It was already evening, and shadows shrouded the earth. Varian's facial muscles trembled involuntarily, making the scars on his face look somewhat ferocious, like a winding centipede.
Robbie appeared to be blindly leading the horse forward, but he was actually secretly observing the King's expression.
Noticing the King's unusual expression, Robbie drew the High Elf sword Shalamayne, which gleamed brilliantly in the night.
"King Varian, you must be careful. See this sword? You must recognize it. Jaina gave it to me. Well, I admit I tricked and stole it. I'm not some clueless adventurer; I know more than you think. Don't try to fool me with lies."
Upon Robbie's words, Varian's expression immediately fell, unsure of how much inside information Robbie knew.
He originally thought Robbie was like any other adventurer, unaware of the complexities between Stormwind City, Theramore, and Orgrimmar, and only seeing the superficial peace and prosperity.
After a long silence, Varian forced himself to speak:
"I do have some plans, but I cannot reveal them. I am a King, and these matters are of utmost importance; I must keep them secret. However, I can assure you that they are all for the sake of the Alliance. You must release me immediately, or things will escalate."
Robbie chuckled and said, "So, you're not going to tell me? You've given up your chance to persuade me?"
"Adventurer, I know the importance of keeping secrets. This is a matter of life and death for the Alliance. You see, I don't know you." Varian's tone was extremely firm, seemingly leaving no room for negotiation.
"Very interesting, Your King. Truly the wisdom of a king." Robbie chuckled. "You don't want to tell the truth, yet you want me to believe you're doing this for the Alliance. Do you think that's possible?"
"This is unseen wisdom, adventurer," King Varian said solemnly, swearing an oath.
"I swear on the honor of House Wrynn, everything I have said is true. If I am lying, may I be torn to pieces and eaten by a horde of Orcs, and may the lineage of House Wrynn be extinguished."
Robbie stared coldly at Varian, failing to detect the slightest flaw. Indeed, Kings are born actors. "How amusing, Your King. In truth, you overestimate yourself; your oath is worthless."
"But I do believe in intangible wisdom," Robbie added.
Varian's expression was serious, and he almost showed a hint of joy, thinking he had succeeded.
"In my hometown, intangible wisdom is equivalent to deception."
Varian felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.
"You know, Your King, I used to respect you very much. When I was young, the only thing I couldn't understand was why you agreed to build the Orcs internment camp. I thought you were really doing it for the Alliance. Now I understand. Our positions are worlds apart. I don't know you. You really can't trust someone easily before you've seen their true character."
Gazing at the hazy night, the rolling green hills of Stranglethorn Vale appeared and disappeared, as if hidden in the clouds. The roars of wild beasts echoed continuously; it was the time for them to hunt. Robbie remarked with deep feeling:
"I started going on adventures when I was very young. Although I'm not old, my years of experience have convinced me that you should never trust anyone and must always be skeptical, even if you witness something with your own eyes, it could be an illusion."
"So you can't fool me, Your King. And don't worry, I won't kill you. Your Destiny is sealed; killing you is pointless. Once Jaina finds you, I'll let you go. I simply want to save as many people as possible. Life is equal. Although you are the King of Kingdom of Stormwind, you are no more noble than any soldier."
Although Varian couldn't fully understand Robbie's meaning, it at least reassured him a lot.
Robbie led the two horses, walking and stopping intermittently, seemingly circling around in the mountains.
Stranglethorn Vale is full of wild beasts. When Robbie got hungry, he killed a leopard, roasted it, and shared the meat with King Varian.
Not all roasted meat is delicious. With only salt, it's hard to mask the strong smell of blood in the meat. King Varian wouldn't eat such coarse food unless he was starving.
The next day, King Varian fell ill with an unexplained high fever, shivering all over, and alternating chills and fever, like having malaria. He lay on his horse, sometimes delirious and sometimes lucid, suffering terribly.
Robbie roughly guessed what was going on. You can't just eat wild meat. Take last night's leopard meat, for example. Who knows how many parasites were in it? The so-called crispy outside and tender inside after roasting is actually very dangerous. Many parasites are still alive when you swallow it.
If possible, boiling in water is actually a better choice.
Fortunately, Robbie was already used to using Holy Light to enhance his food before eating, so he was completely unharmed.
Robbie didn't bother to treat Varian; the weakened King was easier to control, as long as he didn't die.
Jaina was very troubled.
Jaina had always considered herself a girl who could endure hardship, but just one day and one night of tracking and the difficult wilderness life made her complain endlessly.
I used to be so careful to avoid getting my delicate skin sunburned or scratched, but now I don't care at all. My hair is messy and my face is dirty, but I don't even have time to wash it.
