Chapter 12 The Last Guardian Chapter 11 Garona

He goes back to his (well, Medivh's) library and finds her, gorgeously, browsing through his notes.Anger immediately rose in his heart, but considering the sting of being beaten by her fat and Medivh's punishment, he suppressed this anger in his heart. "What are you doing?" He still couldn't hide the sharpness in his tone. The envoy Garona's fingers flicked gracefully on the paper. "Investigation. I know you're going to call this a spy?" She frowned and looked up, "In fact, I just want to know about your daily life here. I omitted this in the public introduction Details. Hope you don't mind."

How could I not mind, Khadgar thought, but he said: "Master Medivh instructed me to make your actions as convenient as possible. But if I let you rummage here, and then you are turned out by yourself, it will be terrible." He'll be angry too." Garona was expressionless, but Khadgar noticed her fingers had left the page. "I'm not interested in magic." "Classic last words," Khadgar said, "do you need my help? Simply put, what do you want to check? If you don't believe me, you can try it and see what you find." "I heard that there is a book that introduces the kings of Azeroth," she said, "I want to ask for advice."

"You can still read?" Khadgar said, and then felt that the words were too harsh, "Sorry, I mean..." "That's right, be surprised, I can still read," Garona joked shortly, "I've learned more than that over the years." Khadgar said with a stern face: "The fourth shelf, the second row. It is a red-covered gold-edged book." Garona immediately disappeared into the pile of books, and Khadgar just had to tidy up his desk and it was scattered opportunity for notes.If the orc had been given permission to run amok here, he'd better keep these notes in a safe place.At least they weren't ciphered letters from the Council that no one could read—and even Medivh wouldn't be happy to hand her the Hymn to Aegwynn.

His gaze was fixed on the decoding scroll.Although there is no danger of it being turned over at present, it is more appropriate to remove it together. Garona turned around holding a thick volume, and raised an eyebrow at Khadgar with a questioning look. "That's right, this is the book," said the apprentice. "Human language is a little... wordy," she said, placing the book on the table that Khadgar had just tidied up. "That's only because we always have something to talk about," Khadgar smirked.I wonder if there are books in the orc culture.Do they really have text?It is obvious that they have legal professions, but does this mean that they really have knowledge?

"Hope I didn't hit too hard this morning." She was clearly joking.Because then Khadgar spat out a front tooth in front of her.Perhaps these words were seen among the orcs as some form of apology. "I can't feel better," Khadgar insisted. "I need this kind of exercise." Garona sat down and immediately immersed herself in the book.Khadgar noticed that her lips followed silently as she read.She suddenly turned to the last few pages of the book, focusing on the newly added chapter on the reign of King Lane. Now that the simmering tension between the two had dissipated, he now realized that Garona was not the orc he had encountered before.She was much thinner and more muscular, unlike the hulking, brutish fellows he'd met in the ruins of the hijacked convoy.Her skin was smoother, more human, and a lighter shade to the orc's emerald green.The tusks are smaller.The eyes are also bigger, and more agile than the blood-red eyeballs of the orc warriors.It was not quite clear to him which of these differences were due in part to her humanoid blood and which in turn to her feminine constitution.He didn't even know if the orcs he'd fought before were male or female—but he wasn't in the mood to ask now.

Well, actually, aside from that green skin, ugly fangs, cocky arrogance and hostility, she's almost an attractive person.Now she's in his library, browsing his books (okay, the library is Medivh's library, and the books are Medivh's books, but after all the astral mage entrusted them to his care That's right). "Speaking of which, you are an emissary," he finally said, trying to make himself appear easy and talkative, "I heard that you will come." The orc nodded, his attention still on the book. "Then who are you here on behalf of?" Garona looked up.Khadgar caught a hint of anger under her bushy brows.Khadgar was quite pleased with his success in pissing her off, but at the same time was unsure of the limits of the lady's temper.He didn't want to press too hard, lest he incur another fat beating or simply be fired by the astral mage.

