more one after another.Khadgar picked up the terrifying, spoil-laden spear on the ground and strode purposefully toward the fire. He might not be able to cast another magic arrow or two, but the monsters didn't know it.Maybe they're as dumb as they look, and inexperienced with spells.

He did scare them, yes.The beasts, bent only on capturing the poor victim they had just shot down from their flight, reached the hills only to find the victim standing in the light of the campfire holding the prized spear of one of their guards. Khadgar tossed the spear into the fire, sparks flying as the spear fell. The young mage summoned a small cluster of flames, which formed a small fireball and levitated in his hand.He hoped that the light of the fire could outline his serious face like the torch in the guard's hand just now.The effect is indeed better. "Get out of this place!" Khadgar yelled, praying his nervous voice wouldn't leave a hole

"Get out of this place or die!" A slightly larger beast took two steps forward, Khadgar chanted a spell, the energy of the arcane gathered in his hand holding the flame, and finally exploded solidly on the face of the green beast, the monster He stretched out his clawed hand to cover his shattered face in pain, and then fell down screaming. "Go away!" Khadgar yelled, trying to keep his voice low. "Go away or end up like him!" Feeling the cold in his belly, he tried not to stare at the burning corpse. A spear flew towards him from the darkness, and Khadgar summoned air magic with the last of his mana, the energy of the air shield just enough to deflect the spear from its original direction.Khadgar felt dizzy after doing this.This was the last he could do, he had literally used up all his mana.Now there is only bluff to scare the enemy.

The surrounding monsters, about a dozen that could be seen, took a step back, and then another step.Khadgar figured that if he shouted again, they would flee back to the swamp, and he would have enough time to escape.He has decided to run south, to the camp of the human army. But then a loud giggle froze Khadgar's blood.The line of monster fighters gave way, and a figure staggered forward.It was thinner and more stooped than the other beasts, and wore a robe the color of clotted blood, the color of the sky in a vision.Its face was twisted and green like the other monsters, but the creature's eyes shone with a wicked, savage intelligence.

It stretched out its hand, palm up, drew a dagger and pierced the palm with the tip.Reddish blood immediately gushed and ran down its clawed hands. The robed beast uttered spells Khadgar had never heard before, which pierced the eardrums, and the blood in its hands began to burn. "Humans, do you want to play?" the beast suddenly said in a barely understandable human language. "Would you like to play spells? Northgreen can play with you." "Go away!" Khadgar yelled again. "Go away or die!" Already the young mage's voice was trembling, and the robed monster smiled slyly.

