Chapter 8 The Last Guardian Chapter 7 Stormwind City

The greatest structure Khadgar has ever seen is the Violet Castle on the Isle of Cross just outside Dalaran.Khadgar is proud of her majestic spiers with heavy cornices the color of lapis lazuli and the magnificent halls of the Kirin Tor, from which the castle takes its name.On the journey across Lordaeron and into Azeroth, no structure -- not even Medivh's Tower -- comes close to the majestic stronghold of the Kirin Tor. Until he came to Stormwind City. The two flew through the night sky as usual, and this time the young mage was sure he had fallen asleep while riding the griffin in the cold night.The knowledge Medivh had crammed into his head was still valid, and he was sure of his ability to steer the winged raptor on his knees, and felt at ease.And this time the part stored in his head no longer hurts, but there is a slight muffled sound, as if the nerves have healed and scarred. After receiving this piece of knowledge information, he still recognizes that it was originally a foreign body outside his body.

When Khadgar awoke, the sun was arching the horizon behind him, and he was so startled that the huge flying beast he rode veered slightly, almost dropping Medivh some way.And in front of his eyes, the magnificent Stormwind City bathed in the morning light appeared impressively. This is the city of gold and silver.Under the morning light, the city walls shone like a holy grail wiped by the lord of the city, and the roofs were as dazzling as silver buildings. Khadgar once thought they were inlaid with countless precious stones. The young mage shook his head and blinked, only to see that the original golden city wall was originally pure stone, but some places were polished very smooth, and other parts were carved with complex and delicate patterns.The silver roof was entirely made of dark blue slate, and the gems he saw were actually dewdrops on the roof reflecting the brilliance of dawn.

Still, Khadgar was struck by the size of the city, unparalleled even in Lordaeron.Overlooking from a high altitude, it filled his field of vision.He counted three sets of walls surrounding the central fortress, with secondary barriers separating several areas.No matter which direction he looked, he couldn't get a panoramic view of the city. Even at dawn, the city is already alive.As the smoke gradually rises, people have gathered in the open-air market and some public places.A large cart full of farmers rushing to the fields walked out of the main city gate lumberingly.The neat and orderly farmland spreads out along the city wall, like the skirt of the city, almost extending to the horizon.

Most structures are unrecognizable to Khadgar.It seemed to him that the towers might be schools or barns; a rushing river could be seen with some giant waterwheels on them, but he couldn't guess what they were for; Firelight, is it from the foundry?Captured dragon?Or what happened to the accident?unknown. This was the most magnificent city Khadgar had ever seen, and the heart of the city was Lion's Castle. There must be no doubt.The walls of the building appear to be literally made of gold, with silver decorations around the windows.The roof of the royal family is covered with blue slate, luxurious and mysterious, like sapphire.On its numerous spiers, Khadgar could see slender pennants bearing the lion of Azeroth, the family crest of King Llane and the symbol of the land.

The castle has countless auxiliary buildings, towers, and halls, which are complex and complete, just like a small city.Vaulted corridors spanned the buildings, a length so impressive that Khadgar believed it would be impossible without the aid of magic. Perhaps such a structure was entirely magical, Khadgar thought, realizing that this might be one of the reasons why Medivh was so prized here. The elder mage raised a hand and hovered over a flat-topped tower.Medivh pointed down—once, twice, three times.He wanted Khadgar to land first. Khadgar pulled himself back from his wandering thoughts, and deftly lowered the griffin.The gigantic eagle-headed beast slammed its sail-like wings backwards, slowed down, and landed with precision.

A group of attendants were already waiting, and they rushed forward to take the reins and put the strong headgear on the griffin.Memories from other lands told Khadgar that this was something like a falconer's net, used to limit the vision of birds of prey.An attendant carefully placed a bucket of cow offal, still warm, in front of the griffin's sharp beak. Khadgar had just slid off the back of the griffin when Ser Lothar himself came to greet him warmly.This tall man is further enhanced by a rich robe and sleeveless coat, a carved breastplate, and a filigree cloak. "Apprentice!" said the ser, taking Khadgar's hand in his large thick one, "nice to see you still employed!"