Understanding the other party has always been his weapon when talking, so this time he also has to collect as much information as possible."I mean, if you're an envoy, then obviously someone is giving you instructions, someone behind you is manipulating you, and you have to report to this person," he said. "Who is this person?" "If you ask your teacher, Grandpa will definitely tell you." Garona said fluently, but her bored expression did not fade. "That's for sure," Khadgar lied, "but I didn't have the cheek to ask him, so I came to ask you. Who is that person? Who granted you your mission?" Are you here to negotiate, or to make demands? Or something else?"

Garona closed the book (Khadgar felt staged victory at having diverted her attention) and said, "Do all humans think the same?" "If that were the case, the world would be very dull," Khadgar said. "I mean, are people's views and opinions similar? Do people always agree with their master and superior?" The hostility in Garona's eyes seemed to have disappeared. "Of course not," Khadgar said. "There are many reasons. From an academic point of view, just look at the number of books in the world and you can see how different people's opinions are."

"Then, you can also understand the differences in viewpoints among the orcs," Garona said, "The whole tribe is composed of countless clans, and each clan has its own chiefs and war leaders at all levels. Every orc belongs to their clan." Clans, orcs are mostly loyal to their respective clans and chieftains." "Which clans are there?" Khadgar asked. "What are their names?" "The Raider is one," the half-orc said, "Blackrock, Twilight's Hammer, and Blood Cave. These are all big clans." "Sounds like the names of some battle groups," Khadgar said.

"The home environment of the orcs is very harsh," Garona said. "Only the most powerful organization can survive there. This is what it means to support one person in one place." Khadgar recalled the vision of the cursed land, the blood-red sky.That must be the home of the orcs.A wasteland on another plane.But how exactly did they get here?He didn't ask about that. "Then what clan are you from?" Garona snorted: "I don't belong to any clan." "You said that each of you..." Khadgar said. "I mean all the orcs," Garona corrected, leaving Khadgar scratching his head.She raised a hand in front of her face: "What did you see?"

