Look who this is!
Magatha Wildtotem walked over step by step, looking at Cairne Bloodhoof with a mocking gaze.
"You, favored by the Orcs, are suffering such torment. You betrayed countless of your own kind to Thrall, and what did you get in return?"
Cairne looked at Magatha with difficulty, his eyes full of pleading. Magatha's fierce gaze gradually softened, revealing Mercy, and she came to Cairne's side to help him heal.
She was the most powerful Shaman among the Tauren, deeply trusted by the elementals, and Cairne's injuries were quickly relieved.
Cairne looked at Magatha gratefully and smiled, "Although our ideologies differ, I know that as long as I send the signal, you will definitely come to help me."
Magatha scoffed, "Cairne, this Destiny should be mine to bear, why you?"
Kane smiled honestly:
"One actively sided with the Orcs, sparing no expense to curry favor with Thrall; the other secretly amassed strength to rebel, waiting for the opportune moment. Regardless of which side wins, the Tauren of Thunder Bluff will continue. You've been too reckless; only I'm suited for this role."
Magatha frowned and rebuked sharply:
"Cairne Bloodhoof, I warned you long ago that your decision was wrong. The survival of a race is not child's play. Hedging your bets never ends well. Look at that filthy, lowly Centaur tribe. They refused to join the Horde, and they're still thriving."
Cairne lowered his head and smiled bitterly, "Now that things have come to this, is there any point in arguing about right and wrong?"
Magatha refused to give up; she knew Cairne all too well, and warned him coldly:
"Cairne, don't think I don't know what you're thinking. Of all your father's children, you are the most ambitious. I thought you would bring hope to the Tauren race, and I was willing to shed blood to help you ascend to the chieftainship. But your ambition has been misplaced. You expect to gain transcendence from Thrall, even immortality, and to remain the Tauren Chieftain forever."
Cairne listened attentively, like a student receiving a lesson:
"Yes, I do have that ambition, you know? I long to become Shaman like you, to gain extraordinary power, instead of fighting with my bare body. Unfortunately, I don't have that talent. I was unwilling to accept this, so I joined Thrall, but what did I get in return? Only endless regret. I sacrificed everything, but gained nothing."
Magatha sighed with worry, "You keep compromising with the Orcs and catering to Thrall's unreasonable demands. I'm afraid you won't be able to withstand the pressure and will collapse, your heart sinking into darkness."
Cairne shook his head with a wry smile, "Perhaps, but I have no future. I betrayed five thousand Tauren for Thrall's Ascension Ritual, Garrosh won't let me off the hook."
Magatha looked at Cairne in surprise and asked sadly, "You're ready?"
Cairne nodded, chuckled self-deprecatingly, and said:
"I have no choice. My ambition has failed, and I have to bear the consequences. The last batch of selected elite calves has been sent to Grimtotem. They are the future of the Tauren. I really don't know if Thunder Bluff will have a tomorrow."
Magatha turned his back, feigning ferocity, and said menacingly, "Go, go. You have to pay the price for your mistakes."
Cairne bowed respectfully to Magatha, his senior and mentor.
After Cairne left, Magatha watched the sunset over Mount Hyjal in silence, remaining motionless for a long time.
Cairne returned to Thunder Bluff alone and took the escalator up to the high ground.
Thunder Bluff was eerily Anjing. The merchants and pedestrians on the high ground had vanished, and even the Guards were nowhere to be seen. A faint smell of blood lingered in the air.
Cairne bit his lip, straightened his horns, and walked toward the Warchief's tent.
A figure sat on the chieftain's throne; it was Garrosh Hellscream, stroking his sharp Gorehowl. Seeing Cairne enter, Garrosh grinned.
"Oh! Oh! Our valiant Warchief has returned! I heard you attended Thrall's wedding at Mount Hyjal and helped Thrall complete his Ascension Ritual. The great Savior must have rewarded you handsomely. Has Thrall relinquished his position Horde Warchief to you? Should I roll off my throne and kneel on the ground to beg for your forgiveness?"
A large horde of elite Orcs surged forward, surrounding Cairne. Cairne laid down his weapons, knelt on the ground, and pleaded:
"Warchief Garrosh, you know I have no choice. Please give me a chance to pledge my allegiance. I swear, the Tauren of Mulgore will forever be loyal to the Orcs."
Garrosh jumped up in a rage, punching Cairne in the face and snarling:
"Opportunity, huh? Thrall has completed his Ascension Ritual and obtained Archimonde's Power of Destruction. I'm the one kneeling on the ground begging for my life right now. Cairne Bloodhoof, since you chose to help Thrall, you must pay the price. You're old; it's time for the Tauren to have a new chieftain."
Cairne closed his eyes resignedly. He knew Garrosh had made up his mind. He said helplessly, "Warchief, I only ask for a dignified death. To die on the battlefield is the honor of a Tauren chieftain. I do not want to die cowardly and be cursed as a coward by future generations."
Garrosh smiled slightly, paused for a moment, and then revealed a playful smile:
"Very well, Cairne Bloodhoof. I've heard that you killed all your brothers and sisters to ascend to the chieftain's throne. Now I'll give you a choice."
Garrosh paced a few steps inside the main tent, then hatched a treacherous plan:
"Either you die a humiliating death, condemned by posterity as an incompetent coward; or you sacrifice your children, and I will stew them into a large pot of beef soup, so that all the Orcs of Orgrimmar may have a chance to taste it, and you will win a duel with me."
"A duel?" Cairne's expression shifted slightly.
Garrosh grinned menacingly, "You will die in the arena like a warrior. I will personally cut off your head and then devour you in front of everyone, just like a warrior would."
"Alright, I choose to duel."
Cairne answered readily without hesitation, much to Garrosh's surprise.
"Interesting!" Garrosh was unusually serious. "Cairne, it seems I underestimated you. Your ruthlessness is no less than Thrall's, but unfortunately, you won't have the chance."
The news that Cairne Bloodhoof was about to duel Garrosh, the Horde of the Warchief, spread like wildfire throughout Azeroth.
People speculated about the reason for the duel, the most plausible explanation being that Cairne Bloodhoof and Garrosh disagreed on their opinions regarding the Night Elves.
"This is just a normal duel, a test of strength according to ancient Orcs custom. Everyone knows that Cairne Bloodhoof and Warchief Garrosh are inseparable, brothers who will fight to the death. No one will be harmed in this duel."
Newspapers from Booty Bay, Gadgetzan, and Ratchet all published similar reports.
The people of Azeroth are accustomed to judging the leaders of the Horde by their goodwill, stubbornly believing that they are a group of virtuous saints, and that there is only trust and laughter between them.
Unlike the common people, the Horde's leaders realized that this was a crisis, but also a golden opportunity, Sylvanas rushed to Orgrimmar immediately.