Inside the dark and narrow Secret Passage, the Lich Herkula moved swiftly like a ghost, with Thrall following behind, panting heavily.
Sharp stones littered the ground, thorny vines covered the walls, Thrall had lost his shoes, his feet were bleeding, and his body was covered in scratches.
He didn't know how long he had been running, but Thrall felt dizzy and saw stars before his eyes.
Herkula finally stopped and climbed out of the Secret Passage using the ladder.
This is a small village near Southshore. The quiet village resembles a crouching giant beast, with countless stars shining in the sky.
"It's alright, we escaped."
Herkula beamed with joy as he helped the nearly exhausted Thrall to his feet.
"No matter how sophisticated the magic, it can't compare to the simplest Secret Passage."
Thrall was too exhausted to speak and lay stiffly on the ground.
"Thrall, you can't rest, we're not out of danger yet."
Herkula opened a Portal, grabbed Thrall without a word, and entered the Portal.
Thrall felt dizzy and looked up at the stars in the sky. It took him a long time to regain his strength.
All around are ruins; the once magnificent palace is now just rubble, a testament to its past glory.
"Where is this place?" Thrall asked weakly.
Herkula sat on the rock and said with emotion, "This is my hometown, the capital of the Kingdom of Alterac."
"What, your hometown?" Thrall asked, looking surprised.
Herkula turned her head and said sadly:
"I was born into the royal family of Alterac, but that's all in the past. These are all Orcs."
"You hate Orcs?" Thrall asked.
Herkula's gaze turned cold, and he said in a chilling tone, "I hate the Orcs, but I hate King Terenas even more. When the Orcs were at the height of their power, all Seven Kingdoms, including Lordaeron, secretly colluded with Orcs, but only we in Alterac were punished."
Thrall also sat on a rock, silent.
Herkula's voice trembled. "My master wanted to kill all the Orcs, and I vehemently opposed it, wanting Terenas to taste the bitter fruit of the Orcs' fate. Haha, I got my wish! Lordaeron is finished, Terenas became the Lich King, and now it's the Orcs' turn."
Thrall rubbed his nose and said with difficulty, "Hatred is endless; what you need is to let go."
"Lay down?"
Herkula retorted, "When will the Orcs stop eating people?"
"That's in the Orcs' nature." Thrall shook his head. "It's unfair to change the nature of a race."
"Don't lecture me, Thrall. Remember, without the help of you and me, you would have struggled to survive in the Eastern Kingdoms."
Herkula walked through the rubble, Thrall hesitated for a moment before obediently following behind.
Herkula stopped in front of a broken stone tablet and activated a mechanism beneath it.
Secret Passage entrance appeared beneath the stone tablet. Herkula leaned in and crawled inside, with Thrall following closely behind.
"This is the headquarters of the Royal Magic Association of the Kingdom of Alterac, an institution that researches secret magic. If we give ourselves a little more time, we can surpass Dalaran."
This underground magical sanctuary has become a ruin, with towering stone pillars leaning and traces of rampant magic everywhere, faintly exuding an aura of Fel.
"In order to conquer the headquarters of the Royal Magic Association, Medivh summoned Demons from the Burning Legion."
Herkula's gaze was cold as she skillfully moved through the gaps.
"Medivh was intelligent his whole life, but unfortunately he overlooked one of the most important things."
As if wandering through a maze, Thrall had long forgotten the way he came.
Herkula stopped in front of a Demons statue with two horns on its head and a pair of huge black membranous wings on its back.
"The statue of Sargeras," Herkula chuckled. "Knowing that the Burning Legion had invaded, we hid our most important possession inside the Statue of Sargeras. Sure enough, the Demons kept their distance, and Medivh didn't dare approach either."
"What's hidden inside?" Thrall asked.
Herkula said mysteriously, "A source of magic similar to the Sunwell."
"What?" Thrall was taken aback.
The Sunwell is of paramount importance to the High Elves; it is arguably the guarantee that allows them to establish themselves in the Eastern Kingdoms.
The Kingdom of Alterac possessed such an important treasure; no wonder it was hated and suffered the calamity of national destruction.
Herkula knelt before the Statue of Sargeras, praying devoutly:
"Supreme, ancient beyond time itself, I beg you to guide my lost people and lead them to the path of the future."
Rumble.
A sound like thunder and lightning came from the ground, and the dilapidated underground ruins shook continuously.
Herkula jumped to his feet. "Oh no, it's Medivh!"
"Medivh?" Thrall trembled, his voice trembling with fear, "Didn't you say we were safe?"
Herkula looked alarmed. "Medivh couldn't have found this place unless he was tracking one of us."
Thrall said, sounding aggrieved, "It couldn't be me."
Herkula's eyes, sharp as Lightning, scanned Thrall's entire body, and removed a button from his undergarments.
"Thrall, I remember telling you to burn all your clothes, so why is this button still here?"
Thrall blinked and explained, "I burned all my clothes, but I was a bit cold, so I kept this shirt."
Herkula sighed, crushed the button, revealing an exquisite Rune.
"That's what attracted Medivh; we're being followed."
Thrall's eyes widened. "What do we do? Oh, right, Herkula, I heard you once escaped from Medivh."
Herkula pulled out a beacon, crushed it, and said with a wry smile, "Thrall, do you want to know how I escaped from Medivh?"
Before Thrall could react, Herkula grabbed Thrall's hand and quickly traversed the ruins.
"Medivh doesn't know our exact location yet. We need to use detection magic to scan the entire ruins, but Medivh has a weakness: he's a germaphobe."
"Obsessive-compulsive disorder?"
Thrall, recalling Medivh's daily life, nodded in approval.
Medivh hates humans, especially feces. Medivh is half Lich and does not have the ability to excrete.
As Herkula spoke, he pulled Thrall into a deep pit.
An unbearable stench assaulted their senses as the two fell into the cesspool.
"Medivh's scouting magic will surely avoid the cesspool; this is our only hope for survival."
Herkula, already Lich, was unaffected by the cesspool and naturally crawled into it.
Thrall was so overwhelmed by the fumes that he dared not expose his head and could only use Underwater Breathing Spell to protect himself.
From within the cesspool, Herkula's faint voice reached Thrall's ears:
"Last time, I hid in a cesspool to escape Medivh's pursuit. I always felt very dirty, so I abandoned my flesh and blood and became Lich."
Thrall cried out in grievance, "I've enjoyed wealth and luxury in my life, and I've also suffered a lot, including being shattered to pieces, but I've never felt so humiliated."
Herkula laughed, "Thrall, this is just the beginning. From now on, you'll live like a maggot by a cesspool, constantly dodging Medivh's pursuit."
"I've had enough, I've really had enough."
Suddenly, another immense power surged forth, and an Archmage of comparable stature to Medivh was approaching.
Herkula exclaimed with delight, "My mentor Kel'Thuzad received the signal and is here! Great, we're safe!"