"Your hand," Khadgar replied. "Human or orc?" "Orcish," it was obvious, with green skin, sharp yellowish nails, and knuckles thicker than humans. "And the orcs would say it was a human hand—too thin, too useless. Lack of muscle to lift an ax and not strong enough to smash someone's head off. Too pale and weak and ugly." Garona dropped her hand, her eyes drooping. "You only see me as an orc. All orcs see me only as a human. I am two things and nothing at the same time. Either way, I am considered inferior biology." Khadgar wanted to retort halfway, but after careful consideration of Garona's words, he decided to keep silent.Originally, his first reaction was to hit the orc he saw, but he didn't see her human side at the same time, as Medivh's guest.He nodded: "Then your life must be very difficult, without the protection of the clan." "At the same time, there are also advantages," Garona said, "I can move around the various clans more freely. As an inferior creature, everyone thinks that I am an outcast with no clan to be loyal to, and that I will not take sides with any party, so everyone is right. I was unsuspecting. I made an excellent negotiator, and I know you're thinking 'excellent spy' if you don't tell me. But to survive, it's better to find someone to rely on than to fight alone." Khadgar really had no position to point at her. He remembered that he was Medivh's apprentice, but he was still entangled with the Kirin Tor.He said, "So which chief are you representing now?" Garona let out a twisted toothy smile: "What would you say if I told you I represented the mighty Gizborah? What would you say if I said I was Morgax the Gray or Hikapik the Blood Come spy. What can you explain?" "Might as well explain something," Khadgar said. "No wonder," Garona said, "I made up these names on the spur of the moment. And for now, the name of the person who really sent me here is meaningless to you. In the same way, Grandpa and King Lane The friendship between us chieftains is also meaningless to us chiefs. And the name Lothar is just a spell that the human peasants we met on our journey often chanted. Before we coexist peacefully, before we start negotiations Before that, we have to get to know you better." "That's why you're here." Garona sighed: "So I beg you not to bother me anymore, especially when I talk to the old man, I will miss the main points of what he said." Khadgar was silent for a moment.Garona opened the book again, returning to the page she was looking at earlier. "Of course, that's a matter for both parties," Khadgar said suddenly, and Garona closed the book again angrily. "I mean, if we and the orcs don't want to just communicate in terms of war, we need to understand you too. If you really want a peaceful settlement." Garona glanced at Khadgar, and the young mage thought she was about to pounce on him and strangle him.But she pricked up her ears and said, "Wait, what's that?" Khadgar's hearing wasn't that good, but he already felt something was wrong.The surrounding atmosphere suddenly changed.It seemed that somewhere he couldn't see, a certain window was suddenly opened by someone.A warm current filled the tower, and the breeze stirred up the dust in the room. Khadgar said: "There seems to be something..." Garona said, "I hear..." Now Khadgar could hear it too, the sound of iron claws hitting the stone bricks, the warm current had turned into a violent hot wind, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. The giant beast walked slowly into the library. Its body is made of shadows and flames, and its pitch-black skin can't hide the raging flames inside.His face was like a wolf's, and a pair of horns protruded from his forehead, shining ebony.It looks like an animal that can walk upright, but it crawls on all fours, scraping the stone bricks of the ground with its long front claws. "That's..." Garona trembled. "Demon," Khadgar said in a choked voice, stood up, and stepped back behind the table. "One of your servants says visions are common here. Ghosts or something. Is this one too?" She stood up too. Apparently not, since visions tend to completely change the surrounding environment, transporting you to another scene, but Khadgar has no time to explain and simply shakes his head. The giant beast crawled in the hallway, sniffing the surrounding air vigorously.The eyes erupted with scorching flames.Is it blind?Can the target be identified only by smell?Or did it smell something new, something it didn't expect? Khadgar tried to focus his will to muster energy.But the fear in his heart made his mind go blank.The behemoth circled in circles, continuing to sniff the air until it was on the two of them. "Go up there," Khadgar said softly, "we have to ask Medivh for help." He couldn't take his eyes off the monster.Garona nodded at the edge of his field of vision, her eyes also fixed on the monster.Beads of sweat were already on her forehead, streaming down her long neck.She moved cautiously aside. But she only moved a little, and everything happened in a blink of an eye.The monster arched its body and flew towards her.Khadgar's head suddenly became clear, and he gathered the surrounding magic to himself with extremely high efficiency, then raised his right hand, and stuffed an energy ball into the monster's chest.The ball of light tore through its chest cavity, pierced through its back, and brought out a large piece of burning flesh and blood in its body.But this didn't hinder the monster's actions even the slightest bit. It jumped onto the desk, digging its claws