"Your Excellency," Khadgar replied, trying not to flinch from the strong man's grip, "we flew all night to get here. I don't…" Khadgar's next statement was swept away by a whirlwind of wings and the scream of a griffin.Medivh's mount did a somersault in the air, and the Archmage's landing was anything but graceful.The huge flying beast glided too far, exceeding the width of the tower, and almost fell to the other side. Medivh clung to the reins tightly. The long mage fell to the side. Khadgar didn't wait for Sir Lothar to speak, and rushed forward, followed by the attendants in blue, and Lothar rumbled behind.

By the time they reached Medivh he had dismounted and handed the reins to the nearest squire. "Damn Crosswind!" the elder mage raged. "I told you it was the wrong place to land, but no one listened to the mage. Nice landing, lads," the servants rushed to their mounts, While trying to silence it, the mage added as if suddenly remembering. "Made," Lothar extended his hand in greeting. "It's good of you to come." Medivh frowned. "I'm coming at full speed," said the magician irritably. "Sooner or later you're going to have to deal with things on your own without me, you know."

I don't know if Lothar was surprised by Medivh's attitude, but he didn't say anything about it. "Anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you. His Majesty the King..." "Have to wait," Medivh continued. "Take me to the room that went wrong, now. No, I know the way myself. You said it was Hagra and Hagarin. Then this way." Said the archmage, walking towards the spiral side staircase of the tower. "Going down five floors, crossing a bridge, and going up three floors! Terrible landing spot!" Khadgar looked at Lothar.The big man ran his strong hand over the thinning crown of his head and shook his head.Then followed, Khadgar trailing behind.

When they descended the winding staircase, Medivh was no longer there, though his babble and occasional curses could still be heard, fading away. "He's in good shape," Lothar said. "I'll take you to the mage's room. We'll find him there." "He was agitated last night," Khadgar said apologetically. "He went out. It seems that your call was sent to Karazhan just after he came back." "Did he tell you what it was, apprentice?" Lothar asked.Khadgar had to shake his head. The warrior Anduin Lothar frowned deeply. "Two great wizards of Azeroth are dead, their bodies burned beyond recognition, their hearts ripped out of their chests. They died in their chambers. There—" Ser Lothar hesitated for a moment, Seems to be choosing the right wording. "There were signs of demonic activity there. So I sent the Archmage as soon as possible. Maybe he'll let us know what's going on."