Khadgar scanned the surrounding area, looking for the best place to escape, wondering if he might be able to find a guardian sword to defend himself, or maybe this Northgrim was just as bluffing as he had been. Northgrim took another step towards Khadgar, and the two brutes on his right suddenly screamed and burst into flames.It all happened so suddenly that everyone present, including Khadgar, was stunned.Northgreen turned to the two sacrificed guys to see what happened, when the other two barbarians around him also burst into flames like dry sticks.These beasts screamed, struggled, and finally fell to the ground in despair and turned into a mass of scorched black. Medivh stood there, where the monsters used to gather.He radiated magical light all over his body, and at the same time absorbed the light from the burning carriages and corpses around him, and even the light from the big campfire. All bright things were eclipsed around him.He looked very relaxed and happy, smiling at the panicked monsters, a raw, cruel smile. "My student told you to leave," Medivh said, "you should have heeded his advice long ago." One of the beasts let out a provocative roar, but the mighty astral mage silenced it with a wave of his hand.A huge invisible force slammed into its face, accompanied by a tearing sound, the monster was separated from its body, and its body fell on the sand, with its head flying backwards before it hit the ground A few meters. The rest of the beasts took a step back timidly, and then all scattered towards the night.Only their head, the robed Northgreen, remained where it was, its huge jaws stretched wildly in astonishment. "Northgrim knows you, Human," it said timidly, "you are the one..." Before it could finish speaking, it screamed in Medivh's spell-casting gesture. The burst of air magic and fire magic lifted it off the ground, and it continued to rise upwards while burning. It kept screaming until the function of its lungs was impaired. Collapsing under pressure, the charred corpses fell in mid-air like black snowflakes. Khadgar looked at Medivh, who grinned complacently.The smile finally faded the moment Medivh focused his eyes on Khadgar's pale face. "You all right, boy?" he asked. "Not bad." Khadgar felt that his weak body could no longer support the weight of his whole body.He tried to sit down, but in the end he could only half kneel down.Thoughts go blank. Medivh walked over to him immediately, and placed his palm on the young mage's forehead.Khadgar tried to move the archmage's hand away, but he found he didn't even have the strength left. "Take a break," Medivh looked at him, "get your energy back. The worst part is over." Khadgar nodded, blinking.He looked at the corpses beside the fire and thought, in the library, McGrady could kill him as easily as crushing an ant. What made him show mercy?Is it a little impression of Khadgar?A little memory?Or is it out of humanity? The young mage asked vigorously, "These things." His voice sounded vague. "what are they……" "Beastman." The astral mage returned. "They're orcs. Well, don't ask any more questions now." "The Knights are at last," sighed Medivh, "and it's too late, but don't tell them that. They'll find the stragglers. Rest now." The cavalry team quickly arrived at the camp. Half of them dismounted from their horses and began to examine the corpses on the ground, while the other half continued to advance along the road.A small group of them was arranged to bury the bodies of the fallen guards.A few orc corpses that had not been burned by Medivh were also transported to the main bonfire, and their corpses were slowly carbonized in the fire with the sound of burning. Khadgar could not recall a time when Medivh walked away, but he did return to Khadgar with the commander of the cavalry.The Commander was a stocky man who looked older than his years, his face battered with the marks of war.His beard, long shriveled like dead weeds, was a peppery gray, and the hairline on his head was receding almost to the back, exposing his broad forehead.It was a huge man, wearing plate armor and a large cloak that made him look even more imposing.From one shoulder Khadgar could see the hilt of a greatsword (the one engraved with all roll?), the front crosspiece was inlaid with gems. "Khadgar, this is Sir Anduin Lothar," Medivh began to introduce: "Lothar, this is my student, Khadgar from the Kirin Tor." Khadgar's thoughts raced and he tried to remember where he had heard this famous name.Lord Lothar.King's Champion, childhood friend of King Llane and Medivh.On his back must be the royal greatsword, the sword of the oath to defend Azeroth, and... Medivh just said Khadgar was his student? Lothar knelt down on one knee so that he was on eye level with the young man in front of him and looked at him with a smile, "Well, you finally have a student, and you have to go to the Violet Garden to look for it, right? Med ( Medivh's nickname)?" "Find one with the right merits, um, yes" Medivh replied "If the advantage is that you can tidy up a local mage's underwear, it is indeed much better, huh? Oh, don't look at me like that, Medivh. Tell me what this young man did to make you unforgettable?" "Oh, it's normal," answered the old friend's question with a sly smile. "He tidied up my library, tamed a griffin on the first attempt, and single-handedly took down this orc, including a warlock." Sir Lothar whistled, "He tidied up your library? I made a note of this." A smile flickered under his gray mustache. "Sir Lothar," Khadgar finally managed to say. "Your virtuosity is famous even in Dalaran." "You rest well, lad," Lothar said, placing heavy plate gloves on the young mage's shoulders. "We'll take care of the rest of these beasts." Khadgar shook his head. "No, as long as you stay on the road." The king's champion blinked in surprise, and Khadgar wasn't sure if it was his presumptuousness or the content of what he said. "I'm afraid the boy is right," said Medivh. "The orcs have camped in the swamp. They seem to know the Black Marsh better than we do, which explains why they act so efficiently. We stay on the road, they can surround us from the sides. Lothar scratched the back of his head with his glove. "Perhaps I can borrow some of your griffins to scout." "The dwarves who trained these griffins may have a different opinion on this," Medivh said. "But maybe you can talk to them, and the gnomes, they have some weird stuff and flying machines that might be good for scouting." Lothar nodded, scratched his chin and said, "How do you know the orcs are here?" "I ran into an orc vanguard scout in my territory," Medivh replied calmly as if talking about the weather, "I got word from him that a large group was preparing to sneak up along the swamp road, and I I wanted to arrive in time to give them a warning." The archmage looked at the mess around him and said meaningfully. The morning sun was not yet strong enough to illuminate the ground around them.Many of the smaller fires had died down, and the air smelled of charred orc corpses.A faint cloud drifted over the camp. A young soldier, probably a little older than Khadgar, came running to report that they had found several