In just one day and one night, she went from being the noble Queen of Theramore to a village girl.
Life in the wild is much tougher than imagined. In comparison, Garona, who has Orcs blood, is much better adapted. Just last night, Garona also learned from Robbie and killed a tiger and roasted it. Jaina enthusiastically Consecration the honey she brought, and they made a delicious honey roast.
The next morning, Garona was perfectly fine, but Jaina, like King Varian, had fallen ill.
Orcs' stomachs are different from humans'. Jaina didn't know what parasites were. She took the potion she had concocted herself, and although she felt much better, her illness didn't improve.
Garona is a skilled Stealth with exceptional tracking abilities, and she had already discovered Robbie's trail.
Unfortunately, with Jaina in such a sick state, the tracking speed was predictably slow. Garona sadly realized that as long as Robbie didn't stop, they would never be able to rescue King Varian.
Robbie's trip was not without purpose. Although he wandered around the Green Hills of Stranglethorn Vale, seemingly going in circles, he was actually scouting. A few days later, Robbie finally got what he wanted: he discovered an Orcs army.
Just as Cho'gall and Thrall had planned, Thrall's loyal confidant, the Orcs Veteran Eitrigg, upon receiving Thrall's personal letter, immediately assembled his Personal Guard. A full thousand Orcs arrived at Grom'gol Base Camp in Stranglethorn Vale by airship and rushed to the designated location without stopping.
Robbie shook the unconscious Varian and pointed to the rolling Orcs Camps. "King Majesty, this is Thrall's Personal Guard led by Eitrigg, proving I haven't lied to you. Of course, I didn't expect to convince you."
Varian forced his eyes open, and as his mind gradually cleared, he remained stubborn:
"Adventurer, this proves nothing. Thrall was captured by Cho'gall, and the Horde sent troops to rescue him. Isn't that normal? All of this was within my expectations. My plan was perfect."
Robbie dismissed the suggestion, waved his hand, and chuckled, saying:
"This is meaningless, King Varian. Our connection ends here. Congratulations, you are free. Jaina and Garona have been following behind; you will see them soon."
Varian was somewhat bewildered. The two had wandered around the Green Hills of Stranglethorn Vale for several days without doing anything, and he didn't understand why Robbie was doing this.
Seeing Robbie leave without looking back, Varian finally felt relieved. However, he knew he had to be careful not to let the Horde find out, or he would really be eaten by a large group of Orcs.
After most of the day had passed, Garona finally found King Varian. A listless Jaina breathed a sigh of relief, opened Portal, and the three of them successfully returned to their camp at the Rotgrass Farm.
After being treated by the army Priest, the Power of the Holy Light killed the parasites in their bodies, and Varian and Jaina quickly recovered. Varian was surprised to find that more than half of the soldiers were missing from the camp.
What happened? Varian couldn't stay calm.
All the adventurers they had painstakingly hired were gone, most of Stormwind City's city guards had deserted, and even many of the loyal private army of the House Wrynn had fled.
"Rumors are spreading," a loyal advisor reported to Varian. "While King Majesty is away, rumors are rife in the camp that King intends to betray us to the Orcs."
This "rumor" was too real. Everyone was already dissatisfied with saving Thrall, and when the news spread that His King was going to betray them, desertions soon broke out.
Even Varian's staff, mostly heartbroken and disappointed, left.
"This is an unforgivable crime," Varian gritted his teeth in hatred, finally understanding Robbie's purpose.
Robbie took Varian for a stroll in Stranglethorn Vale, with Jaina and Garona following behind, resulting in the camp losing its commander. Vanessa took the opportunity to spread rumors.
Innocent soldiers deserve to know, and Robbie and Vanessa gave them a choice.
"These damned deserters! I will catch them all and hang them in Stormwind City! I will find them no matter where they run!" Varian roared furiously.
The aide opened his mouth, hesitated for a long time, and then whispered, "Your King, there's no need to search to the ends of the earth; most of them have fled to the Westfall."
Varian fell silent.
He could hunt down deserters to the ends of the earth, but he could not enter the Westfall.
The Defias Brotherhood, the People's Militia, and the Black Dragon Princess of Stormwind City —they're all in cahoots.
Thinking this, Varian's mind was in complete disarray, and he had a terrible headache. He drew his replica of the Elf sword, gripped the hilt tightly, and pointed it towards the direction of the Vulgol Ogre Mound, his face resolute.
"Prepare for an attack on Cho'gall! Today, I will rescue the great Savior Thrall, for the sake of Azeroth!"