"Where's the body?" Medivh called out as they caught up.The three were now on another spire of the castle, overlooking the city through the large bay window that opened opposite the door. The room was in a mess, as if it had been searched by dirty orcs.All the books were pulled from the shelves, the scrolls were open, and some were shredded.Alchemy instruments were smashed to pieces, powders and ointments were scattered all over the floor, and even the furniture was destroyed. There is a powdered ring in the center of the room, and an inscription carved into the floor.The ring is made up of two concentric circles, between which is inlaid a text filled with mana.The inscriptions on the floor were deeply carved, filled with a viscous dark liquid.Between the ring and the window are two scorched marks, each the size of a man. As far as Khadgar knew, the magic circle had only one purpose.Mr. Librarian of Violet City often warns them. "Where's the body?" Medivh repeated nervously, and Khadgar was glad he didn't have to answer such a difficult question. "Where are the bodies of those two guys?" "We moved them away after we found the bodies." Lothar was neither humble nor overbearing. "I know it's inappropriate to do this, but please forgive me, we don't know when you will be able to come." "You mean I won't come?" Medivh interrupted him roughly, "Okay, fine. I see Let's see what clues we can find. Who was here before the incident?" "High Mages Hagra and Haglin," Lothar replied. "Nonsense," Medivh said sharply, "is there anyone else besides them?" "It was their servant who found the body," Lothar continued. "I came over to check on the situation and moved the corpse away with some guards. By the way, if you want an autopsy, the corpse has not been buried yet." Medivh was lost in thought, "Huh? What did you just say? What corpse and guards? It doesn't matter, We'll talk about that later. So there's a servant, you, and four of the palace guards, is that right? And now me and my apprentice, no one else?" "I can recall That's all," Lothar said.After getting the answer, Medivh closed his eyes, murmured some spells that might be magic, and then opened his eyes. "This is really interesting." He turned to Khadgar. "Young trust!" Khadgar took a deep breath as cold sweat broke out on his brow. "I'm here, teacher." "I need you young and immature to replace me. My experience will prevent me from seeing the truth. Ask if you don't understand. Come here and go to the middle of the room. No no no, Don't go through the magic circle, we don't know if there is residual energy on it. Yes, just stand there, okay, what do you feel now?" "I saw a dilapidated room." Khadgar replied, "I didn't ask what you saw!" Medivh's sharp voice sounded again, "I asked you what you felt, feeling!" Khadgar took a deep breath Taking a deep breath, he began to cast perception magic, which he had learned in Dalaran, which could sharpen his senses and help him discover things that he could not normally detect. This time, as soon as he began to cast the spell, Khadgar realized that something was wrong.The fluctuations of magic are usually as light and flexible as air, but this time, Khadgar felt a little stagnant, like some kind of viscous liquid, with a heavy feeling, like the dusty air in a room that has been closed for many years .Khadgar had never encountered such a situation, and he guessed it was probably due to the energy of the magic circle, or the energy interference from Medivh.Khadgar tried to muster the waves of magic, but he was surprised to find that the energy didn't seem to obey him, and after he failed again, his face darkened.It's just a simple magic trick, and there's no reason it should fail over and over again if there's no interference present.Suddenly, like river mud gushing out after a rock was turned over in the river, a burst of viscous and rancid magical energy rolled over and quickly submerged him. The black energy easily shattered his magic shield and pressed heavily on him. Khadgar was crushed to his knees, screaming. "Ah~!" Medivh walked quickly to him and helped Khadgar up. "That's right there," Medivh said with a smile, "I didn't expect you to do such a beautiful job, very good, well done." "What's that?" Khadgar gasped. "I've never experienced such a heavy, dark, almost suffocating feeling." "Your feeling indicates that there is a problem here. This is good news. What happened here before caused a strange distortion of the magical energy here." Medivh replied. "You mean it's an illusion?" Khadgar wondered. "Even in Karazhan, I never..." "No, not that," Medivh said, "some other, worse stuff. Someone summoned demons here, that's why you reacted so violently. Yes, they summoned demons with dark magic, and those two Poor fools, the demons killed them." Everyone except Medivh was stunned, and Lothar was the first to react: "Demons? You mean there are demons in the king's castle? I can hardly believe my ears..." "You should believe it," Medivh said blankly, "know that no matter how profound your knowledge is, no matter how brilliant your mind is, no matter how powerful your power is; in the vast and boundless magical world, There is always some magic you cannot master, there is always some knowledge you cannot understand, there is always some secret you never know; these are the most deadly temptations for a wizard. And so those two idiots were tempted, they tried Summoning power from the darkness, and paying the price with your life. Two idiots." "But the magic circle will trap the summoned creatures," Lothar asked, "How did the murderer kill them?" "That's easy," Medivh answered casually, leaning over the ring to watch, picking up a straw from the dried blood of the two dead men. "Aha! A straw. If they miss this straw when they summon, no magic circle in the world can protect them. It destroys the integrity of the magic circle. Demons can easily walk out of it, carrying the fiery Hellfire, killing the summoner, two poor fools. I've seen this happen before." Khadgar shook his head secretly. He didn't think so.The dark