Amani Crypt

The Sunscar Peak mountain range was vast, and few High Elves ever set foot here. Tyrel was somewhat puzzled as to why Dakuro Warfang had brought him here.

Under Dakuro Warfang's practiced guidance, the two traveled through the mountains until, not long after, they reached the depths of the range.

There, Dakuro Warfang found an ancient stone gate. It was covered by surrounding vegetation and hidden in an extremely secluded location. Without Dakuro Warfang leading the way, Tyrel would never have found this place.

Dakuro Warfang stepped directly through the stone gate. Seeing this, Tyrel hurried after him.

Once inside, Tyrel was stunned by what lay before him. This was no ordinary stone gate, but a tomb gate. Beyond the tomb gate was, naturally, a crypt.

The entire crypt was exceptionally spacious. Candles made from some unknown substance burned within, making the interior of the crypt bright.

Trolls all had a tradition of building large crypts. The High Elves of the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas had never discovered the location of the Amani Crypt of the Forest Troll Amani Empire.

They had always guessed that the Amani Crypt was within Zul'Aman, but reality was not so. If he had not seen it with his own eyes, Tyrel would never have believed that the Amani Crypt was actually hidden within the Sunscar Peak mountain range.

The enormous crypt was filled with the remains of Forest Trolls wrapped in gauze like mummies. The bones of their lower bodies were placed in recessed tomb niches, while their upper bodies remained exposed.

Dakuro Warfang led Tyrel deeper into the Amani Crypt. After walking for who knew how long, they finally stopped before the gauze-wrapped remains of an Amani Troll.

Dakuro knelt directly on one knee upon the crypt's stone floor, then took fresh offerings from his pack and placed them on the altar beside the Amani Troll's remains.

"This is my father. More than ten years ago, he followed Zul'jin and joined the Horde. He died in battle against the Alliance. He died with honor, so the great Zul'jin placed his remains in the Amani Crypt." The one Dakuro Warfang was paying respects to was his father.

Not every Amani Troll could be buried in the Amani Crypt after death. Only Warriors who died with honor, supreme experts, and priests who served the gods had that right.

"I am not as brave as my father, nor am I as powerful as my brother Dakara. But I hope to die in the battle to reclaim the land that belongs to us Forest Trolls. Of course, it would be best if I could also be buried in the Amani Crypt after death."

So Dakara, the Forest Troll general, was Dakuro Warfang's older brother. This was not strange. Forest Trolls did not pass down family names, and sometimes one could only spot clues through their names. Dakara and Dakuro were such a case.

Tyrel did not know what to say at this moment. He could feel that Dakuro Warfang already regarded him as a friend, even bringing him before his father's grave.

Unfortunately, their true identities meant they were mortal enemies. Tyrel did not naively believe that peace could still exist between Forest Trolls and High Elves. Perhaps it was possible with other Troll clans, but never with the Forest Troll Amani Clan.

Dakuro paid no attention at all to the change in Tyrel's expression behind him. He simply took out a special torch and lit it. The flame burning on the torch was not fiery red, but an eerie blue.

Dakuro used the blue-flamed torch to light the brazier before his father's remains. The brazier likewise ignited with blue flames, but unlike the torch, its flames produced faint smoke as they burned. The smoke slowly gathered together, taking the form of a Forest Troll.

"Father, guide me. Before I formally battle the High Elves, I wish to receive your teachings!"

Tyrel knew that Forest Trolls possessed the ability to communicate with the souls of the dead, but this was his first time witnessing it with his own eyes.

The soul of Dakuro Warfang's father floated in the air, retaining his appearance from life. He had been an exceptionally strong Forest Troll Warrior. Looking kindly at Dakuro, he slowly said, "My child, Dakuro, I have already sensed it. The drums of battle are sounding once more. You and Dakara have both grown up. I am proud of you."

"You even brought a friend..." Dakuro Warfang's father's soul saw Tyrel, and his tone instantly turned cold. In his soul form, Dakuro's father could see through Tyrel's true nature: he was not a Forest Troll, but a High Elf.

"High—"

Before Dakuro's father's soul could finish speaking, it instantly dispersed, turning into wisps of smoke once more.

"Father? What happened?" Dakuro Warfang shouted in confusion. He could not understand why his father had suddenly dispersed before even finishing his words this time.

I'm sorry, Dakuro... Tyrel thought.

To prevent his true identity from being exposed, Tyrel used the Paladin skill, Dispel Evil.

In the end, Dakuro still could not figure out why this had happened. Nor did he suspect Tyrel behind him, or rather, Barkan, in the slightest.

After calming down, Dakuro Warfang stood and said to Tyrel, "Barkan, there is something else I haven't told you. I have received orders from my brother Dakara. Tomorrow, we will pass through the Amani Crypt and head behind Pathfinder Camp, launching an encirclement against the High Elves there."

"Really? That's wonderful..."

Tyrel looked at the Amani Crypt, whose depths were impossible to gauge. He understood that this massive crypt was far larger than what he had witnessed. It had likely hollowed out the entire Sunscar Peak mountain range.

That meant the crypt had more than one tomb gate. From Dakuro Warfang's words, it was clear that another exit from the Amani Crypt could circle around to the rear of Pathfinder Camp.

Then this operation by the Forest Trolls would not merely be a two-sided encirclement, but a three-sided one.

They would attack Pathfinder Camp together through three routes.

After returning to Lirath and the other two, Tyrel said decisively this time, "Let's go. It's time to leave this place."

"Huh? Tyrel, didn't you say we still needed to gather more intelligence? Could it be..." Lirath Windrunner was a little bewildered, but he quickly understood.

Tyrel nodded. "Yes."

After receiving confirmation, Luminas Sunmark immediately dismissed the Deception Orb and returned to her High Elf appearance. Then she began chanting magic and cast a teleportation spell.

At this moment, Tyrel, Lirath, and Arthas also dismissed their Deception Orbs.

Tyrel decided to leave without a sound and not say farewell to Dakuro Warfang. Even if Dakuro Warfang came to believe that the Barkan Tyrel had become was a coward, that was still better than learning the truth.

Under the effect of the teleportation spell, the four vanished in an instant.