deep into the hard wood, and jumped up again, this time targeting Khadgar.Khadgar was stunned for a second, and a second was enough for the crooked-hoofed demon to get close to him. Suddenly someone grabbed him and pulled him out of the demon's range.At the same time he smelled cinnamon, and heard a muffled curse.The monster fell to the position before the apprentice and let out a miserable scream.A large twisted crack appeared on the left side of its body, continuously spraying burning blood. Garona let go of Khadgar's grip (fragile, human hand, but strong enough to crush his lungs).A long-bladed dagger that appeared in the other hand at unknown time has been dyed blood red by the blow just now.Khadgar had no idea where she had hidden the dagger during the argument with her. The monster rolled on the ground in pain, still clumsily trying to make another attack.Its iron claws stretched out towards Khadgar, eyes and mouth belching blazing flames.Khadgar dodged and touched the thick red book—"Kings of Azeroth".He flung it in the monster's face, then dodged again.The monster missed its mark, passed him, and landed by the door.It let out a disgusting groan, and shook its head violently to get rid of the thick book.Khadgar noticed that it also had an extra line of burning blood on its right side.It seems that Garona has made another move. "Find Medivh!" Khadgar yelled. "I'll lure him away from the door." "What if it targets me?" Garona replied, and for the first time Khadgar heard a shudder of fear in her voice. "No," Khadgar pretended to be calm, "it is designed to hunt mages." "What about you……" "Go!" Khadgar said. Khadgar broke to the left, and just as he had feared, the daemon clung to him.Garona didn't take the opportunity to rush out of the door, but instead ran to the right and climbed onto the farthest bookshelf. "Go to Medivh!" Khadgar yelled, bumping into a bookshelf as he ran. "No time," Garona replied as she crawled. "See if you can use the bookshelf to delay it." Khadga wandered among the rows of bookshelves, playing hide-and-seek with the monster.The demon also jumped over the desk, shuttled between the rows of bookshelves, among the books of history and geography, and began to search for targets.In the shadows of the rows of bookshelves, its eyes and mouth, belching blinding flames, stand out more prominently, and several wounds emit acrid smoke. Khadgar concentrated, forgetting his fear for a moment, and shot a ball of energy.A fireball or lightning strike might be more effective, but it would damage his book. The ball of light embedded itself in the monster's face, causing it to stagger back a few steps.It gave a strange cry and continued on its way. He ritualistically repeated the actions just now—concentrating, overcoming fear, raising his right hand, and chanting the mantra.Another ball of light hit its black horns and bounced towards the ceiling.The monster paused slightly, but then a distorted smile filled with flames seemed to appear on its face. Khadgar tried to cast the spell again, but the monster was already close, its face flashed, but it did nothing but a happy expression on its face.Khadgar could smell its sour, burning flesh, and hear the gurgle deep in the monster's throat—was it laughing? "Get ready to run!" Garona's voice appeared on the upper right. "What do you want..." Khadgar asked, but he was ready. "Run!" she yelled, and jumped away.It turned out that she had just climbed to the top of several bookshelves and knocked them down one by one, making the rows of bookshelves into giant dominoes.A thunderous bang echoed in the library, and the bookshelves fell one by one, crushing everything in their path, and the books on the shelves were scattered everywhere. The last bookshelf slammed into the wall and shattered, the impact driving the monster into the ground.Garona slid slowly to the ground, relying on the cushion of her long-bladed dagger.She tried to find someone in the thick smoke. "Khadgar?" she called. "Here," the Apprentice's Path clings to the back wall, where the base of the wrought-iron platform supporting the upper storey of the library lies.His face was unusually pale even from a human perspective. "Did we get rid of it?" She was still half-squatting, in case the monster suddenly pounced again. Khadgar pointed to the wood chips that had been the last shelves a few seconds ago.The entire lower library is now a ruin of broken shelves and the remains of books.A torn arm of muscle protruded from the battered corpse, made of murky flames and twisted shadows, mere yards from Khadgar's hideout.Its iron claws have been stained with rust, and burning blood has already pooled on the floor. "It's done." Garona said, slowly inserting the dagger back into the scabbard under her boots. "You should have listened to me just now," Khadgar coughed a few times in the smoke, "you should go to Medivh." "If that's the case, you'll be torn to shreds before I finish two flights of stairs," said the half-orc. "Then I won't be able to explain it to the old man." Khadgar nodded, and frowned again because of a question: "Astral Mage, did he hear the noise from here?" Garona nodded in agreement: "He should have come this way. The noise we make is enough to startle the dead." "No!" Khadgar said, and he rushed to the library to find his way out. "Maybe more than one demon has come in, hurry up!" Garona didn't have time to think about it, she pulled out her dagger, and followed the humans out of the room. They found Medivh in the laboratory, exactly the same as when