energy weighing on him seemed to dissipate.Khadgar looked around the room. The demon's attack had ripped through everything he could see. It was like a disaster zone.Although the straw was found on the magic circle, it doesn't mean anything.It might have been lying anywhere in the room before it was carried to the ring by the air currents of the battle. "How did you find the body?" Khadgar asked suddenly. "What?" Medivh said, Khadgar nearly jumped at the sudden sound. "I'm sorry," Khadgar understood. As an apprentice, he is not qualified to express his opinion. He concealed it, "Because you said you didn't understand and you asked." "Oh... yes, of course," Medivh said coldly, and turned to Lothar, "Then, Mr. Anduin Lothar, tell my apprentice how the body was found?" "When I came in, the corpse was lying there, and the servant didn't touch the corpse." Lothar replied. "Mr. Lothar, is the corpse's back up or down?" Khadgar asked as calmly as possible, he could feel the archmage staring at him coldly, like a light on his back. "The head is facing the window or the magic circle?" Lothar carefully recalled the scene at that time. "The bodies were on their backs and their heads were facing the ring, yes, I'm sure. They were charred all over and we had to turn them over to make sure they were Hagela and Hagelin." "Young trust, what exactly do you want to know?" Medivh sat on the window seat, stroking his beard. Medivh looked at the two scorched marks between the window and the magic circle, where the corpse was. "If you attack a man from the front, he will fall backwards, on his back; conversely, if you attack him from behind, he will fall forwards, on his back. Mr. Lothar, when you enter Were the windows open when you were in the house?" Lothar stared at the open window and recalled carefully, "Yes, the window was open when I came in. But it may also be the window opened by the servant. You must know that the room was full of horrible stench at that time, and he too That's why I went into the house to check. Well, I'll ask him." "It's not necessary," Medivh stood up proudly and walked to the corpse. "Young trust, you mean, Hagelin and Hagela were standing here, facing the magic circle, and then something flew in from the window and attacked them from behind." In order to demonstrate the scene at that time, Medivh raised his hand and clapped Pat yourself on the back of the head. "They fell forward and burned. Is that what you think?" "Yes, Master," Khadgar replied respectfully. "I mean, that's my speculation." "Good speculation," Medivh said, "Unfortunately, it's wrong." "First, why are the dead standing here, why are they facing the magic circle? I think they are summoning demons, not doing anything else thing." "But..." Khadgar wanted to argue, but Medivh's cold eyes made him swallow the rest. "Second," Medivh continued, "your speculation is suitable for an attacker with a stick, but not for a dark demon. The main method of attack of the demon is hellfire. The flame burned the two mages, and they fell forward. Next. You said the front and back of the body were burned?" He turned to Lothar and asked. "Yes," replied the king's loyal knight. Medivh raised his hand and gestured. "It should have been like this. The demon was attacking them from the front, burning the two dead with hellfire, and they fell forward, with their backs facing upwards, so the flames spread to the back. If according to your guess, the demon came from behind. Attacking the dead, they should be on fire on their backs, so the flames won't go to the front. Unless, the demon turns them all over so the fire goes to the front, then turns them all over again to make sure they're backs up. That's hard Imagine—demons aren't that organized." Khadgar felt his face burn. "I'm sorry, but that's just my speculation." "That's a good guess," Medivh said quickly. "It's a pity that it's wrong, that's it. You are right about one thing, the window was open before the servant arrived. Because the devil can only leave the room through the window, this guy must be hiding in Stormwind now." "His grandma!" Lothar cursed in a low voice, "Are you sure the devil is in the city?" Medivh nodded, "Very sure. But now it should hide and rest. Even if it sneaks up on fools like Hagelin and Hagra, it must have spent a lot of effort." "I'll organize a search party right away," Lothar said. "No," Medivh replied, "I'll do it myself later, don't kill people. And I want to see the corpse, I want to know more details." "We moved the body to the cold wine cellar," Lothar said, "I'll take you there." "Wait a minute," Medivh said. "I want to do some research here first. You don't mind leaving me alone with my apprentice?" Lothar hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Of course, I'll wait for you outside." He glanced at Khadgar, turned and left. The door slammed shut, and silence enveloped the room.Medivh slowly approached the table, looking for something among the torn documents and papers, he pulled out a piece of letter paper with a purple seal, shook his head, and slowly tore it into pieces. "In a civilized country," Medivh said softly, which seemed unnatural compared to his high-pitched voice, "apprentice and teacher agree, at least in public places." He turned his head and stared at Khadgar, his face clouded. "I'm sorry," Khadgar said apologetically, "you said I could ask questions; I just wanted to know the posture of the corpse, but then you mentioned how the corpse was burned..." Medivh raised his hand to signal Khadgar to stop talking, he paused for a while, and let out a long breath. "Well, at least you did a good thing. If you hadn't asked about that, I wouldn't have realized that the demon might have left, and I would have spent more time searching the room. But your question exposed your The ignorance of the devil, this ignorance makes me intolerable. It is necessary for me to understand your relevant knowledge." Medivh was still staring at Khadgar, but the corners of his mouth had turned up slightly.Khadgar realized that the teacher's temper had