Cenarius is, after all, the progenitor of the Druids and one of the Wild Gods of Azeroth. Fandral Staghelm can't just ignore him; he should at least go out and show some concern.
Upon hearing news of Cenarius, Malfurion, who hadn't seen him for many days, saw a glimmer of hope and volunteered to come forward.
"My mentor Cenarius, I witnessed him annihilate tens of thousands of the Burning Legion, and after exhausting himself, he fought Archimonde for three days and three nights before being captured. He must have been Corruption Fel."
Fandral Staghelm chuckled to himself. Apart from his summoned Infernal and Fel Screecher, the Burning Legion's main force numbered only around 30,000. If Cenarius single-handedly wiped out tens of thousands of the Legion soldiers, the Burning Legion would have been destroyed long ago.
The Night Elf generals inside the fortress climbed the city walls, where they saw green Fel clouds covering the sky not far from the entrance. The towering Cenarius was bathed in Fel power, with a pair of bat-like wings sprouting from his back, his body covered in thick, Dark Green scales, and Fel Flames spewing from his mouth and nose.
"Ha! Behold the power the Legion has bestowed upon me! I am ten times stronger than before! Foolish Night Elf race, you are finished! Elune, is an Imp; she has abandoned you. Surrender to the Legion now! On behalf of the Legion, I welcome your humble submission. You will win the same rewards as I have."
Malfurion, tears streaming down his face, said sorrowfully, "My poor mentor, he must have suffered cruel torment. The Legion's power Corruption him, and we must rescue him from the Legion's control."
Fandral Staghelm carefully examined Cenarius. The power of Fel had altered his body, but his mind was clearly clear. Fandral Staghelm didn't believe in any Corruption; it was just an excuse to surrender after defeat.
After reading the report, the Night Elf generals each had their own judgment. Most of the generals shared the same opinion as Fandral Staghelm, but in order to save Cenarius's face and the dignity of the Night Elf race, some things could not be said openly in public.
Cenarius looked up and saw Malfurion on the city wall, an Evil smile creeping across his face:
"Malfurion, my most prized student, don't look at me with those pitiful eyes. I know what you're thinking, trying to uphold the ridiculous dignity of the Druids by claiming I'm under the Legion's control. Wake up! My mind is perfectly clear. Do you really think I would entrust my Destiny to Elune who doesn't care about the lives of Night Elves?"
I merely used her; she was just a stepping stone in my grand scheme. My true target is here: the Burning Legion. This is my destiny. Malfurion, you are laughably foolish. Because of you, Druid magic has stagnated, and for millennia, it has only slept. Come, my student, lead the last of your people to join the Legion!
In that instant, Malfurion was truly moved.
Mount Hyjal has lost a million Night Elves, and its most relied-upon Ancient of War are reduced to only three thousand. The balance of Scales in the war is tilting towards the Burning Legion. As the saying goes, those who know when to yield are the wise, and joining the Legion may not be an unwise choice.
Malfurion thought to himself: I can't make a statement in front of everyone, otherwise I'll be punished by military law by Fandral Staghelm. I can only contact Cenarius in secret and think of a good way.
Although Fandral Staghelm was in charge of military affairs, his seniority among the Druids was not high, and rescuing Cenarius was not a good idea for him. He had to refuse. Fandral Staghelm's eyes darted around, and he said, "Malfurion, my respected mentor, now only your strength can save poor Cenarius."
Malfurion, who was struggling to find a way to approach Cenarius, suddenly brightened up when he heard Fandral Staghelm's request. He deliberately sighed and said, "My mentor has suffered such a calamity, how can I stand idly by? Leave him to me, I will definitely bring him back safely."
Fandral Staghelm was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. His original intention was to make things difficult for Malfurion and make him back down, but he did not expect Malfurion to be willing to challenge Cenarius. Fandral Staghelm knew the strength of his mentor and knew that he was no match for Cenarius.
Malfurion adjusted the antlers on his head and was about to walk out of the fortress gate.
A figure as tall as a mountain appeared behind Cenarius; it was Mannoroth, the Pit Lord. He stared mockingly at the Night Elf generals on the fortress walls and proclaimed:
"Foolish Night Elves? Bless your Demigod Cenarius has become a member of the Legion. Flame, death, destruction—the world will burn in the Legion's wrath, and you will have nowhere to escape."
Upon seeing Mannoroth, the Pit Lord, appear, Malfurion hesitated. With the Legion's commander present, he couldn't secretly contact his mentor. Malfurion closed his eyes and said sorrowfully:
"Elune protect you, my mentor; this is perhaps your tragic Destiny."
Malfurion voluntarily gave up, Fandral Staghelm nodded secretly. This was exactly what he wanted; he didn't want to be blamed for failing to save someone in distress, so it was best for Malfurion to take the responsibility.
Call!
An ominous aura enveloped the World Tree Nordrassil. Fandral Staghelm clearly sensed a suppressed fluctuation in the magical elements in the air, and the originally active elements instantly became stagnant.
A pale purple Arcane sphere, larger than Castle, floated in mid-air. The Fel clouds that shrouded the sky quickly dissipated. Countless Rune chains were wrapped around the Arcane sphere, and a blurry human figure was at the center of the violently swirling chains.
The figure suddenly became clear, and countless Rune chains coiled around Mannoroth like venomous snakes.
Mannoroth struggled violently, but the Rune chains were incredibly tough, tightly binding his limbs, and he couldn't break free no matter what he did. The figure in the center of the Arcane sphere gently raised his left hand and suddenly swung it in one direction.
Mannoroth was as if grabbed by an invisible hand and thrown violently into the distant mountains, crashing into them like a meteorite, creating a huge crater and sending countless dust particles into the air, obscuring the sun.
"Guardian, Medivh." Fandral Staghelm took a deep breath, a sense of foreboding creeping into his heart.
With his vast experience, Fandral Staghelm wouldn't believe the nonsense about being possessed by Sargeras and opening the Dark Portal to lure the Orcs. He knew perfectly well that the Orcs invasion was orchestrated by Medivh.
Medivh's appearance signifies that the situation will become even more complex.
The Rune chains flew out again, ignoring Cenarius's protests, and enveloped Cenarius body. Medivh took a step forward, holding Cenarius aloft as he approached the Night Elf fortress.
After all, Medivh had saved Cenarius in front of everyone, so Fandral Staghelm had no choice but to open his Magic Shield and let Medivh in.
"No, no, let me go! I have pledged allegiance to the Legion! You all must die!" Cenarius struggled violently.
Medivh a sinister smile. His hands moved rapidly, and chains of Runes penetrated Cenarius's body, drawing out countless streams of Fel energy.
With his wings and scales gone, Cenarius returned to normal, collapsing weakly to the ground, panting.
The appearance of Medivh surprised and delighted Malfurion. He was surprised that his hopes of joining the Legion had been dashed, but delighted that the situation had changed and Malfurion and Tyrande might have another chance to regain power.
As Malfurion had predicted, Medivh frowned and asked directly, "Where is Tyrande, the leader of the Night Elves?"
Mannoroth rose from the dust and easily broke free of the Rune chains.
"Medivh is still the same as always, enjoying dabbling in these flashy but impractical magics."