Khadgar had left the place an hour earlier, sitting on the same bench.There was a hammer on the corner of the table, but the pure gold astrolabe in his hand was broken into several distorted pieces. Medivh had just started fiddling with the thing when Khadgar rushed in, and Garona followed.The young apprentice was very confused, could it be that Medivh had been dozing off just now? "Teacher! A demon appeared in the tower!" He blurted out. "Devil? Here it comes again." Medivh rubbed his eyes with his palm. "Last time it was an orc, but this time it was a demon." "Your student is not lying," Garona said, "I was attacked in the library with him just now. It is a big monster, it looks savage, but it is very cunning. Its body is made of flames and shadows, with wounds There will be fire and smoke." "Probably an illusion," Medivh said, turning back to work.He held up a fragment of the astrolabe and looked at it carefully, as if it was the first time he saw such a thing. "Phantoms often appear here. I think Moros should have told you." "That is no illusion, Master," Khadgar said. "It's a demon, the kind you killed in Stormwind Fortress. They not only broke into the tower through the protective barrier, but also attacked us." Medivh frowned his gray eyebrows, showing a suspicious look: "Is there a demon that can pass through my barrier? Just kidding." He closed his eyes and made a few handprints, "No way. Everything is normal. The guardian runes are all It's working fine. You're here. Cook is in the kitchen, and Moroes is in the hall outside the library." Khadgar and Garona exchanged glances.Khadgar said, "You'd better come and have a look, sir." "Is it necessary?" Medivh said, "I have other troublesome things to consider, at least those things are true." "Come and see," Khadgar insisted. "We preliminarily believe that the monster is dead," Garona said, "but we can't make fun of your servant's life." Medivh looked at the rotten astrolabe, shook his head, and put it on the table.He seemed to have lost faith in it. "Okay. I'll go and have a look. Such a fuss is not the mentality that an apprentice should have." When they got to the library, Moroes was already there, with a dustpan and broom in hand, visually inspecting the extent of the damage.He looked at the two mages and a half-orc who walked in, his eyes were a little blurred. "Congratulations," Medivh frowned deeply, carving out dimples on his face, "I guess it's more messy than when you first came here. At least I still had bookshelves back then .Where are you talking about demons?" Khadgar walked to the location of the demon's body, but found that there was only a fallen bookshelf embedded in the ground, and there was no body.Not even the blood was gone. "The one that was here just now," Garona was as dumbfounded as Khadgar, "it rushed in and attacked us." She grabbed the edge of the bookshelf and tried to lift it, but the big piece of wood was too much for her. too heavy.She tried it for a while and said, "We all saw it." "What you saw was a vision," Medivh said sternly. "Didn't Moroes tell you both?" "Say it," Moros confirmed, "I absolutely said it." He put his hand on the blindfold to strengthen his persuasiveness. "Master, it did attack us," Khadgar said. "I wounded it with my magic. The messenger also slashed it twice." "Hmph," the astral mage said disapprovingly, "it's probably because you overreacted when you saw the vision, and as a result made a mess in the room. There are new scratches on the desk. Was it made by that demon?" "Its claws are made of iron," Khadgar said. "Maybe it was caused by your energy ball, throwing it around like a crowd of people's heads in the city fair of Stormwind?" Medivh shook his head. "When my dagger cut into its body, it clearly felt hard and leathery," Garona said. "Obviously stuck in a book," said the Astral Mage. "If there is a demon here, its body must still be there. Unless someone cleans it up. Moros, is that you? Don't tell me about your dustpan." There just happened to be a demon in there." "Don't think so," said the old housekeeper, "I'll check it out again." "Don't worry, of course I won't doubt you, give your tools to these two brats." Medivh turned to the young mage and the half-orc, "I hope you can get along well. Well, let's clean this book together Let’s start. Young trust, you have lived up to your name, you have to know that you will have to pay back sooner or later.” Garona still didn't give up: "But I saw—" "What you see is a phantom," Medivh interrupted her with absolute majesty, his eyebrows furrowed. "What you see is nothing but something from another time and space. It can't hurt you. It can't and doesn't hurt at all. To you. Your friend here," he turned to Khadgar, "keeps saying he's seen this demon and that, and it turns out they don't exist. It annoys me. You guys better learn to ignore while you're cleaning Anything weird. Leave me alone until the job is done." He left after saying this.Molos followed, putting down his dustpan and broom. Khadgar looked around at the horror inside the house.The role of a broom here is ridiculous.All the bookshelves were overturned, and two of them were completely broken. The volumes were thrown on the ground, and the proportion of broken spines and torn covers also increased. "If only this were an illusion lost in time, too." "It's not hallucinations that are attacking us," Garona said unhappily. "I know," Khadgar said. "Then why can't he see it?" asked the Orc. "I don't know," said the apprentice, "and I'm afraid of the answer."