passed, and the stone in his heart fell to the ground.He asked, "What about Mr. Lothar?" "Let him wait a little longer," Medivh nodded thoughtfully, "he will wait, that's what he is. Well, I have a question for you. Did you involve demons in your lessons at Violet Castle? .” "I have only heard the legend of demons," Khadgar replied. "In ancient times, demons roamed the world, and later great heroes drove them out." The scene of Aegwynn fighting the demons appeared in his mind, But he didn't say anything.Medivh finally calmed down, it's best not to say that now. "That's basic knowledge," Medivh said. "That's what we told the common people, what else do you know?" Khadgar took a deep breath and formed his sentences. "In the Kirin Tor, the study of demons is strictly forbidden. They will stop anyone who tries to conduct summoning studies, and all involved will be exiled or worse. As for demons, we only hear in legends. " "Legends are also based on facts," Medivh said. "So most of what you know is correct. Having said that, I think you are a curious person, and you should know more than ordinary students." Khadgar nodded, choosing his words carefully. "Our librarian, Carrigan, has a lot of... magical material." "He needs someone to help manage the material, doesn't he?" Medivh said dryly.How did he know this?Khadgar was taken aback. "It's just a guess, young trust." "Those materials are basically folklore and written materials of local demon research veterans, which record the crimes committed by the legendary demons. There is no document of summoning demons, no magical records." Khadgar pointed The magic circle on the ground. "There is no record of the summoning ceremony." "That's for sure," Medivh said, "even if the Kirin Tor allowed the study of demons. If your Mr. Curator had those things, he'd keep them hidden." "After the hero defeated the demon, the folk believed that the demon was expelled from this world of light and life, and banished to their own domain." "That is the land of boundless darkness," Medivh said these words slowly, as if praying. "The demons are thus beaten back home, but the legend continues," Khadgar said. "It is said that they want to come back. Some say they appear in the dreams of the weak-willed, urging the humans to find ancient magic. and sacrifices to summon them into this world, and sometimes they have succeeded. Others say they will encourage the believers and sacrifices to turn this world into a bloody and violent world, because only in this way can they re- return." Medivh stroked his beard, was silent for a while, and then said, "What else do you know?" "Know some trivial things and personal biographies. I have seen some statues and portraits of demons, and—" Khadgar suddenly wanted to tell Medivh the vision he had seen, the vision about the demon army, but He still held back, "There is also an epic, describing the scene of Aegwynn fighting the demon leader in a distant place." A gentle and understanding smile appeared on Medivh's face, "Yes, that is "Song of Aegwynn". You can find this epic in many archmages." "My teacher, Mr. Jaziba, was also very interested in that," Khadgar took the opportunity to say. "Really?" Medivh smiled. "I don't know if he really wants that epic. To show respect, I can send him a copy." He shrugged, "Your knowledge about demons is basically correct. Know about demons, but you have to understand that demons are real, they are indeed exiled to another world, and, just as other worlds are threatened by demons, people living in this world are threatened by them. Now I firmly believe that , the red land you see is another world, it's on the edge of the endless land of darkness. In a way, the land of darkness is the cage of demons, there is no light, no food, they are very— Very jealous, they're very—very eager to occupy it." Khadgar nodded, and Medivh continued, "One more thing, the idea that 'those who are seduced are weak-willed' is wrong, even though it is a popular opinion. Among those people, some want to use the power of demons to take revenge Foolish peasants in love, and idiot businessmen who burn their IOUs with black candles, they are all torn to pieces without exception. They are not seduced, as you think, but they fall with pleasure. They think they are strong enough , big enough to be impervious to demonic power and detached from threats. This kind of behavior is more dangerous than street gang fights, as you can see now, a slight omission in the process of casting spells is more terrifying than magical backlash." Khadgar could only nod, "But this time the dead are two archmages." "Hmph, they are the most powerful force in Azeroth," Medivh sneered, "the wisest and greatest mages, and the wise magic teachers of King Lane. Their jobs are safe, leisurely and noble." "Do they understand demons?" Khadgar asked. "Sure," Medivh said. "Actually, they know as much as I do. But look now. We're standing where they were killed, and the two charred bodies are lying in the wine cellar." "Why would they do that?" Khadgar frowned, trying not to offend Medivh. "If they know so much, why are they doing the summoning?" "Many reasons," Medivh sighed softly. "Plutocracy and overconfidence, those are the reasons. But I think the main reason is fear." "Fear?" Khadgar turned to Medivh inquiringly. "Yes, fear of the unknown," said Medivh, "fear of the known; fear of something stronger than them." Khadgar shook his head, "Is there anything more powerful than the combined power of two high-ranking archmages of Azeroth?" "Ah," Medivh smiled, "there is one standing in front of you. They took the risk of summoning demons, playing such a dangerous game with the dark forces and ended up being killed. Because they are afraid of me." "You?" Khadgar said, he had never been so surprised.Again, he was in awe of Medivh. Medivh didn't continue, he took a deep breath.Then say, "Yeah, it's me. I called them fools, and I blamed myself for that too. Well, come on. Let's keep Lothar waiting. Our strength, let's talk about the stories of the Tirisfal Council and the Guardians."