Return

The morning at the Temple of Elune was shrouded in a sense of serenity. The ethereal chanting of the priestesses drifted out from the windows, reaching every resident of Darnassus who knelt in pious prayer around the temple.

Tyrande smoothed her robes and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, appearing as elegant and otherworldly as ever. She had to bestow blessings upon the devout elves today, so she could not afford a single moment of delay.

However, not everything was under her control; the moment she stepped out of the temple, Tyrande nearly collided with someone rushing in from the outside. Instinctively, she prepared to reprimand them, for how could anyone be so reckless in a place as solemn as the Temple of Elune?

The words she was about to utter died in her throat the moment she saw who it was, and her beautiful face broke into a genuine, heartfelt smile.

"Oh, Malfurion!" Tyrande exclaimed in a low voice, "Thank the heavens, you have finally returned!"

Malfurion looked up at Tyrande, his gentle eyes filled with exhaustion. A pungent odor emanated from his clothes, causing Tyrande, who stood quite close, to wrinkle her nose slightly. Malfurion's entire body—his brown hair, his long beard, and even his eyebrows and hands—was covered in filthy grime. There appeared to be bloodstains on his garments, though they had faded with time, making them difficult to distinguish.

"Malfurion, what has happened to you?" Tyrande had not expected him to be in such a state; had he not said he was only going to seek out Lothar, the leader of Stormwind City?

"Alas, it is a long story!" Malfurion said, heading inside the Temple of Elune.

"Malfurion, could you please change your clothes first?" Tyrande said softly; after all, this was the Temple of Elune, a place dedicated to the divine.

"Forgive me, Tyrande, but I fear we no longer have the time to concern ourselves with such trivialities!" Malfurion sighed. "I must see Andy, immediately! Send someone to fetch him at once!"

"But I still have to bless the people!" Tyrande frowned. "I will return shortly!"

"Tyrande!" Malfurion called out. "The situation I have uncovered is extraordinary; there is no time to delay!"

Tyrande studied Malfurion for a moment. He had never been this anxious before, to the point of making her skip her routine blessings. She instructed Weiwei to explain the situation to the people outside, then dispatched a guard to the small cabin where Andy resided to find him.

"Malfurion, what exactly have you discovered?" Tyrande asked, feeling both displeased and anxious. "What has made you so frantic? And how did you end up in such a state?"

"Alas, ever since I set out for the Eastern Kingdoms to find Lothar, the sights I witnessed along the way have completely overturned all my assumptions!" Malfurion said softly, lost in his own memories.

"I first activated the abandoned port in Darkshore, and fortunately, there were still those who knew the maritime routes to the Eastern Kingdoms. It took four days and nights of sailing to arrive. But what awaited me were vast stretches of scorched earth, abandoned villages, and withered forests. At the time, I believed the humans were once again warring amongst themselves for profit, until I saw those Orc monsters! They are massive, possess immense strength, and most importantly, they are a sentient race—they understand warfare and know how to craft tools. The moment they saw me, they charged with weapons in hand. Although those low-level Orc warriors could not harm me, some of the Orc leaders were quite troublesome. I transformed into a bird and flew to Stormwind City, but the city was gone; the walls had completely collapsed. I flew further north and finally encountered human soldiers fighting the Orcs; from them, I learned of Lothar's whereabouts—he had already gone to Lordaeron. I realized I no longer needed to find Lothar; that little one, Andy, was right about everything. On my way back, I encountered those Orcs at sea. Their warships were gargantuan; even humans could not build such massive vessels in such a short time. I cast spells to capsize a few of their ships, but a group of Orc mages—they call themselves Shaman—intercepted me. I had no choice but to alter my course to make it back." Malfurion finished his account in one breath, sighing incessantly.

"High Priest, Andy is not at his residence," the guard reported upon returning.

"What?" Malfurion asked urgently. "How could he not be there?"

Tyrande calmed Malfurion and told the guard to take a few others and search again. Suddenly, Tyrande slapped her forehead: "Oh no! Could he have gone himself?"

"Gone to do what?"

"Not long after you left, a caravan of merchants was attacked by a Furbolg on the road to the city..." Tyrande briefly explained the situation. "Andy must have gone secretly because I forbade him from going!"

"Can he kill that Furbolg on his own?" Malfurion asked.

Tyrande shook her head. "That is exactly what I am worried about. Although Andy has been studying under Nathas, no one knows the true extent of his current strength!"

"Alas, we cannot wait any longer," Malfurion said. "Tyrande, I must go to the Emerald Dream to find my mentor, Cenarius, and seek guidance on how to defeat the Orcs. While I am away, the heavy burden of protecting our people rests upon you!"

Tyrande bit her lip, then leaned in to press a light kiss to Malfurion's lips, whispering softly, "Take care of yourself!"

Andy looked up at the gates of Darnassus, shaking his head with a bitter smile as he gripped the two fangs in his hand—they belonged to Ursal! This had truly been a brush with death; due to his miscalculation of Ursal's strength, he would have surely met his end had it not been for the activation of the Eaglehorn Bow.

"Andy, where have you been?" the guard searching for him called out upon spotting him.

"You were looking for me?" Andy asked in a low voice. The high-intensity combat had left him weak, and the soreness in his body served as a reminder of his exhaustion.

"Lord Malfurion has returned, and he wants you at the Temple of Elune immediately!" the guard said urgently.

Andy looked at the guard in surprise; Malfurion had returned to see him, which meant he must have confirmed the situation. Yet, he felt a reluctance to go, primarily because it would be difficult to explain how he knew so much about those events.

Andy steeled himself and walked into the Temple of Elune. He did not see Malfurion; only Tyrande was in the hall. Andy opened his palm and held the two fangs out to her. "Ursal's! He is dead; I burned everything else, save for these two teeth!"

"Are you alright? You aren't injured, are you?" Tyrande walked down and circled Andy, asking with concern.

"I am fine, though this Furbolg, tainted by Fel energy, was indeed difficult to deal with." Andy spoke dismissively, but one look at his condition made it clear that it had been anything but easy.

"Andy, Malfurion went to the Eastern Kingdoms and confirmed that everything you said is true!" Tyrande said. "The Orcs are already marching this way. I do not know how they discovered the route, but they will be upon us in four or five days at the latest."

Andy gasped. Although he knew the Orcs would eventually strike, he had not expected it to be so soon. Could it be that they had already gained total dominance in the Eastern Kingdoms?

"So soon?" Andy exclaimed. "We must make preparations at once!"

Tyrande nodded, then fell silent for a moment before saying, "Andy, I intend to go to Ashenvale myself to establish a defensive line along the coast of Azshara." Tyrande looked at Andy as she spoke: "You shall come with me!"