Zul'Gurub.
The dilapidated walls and ruins, the desolate wasteland, and the countless skeletons evoke a sense of sorrow and lamentation.
Just a few years ago, this was a thriving imperial capital, the hope for the revival of the ancient Troll Empire Gurubashi.
The Hexxer Jin'do, now known as Yeh'kinya, gazed at the desolate, dilapidated, moss-covered buildings and couldn't help but reveal a sorrowful expression as he poured out his heart to everyone.
"Zul'Gurub, the jewel in the crown of the Trolls, Bloodscalp, Gurubashi, Shattered Spear, Atal'ai, Skullsplitter, and other sacred sites recognized by the Jungle Trolls. Thousands of years ago, Hakkari Priests were performing a ritual to welcome the arrival of Hakkar the Soulflayer. The ritual was interrupted, and countless tentacles appeared around Zul'Gurub, sealing the entire city."
"Old Gods?" Dasa suddenly had a sense of familiarity.
Yeh'kinya asked in confusion:
"I don't know why the Old Gods sealed this city. At that time, the Gurubashi Empire was in a state of civil war. A group of fanatical Atal'ai Priests summoned Hakkar the Soulflayer in order to win the war. No one expected the Old Gods to suddenly intervene."
Dasa said coldly, "It's probably out of fear of Hakkar, worried that he'll get involved in the struggle for Azeroth."
Yeh'kinya shook his head. "It's strange, but many years ago, through the Naga, I received a message from the Old Gods N'Zoth that the Old Gods would no longer prevent Hakkar's descent. I was overjoyed and began preparing to revive the Gurubashi Empire. My ancestors once controlled a treasury within the empire, so I have enough gold to hire adventurers."
Dasa responded with silence, finding the Old Gods's attitude unbelievable.
Yeh'kinya stroked the knife marks on the railing, took a deep breath, and said:
"The Old Gods kept their promise; the seal that shrouded Zul'Gurub has vanished, and the Atal'ai Priests are willing to return. Although there were problems summoning Hakkar the Soulflayer, and he only agreed to send one avatar, it's already more than satisfactory. We have many Loa, our people are united, and the empire's revival is just around the corner."
Yeh'kinya's nose tingled, and she said with a wronged expression:
"I don't know what happened. First, more and more adventurers infiltrated, killing and robbing, disrupting our great cause. Then, the Alliance and the Horde raised the banner of 'Justice' and completely destroyed this city in its revival."
Recalling all the injustices he had suffered and the countless tragedies that had befallen the city, Yeh'kinya roared hoarsely:
"We just wanted to live peaceful lives, and we never intended to harm anyone's interests. Why have we become the common enemy of the Alliance and the Horde? Our Priests have been slaughtered, our civilians have been plundered, sold into slavery, or turned into Tough Jerky. Our ancestors in the cities have not found peace either; their bones have been scattered everywhere. To this day, I still do not understand why."
Dasa patted Yeh'kinya on the shoulder sympathetically:
"I suspect there's a huge conspiracy behind this, Thrall. What do you have to say?"
Dasa noticed that Thrall's expression was strange and asked curiously.
Thrall smiled mysteriously, "Yeh'kinya, your defeat was all because of a Darkspear Trolls, Vol'jin."
"What does this have to do with Vol'jin?" Yeh'kinya asked, puzzled.
Thrall blinked and gave a wicked smile:
"As you all know, Vol'jin is my most trusted subordinate. When Zul'Gurub was unsealed and brought back to life, it sent me many gifts. I originally intended to welcome you into the Horde. Vol'jin told me that Zul'Gurub had an ancestral recipe that could cure my hidden ailment."
Yeh'kinya thought about it carefully for a while, then nodded and said:
"Yes, I remember now. High Priest Venoxis reported this to me, and I ordered all the recipes and precious herbs in the vault to be collected, packed up, and sent to Orgrimmar."
"You mean all the formulas and herbs?"
Thrall's eyes widened in anger, and he said furiously:
"Damn Vol'jin! He only gave me one recipe. How many good things has that shameless bastard been hiding behind my back? I'll definitely settle the score with him."
After cursing Vol'jin, Thrall continued:
"Following the recipe, I sent a large army on an expedition to the Hinterlands, defeated the Spider God of the Witherbark Trolls, and concocted the potion. It nearly poisoned me to death. Vol'jin told me that the recipe must have been wrong; it wasn't the Spider God of the Witherbark Trolls, but rather the spider transformed from the high Priest Mar'li. Therefore, I incited a large group of adventurers to attack Zul'Gurub."
Yeh'kinya stared at the culprit before him, asking incredulously:
"Is that why?"
Thrall chuckled coldly, "Vol'jin did a very clever job. He issued the quest through an agent—those Trolls on Yojamba Isle, a bunch of good-for-nothing scoundrels. Vol'jin disguised them as Zandalar high Priests, so nobody knows this has anything to do with me."
Yeh'kinya was so angry that the veins on his forehead bulged. Who could have imagined that the revival of the Gurubashi Empire would be halted because of Thrall's medicine?
"Are those medicines effective?" Hagara the Stormbinder, asked curiously.
Thrall was so angry he almost jumped up, his face turning ashen as he said:
"The adventurers couldn't conquer Zul'Gurub, so I found Jaina. Together with the Alliance and Horde armies, we successfully killed High Priest Mar'li and brought back his head. To cover our tracks, we also killed all the other Priests. I took some concocted medicine, and I was in excruciating pain all over my body, screaming in agony for seven days and seven nights. It left me with lasting health problems; my hair started falling out, and my teeth gradually loosened. Look at these two fangs of mine—they're fake. It's all Vol'jin's fault."
Having figured out the whole story, Yeh'kinya nearly fainted, gritting his teeth as he said, "Thrall, so you're the true enemy of the Gurubashi Empire."
Thrall retorted angrily, "What does this have to do with me? Your medicine is completely ineffective! It's all Vol'jin's fault! Don't forget, I am the only hope for the revival of the Troll race!"
Dasa stepped in to smooth things over:
"Alright, stop arguing. Let bygones be bygones. Yeh'kinya, you're not mature enough. A true king doesn't care about past grievances. We're allies now. Do you really want to end the revival of the ancient Troll Empire because of past defeats?"
Yeh'kinya forcibly Pain Suppression his anger and said helplessly:
"Alright, let bygones be bygones. I'll settle this score with Vol'jin. Follow me, everyone. Only in Zul'Gurub can you summon Hakkar the Soulflayer."
At the Hakkar Altar in the very center of the city, Yeh'kinya knelt devoutly on the ground, took out a Hakkar's Egg, bit his finger, and used his blood to draw strange symbols on the egg.
The soul of a Wind Serpent appeared above Hakkar's Egg, then was stained red with blood.
Yeh'kinya muttered incantations, and a strange full moon appeared at the top of the Altar. Then, the phantom of Hakkar the Soulflayer appeared above the full moon, spreading a pair of beautiful wings, his serpentine body undulating, staring at Yeh'kinya before him.
"Yeh'kinya, do you hate me?"
Hakkar said quietly:
"When the city fell, despite your desperate pleas, my true form refused to descend into this world, watching helplessly as you faced the armies of the Alliance and the Horde alone."
Yeh'kinya said painfully:
"I am still alive, and there is still hope for the Empire's revival. Great Hakkar the Soulflayer, you paid the price with an avatar. Our deal was fair. Now I only want to know one thing, and I am willing to pay any price."