Stratholme Dock.
The midday sun was scorching, and the dry ground steamed with heat, making it feel like an oven.
Lucas gritted his teeth, hoisted the cargo which was taller than him, and desperately made his way to the cargo ship.
This is vital military funding, intended for use in launching a war against Kalimdor.
Since becoming slaves, the young men who followed Lucas were generally dissatisfied, believing that Lucas was responsible for their downfall.
Lucas earnestly persuaded him that serving the Orcs was equivalent to fighting for Azeroth, a great honor that should be celebrated.
Unfortunately, no one listened, and as a result, Lucas was bullied.
The work that originally required ten people is now all on his shoulders. Since he is happy to serve the Orcs, Lucas should take on more work.
Unfortunately, the work of slaves was already arduous; the work of ten people was equivalent to the workload of a dock Construct in a day, which Lucas could not complete even with his best efforts.
After taking a few steps forward, Lucas suddenly stumbled, his vision went black, and he fell to the ground, scattering his goods all over the place.
The overseer strode over like a menacing demon and raised his leather whip to lash Lucas mercilessly.
Before long, Lucas was whipped into a bloody mess, covered in blood, and unable to stand up.
"Trash doesn't deserve to live in this world. Send it to the kitchen and get ready to eat it," said a Lightforging Orcs.
Several Lightforging Orcs lifted Lucas and carried him toward the kitchen not far away.
In a daze, Lucas was in a very bad mood.
"What's wrong with this world? Serving the Orcs is a noble act; they are so kind and compassionate."
"Kindness and compassion?"
Yes, he had believed since childhood that Orcs were kind and benevolent, but after seeing Orcs, not a single Orcs treated him like a human being; he only received contempt and torture.
"Could it be that the principles I hold are wrong?"
Lucas's resolve began to waver.
The sound of sharpening knives reached my ears, and the water in a large pot nearby was boiling hot.
Many of the slaves couldn't hold out and were eaten by the Orcs; after all, even Flesh-Eternal the Tirion Fordring would get tired of eating too much.
A voice rang in Lucas's ear. "Being eaten by Orcs is a great honor. Are you willing to accept this honor?"
Lucas's eyes were bloodshot and he couldn't make out who was speaking in his ear. He murmured, "I don't want to die."
The voice continued, "The Orcs fight for Azeroth. Being eaten by the Orcs is Consecration. Why are you resisting?"
"Lies, all lies," Lucas mumbled incoherently.
"It seems he has come to his senses," a voice said.
"This Lucas is still somewhat useful; we can't let him die like this," another voice replied.
Lucas, barely managing to muster his strength, recognized the two voices. They were the only two Pandaren among the slaves, who had earned a job as Chef because of their exceptional culinary skills.
"Save me," Lucas struggled to say; he didn't want to die.
The Pandaren hid Lucas under the chopping board and took out another slave corpse that had been prepared beforehand to process.
Lucas appeared to be covered in blood, but they were all superficial wounds. The two Pandaren applied ointment to him, and after three days, the scabs formed, and he was able to sit up and drink soup.
Taking advantage of a moment of free time, Chen Stormstout, whispered to Lucas:
"Lucas, to tell you the truth, we're planning to run away."
"What, escape?" Since becoming a slave, Lucas had never thought of that word.
Taran Zhu said with a grave expression, "We've only been at the dock for less than half a month, and of the more than two hundred people, less than fifty are still alive. If this continues, we'll all die."
Lucas asked in bewilderment, "Everyone says Orcs are fair and Justice, so why are the Lightforging Orcs we're facing so ferocious?"
Taran Zhu laughed and said, "Orcs have always been like this; you've just been fooled."
"I've been deceived. Who deceived me?" Lucas didn't understand.
"They are the Peace Dove," Taran Zhu explained. "Led by Jaina, they are dedicated to feeding humans to the Orcs and deliberately promoting the Orcs' greatness."
"But isn't Jaina a great hero? My dream girl, how could she lie to me?" Lucas said somewhat embarrassedly.
Chen Stormstout sneered, "Jaina is no hero; she's just a traitor who betrayed her father and her own people."
Lucas shook his head in confusion, unable to understand it at all. Every time people mentioned Jaina, they were full of praise.
Benevolence, justice, beauty, kindness
Lucas wanted to ask something else, Taran Zhu patted him on the shoulder and said:
"Alright, you should rest now. I'll take you with me when we escape. Don't forget our mission: to save the great Tirion Fordring."
"Yes, for the great Tirion Fordring." Lucas finally felt a glimmer of hope, after all, Tirion Fordring was a universally acknowledged hero.
A few days later, Lucas's injury had almost fully recovered.
Chen Stormstout said in a low voice, "Our plan is this: set fire to the east side of the dock to attract the Orcs' attention, while stealing a small boat to the west and hiding it under the cliff not far away."
"What, arson?" Lucas looked horrified.
Taran Zhu smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll take care of setting the fire. It's just that the small boat needs two people to row fast. After that, I'll use my water-skimming ability to catch up with you. We'll be safe once we reach the Ghostlands."
At Midnight, the slaves finished their day's hard work, all exhausted. They had to get up early the next day, so they went to sleep early and slept like logs.
Taran Zhu went alone to set fire to the warehouse on the east side, while Chen Stormstout took Lucas to the west side of the dock, where ships of all sizes were moored.
Lucas followed cautiously behind, only to see Chen Stormstout move nimbly, circle behind a Sentinels, and silently snap his neck.
Another Sentinels noticed something was wrong and tried to make a sound, but he couldn't move because his pressure points had been sealed.
After snapping the Sentinels's neck, Chen Stormstout, whispered, "Come here quickly, what are you waiting for?"
Lucas was terrified; he hadn't expected this Pandaren to be so ferocious.
Chen Stormstout, picked up the two corpses and hid them in a corner. He then used the same method to kill several Sentinels. Under the cover of night, the two unloaded a small boat.
The timing was perfect. Flames shot up from the warehouse on the east side, and the Lightforging Orcs shouted for help to put out the fire. The slaves, who had worked hard all day, were awakened, and chaos erupted at the dock.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Chen Stormstout and Lucas rowed away on the ship. The crew members of the patrolling ships near the dock also joined in the firefighting efforts.
The cliffs in the distance loomed over the sea like giants, casting dark shadows. The two rowed their small boat behind a reef.
Less than half an hour later, Taran Zhu came running through the seawater, nimbly jumped onto the small boat, and hissed:
"Keep your voices down! The Orcs have discovered the missing ships and know someone has escaped. They're searching the seas everywhere."
Chen Stormstout asked curiously, "When did the Orcs' military discipline become so strict?"
Taran Zhu with a grim face, "They are Lightforging Orcs, and I heard their leader is a Draenei."
As they were talking, a small warship slowly approached, carrying about a dozen Lightforging Orcs. Bright Holy Light shone from the ship, illuminating everything around them.
Chen Stormstout took a deep breath, and a shadow fell over the small boat.