survivors, one of whom was badly bitten by the orcs but still alive.Can the archmage go over immediately to have a look. "You stay with the boy," Medivh said, "he's still a little confused about what's going on." With that, the archmage strode across the bloody, blackened ground before him, his robes flapping behind him. The ground is like a banner. Khadgar tried to get up and follow, but Lothar placed heavy gloves on his shoulders and pushed him back.Khadgar held on for a moment, before finally returning to a sitting position. Lothar watched Khadgar with a smile. "Finally the old fool has an assistant, too." "Student," Khadgar said weakly, though he felt a surge of pride that gave him the strength to speak again. "He had a lot of assistants. But they didn't last long, that's what I heard." "Um, uh," Lothar said. "I recommended some of them, and they all came back to me with tales of a haunted tower and a madly mercurial mage. What do you think of him?" Khadgar blinked for a moment in thought.For the past 12 hours, Medivh had attacked him, crammed knowledge into his brain, dragged him across the country on the back of a griffin, and finally left him alone to face so many orcs before committing himself to the rescue.On the other hand, he acknowledged Khadgar as his disciple.his students. Khadgar coughed, "I can't figure him out." Lothar laughed again, and this time there was such a sincere kindness in the smile. "No one can guess him. This is one of his strengths." Lothar thought for a while and then said, "This is a very polite and political answer." Khadgar forced a faint smile. "Lordaeron is a very polite and political country." "I heard it in the king's council. The ambassador of Dalaran can answer yes and no at the same time and express nothing at all." No insult or meaning. "Never mind, my general," Khadgar said. "How old are you, young man?" Lothar asked looking at him. "17 years old, what's wrong?" Khadgar looked at the elder in front of him. Lothar shook his head and muttered, "That might explain something." "What can it explain?" "Made, I mean the star mage Medivh, who was a few years younger than you when he fell ill. Therefore, he has never dealt with people of your age." "Sick?" Khadgar asked. "A star mage ever had a serious illness?" "Very ill," Lothar said. "He fell into a deep sleep, what they called a coma. Lane and I put him in Northshire Abbey, where the clergy fed him broth to keep him alive. He slept like that for a few years, then woke up suddenly, like As suddenly as rain. Or almost." "Almost?" Khadgar asked. "In short, he missed most of his teenage years, and the extra decades after that. He went to sleep as a teenager and woke up as a middle-aged man. I always worried that it would affect him a lot." Khadgar thought of the archmage's elusive habits, his sudden mood swings, and his childlike smile when he fought the orcs.Is Medivh still a kid?Could these behaviors of his also explain something? "His coma," Lothar said, shaking his head slightly as he recalled. "His stupor is abnormal. Maddow calls him a nap, as if it's perfectly reasonable. And we've never found out why it happened. The Archmage may have found the answer, but he doesn't seem interested in the subject Interested, he wouldn't even answer when I asked." "I am Medivh's apprentice," Khadgar said simply. "Why are you telling me this?" Lothar sighed deeply and looked into the distance at the ridge full of war scars.Khadgar understood that the warrior in front of him was an honest, forthright man he would never find in Dalaran.His emotions are as clear as a barometer carved on his face. Lothar pursed his lips and said, "Honestly, I'm worried about him, he's alone in that tower..." "He has a steward. And a cook," Khadgar put in. "With powerful magic," Lothar continued. "He looked lonely, huddled in the mountains by himself. I worried about him." Khadgar nodded, he understood, that's why Lothar wanted to find an apprentice from Azeroth for Medivh to spy on his friends.He was worried about his old friend, and at the same time worried about his powerful power.Khadgar said aloud, "You worry about his health." Lothar shrugged, and it could be seen that he was indeed worried about this and tried his best to cover it up. "Is there anything I can do to help?" Khadgar asked. "Help him, and help you." "Look at him," Lothar said. "If you were his student, you should be able to spend more time with him. I don't want him to..." "Slumber again?" Khadgar prompted.This time Lothar gave him a shrug again. Khadgar gave the best-natured smile he could, "It's an honor to help both of you, Ser Lothar. You know my loyalty must go first to my master, and if anything an old friend If you need to know, I will pass it on to you." Khadgar got another slap of the heavy glove on his shoulder, surprised by Lothar's eagerness to show him his apprehension.Are all the inhabitants of Azeroth so straightforward?Even now, Khadgar could see that Lothar had something else to say. "And," Lothar really said, Khadgar just nodded politely. "Did the Astral Mage tell you about the Guardian?" he asked. Khadgar wanted to pretend that he knew more than he already knew, in order to extract more information from the honest elder in front of him.But when the words came out of his mouth he changed his mind, and he felt that it was better to tell the truth. "I've heard the name from Medivh," Khadgar said. "But I don't know the details. Don't know what the word really means." "Ah..." Lothar said. "Then pretend I haven't told you anything and let him go." "I trust you will tell me in due time," Khadgar added. "There's no doubt about it," said Lothar, "you seem like the kind of kid you can trust." "After all, I have only been his apprentice for a few days," Khadgar said lazily. Lothar raised his brows upwards, "How many days? How long have you been Medivh's student?" "By tomorrow morning," Khadgar said with a grin. "It's just the first day." Medivh came back at this time, looking more haggard than before. Lothar asked the survivor if there was any hope of surviving, and the answer was only Medivh shaking his head.Lothar frowned deeply, and after exchanging pleasantries with Medivh, he stomped away to inspect the remaining rescue and clean-up work.The half of the cavalry that had just moved on had also returned, but they found nothing. "Ready to travel?" Medivh asked. Khadgar stood, the sandy ridge floating like a solitary boat in the middle of the Black Marsh ocean. "Ready," he replied, "but I don't know if I can ride a griffin, though, I have..." He drawled out his voice, pointing to his forehead. "Don't worry," Medivh replied. "Your mount has been shot into the distance by an arrow, and now we can only ride a griffin." He lifted the runic whistle to his mouth and blew a series of short, harsh signals.Above them, a griffin circled and screamed. Khadgar looked up at the sky and asked, "Then I am your apprentice?" "Yes," Medivh replied, his face as calm as a mask. "I pass your test," the young mage said again. "Yes," Medivh replied. "I am honored, sir," Khadgar said. "I'm glad you think so," Medivh said, a ghostly smile flickering across his face. "Because starting now is the hard part."