The Price of Fate

Jaina can be called the undisputed leading lady of all Azeroth. Her life is nothing short of legendary, yet it remains fraught with controversy. During the first half of her life, she was well-protected; she was the intimate friend of the Prince of Lordaeron, yet she chose to abandon him at his most helpless moment. She is the Daughter of the Sea, and her father loved her deeply, yet for the sake of peace, she chose to indulge the Orcs, leading to her father's death at the hands of the half-orc Rexxar.

However, when the plague ravaged Lordaeron, it was she who stepped forward, helping the prince investigate the undead plague and slay Kel'Thuzad. Facing the enemy of the world, the unstoppable Archimonde, it was she who set aside prejudices, united the Orcs and Night Elves, and ultimately defeated the Burning Legion, saving the world in its hour of peril.

She is the Daughter of the Sea, a magic apprentice of Dalaran, and an Archmage of Azeroth. A mere woman, she led the last remaining forces of humanity and Purified the demonic blood of Grom Hellscream. It was also she who stood on the front lines against the Burning Legion during Ragnarok.

If one wished to change those regrets and save those tragic souls, could there be a better choice than altering the fate of Jaina?

Taelan Fordring made up his mind. Since he had accepted that legendary quest, let him try to do something for this girl.

Jaina bit her lower lip, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat. A strand of golden hair, damp with perspiration, clung to her left cheek. All color had drained from her face, and a sharp pain radiated from beneath her neck; that dagger was certainly sharp.

Jaina was pushed mechanically by the person behind her toward the depths of the alleyway. He had chosen to take a detour to reach the main gate of Dalaran.

It seemed this mission was in the bag! The master would surely reward him upon his return! The surroundings began to darken; the back alley had few magical streetlamps. The kidnapper's tense nerves began to relax. Dalaran was nothing special after all!

However, history tells us that when you lower your guard and begin to mock your opponent, you are not far from disaster. In the eyes of the kidnapper, this situation was so absurd that he suspected he was dreaming.

He was only a fraction of a hair's breadth away from completing the mission and escaping Dalaran. The cat the girl held in her arms was excessively cute. At that moment, the beautiful ragdoll cat suddenly leaped from the girl's arms. In mid-air, it transformed into an incredibly charming boy. He was so warm, yet he pulled out a shield bearing the crest of Lordaeron, and then the kidnapper was smashed hard in the face by that shield! His well-trained body immediately made a reflexive response: to dodge! But even though the boy's movements were distorted, that damned shield still struck him squarely in the face.

Evasion failed! He guessed he was at least 50 levels higher than this kid! He could kill him in one hit! Yet he had still been struck! Moreover, an unexpected wave of dizziness surged up. He had actually been stunned by a Shield Slam!

Jaina stared blankly as her cat transformed into a handsome boy. Just as she was being kidnapped and perhaps even killed, he had suddenly descended from the heavens to save her!

He was draped in pure, white Holy Light, standing before her like an angel. Behind him, the Blue Child hung high in the night sky, and his Holy Light was warm and powerful. There was even a pleasant scent about him—the smell of sunshine! The events of this moment were etched deeply into Jaina's heart like a painting.

But at this moment, Taelan Fordring knew he was in deep trouble! As expected, changing fate came with a price. He felt as if his life were a handful of sand, slipping away rapidly.

Ding! You have received a new quest!

Redemption of Jaina (Legendary)

Phase One

You have decided to save Jaina from a desperate situation!

You truly are a Nephalem Paladin! You are a child of the world! You have a big "Courage" written on your chest!

(But I didn't tell you to go and die! The prince's royal guards are only one street away from you!)

You will face a level 55 Dragonkin General! Find a way to survive! Remember! Everyone dies! No one is an exception!

Quest Rewards: You will level up to 6, and gain 5 Stamina, 5 Intelligence, Jaina's Pendant, and 25 World Power.

The favor of Lady Katherine Proudmoore.

Jaina's Pendant Quality: Epic Unique (In consideration of your death-seeking behavior, I have removed the level restriction. Happy, kid?)

Use: "Create a portal to teleport you to Dalaran. 1-hour cooldown." (Currently sealed)

This pendant, inlaid with a portrait of Jaina, has always been Jaina's treasure! Until she met a boy who could turn into a ragdoll cat!

Taelan Fordring knew that once this Dragonkin General broke free from the stun, he and Jaina could only hold out for two seconds—one blow each, one second per blow. His brain raced, yet he dared not stop his Mortal Strike! The guaranteed-hit attribute and short stun of this skill had saved him. However, he knew the skill was powerful but couldn't deal much damage to the opponent; the level gap was too great. The added true damage might only be in the single digits, but his mana was not infinite! And he likely couldn't withstand a single attack from the enemy.

Of course, to Jaina, it didn't look that way. This little angel, her guardian deity, was beating the kidnapper so badly he couldn't fight back, forced into a passive defense. Even though he triggered three Evasions and two Blocks, that shield still inexplicably slapped him in the face.

Taelan Fordring knew his own suffering! In the gap between two Mortal Strikes, he shouted to Jaina, "Run!" But Jaina, with great loyalty, did not move! Taelan Fordring felt bitter and couldn't help but complain:

"Jaina, if you don't run, are you afraid I'll ninja your gear?"

These words might take minutes to write, but in reality, this all happened in a flash! Damn it! Had there been a murder here? There wasn't a single passerby!

Right, this was the entrance to the sewers. The sewers were another world entirely, one that ordinary people avoided at all costs! Seeing his mana pool beginning to drop, Taelan Fordring decisively used the Blessing of Tirion Fordring and simultaneously unleashed the Big Brick! With a bang, the kidnapper was stunned on the spot. Then, he received a notification that his accuracy had increased.

Taelan Fordring didn't even look at the level 55 elite Dragonkin General! He grabbed Jaina's small hand and pulled open the iron grate of the entrance. His attribute points saved him, granting him immense strength, and the two rushed into the sewers. Although the smell wasn't pleasant, it wasn't the foul stench he had imagined. Taelan Fordring pulled Jaina, running toward the location in his memory. Soon, the sound of running followed behind them—this chaotic footfall suggested more than one person. Truly a death knell!

He had to pick up the pace! The two ran forward one after the other. Suddenly, the boy stopped. Ahead appeared a high mound, and standing upon it was a large rat! Around it stood four small turtles! This was it! Near this mound was a mountain of trash, covered in small bottles of various colors!

Thank the Holy Light! They were actually here!

Taelan Fordring let go of Jaina's sweat-dampened little hand and said to her, "Go there and find the green potion bottle! Tell me when you find it!"

In World of Warcraft, the potion bottles here were known as Sewer Elixirs. They had three effects: City of Mages, Tuskarr Fishing Expert, and Little Bee. There were many colors of bottles here; if they had to test them one by one, it would truly be a case of "try and die." Since the first two effects clearly corresponded to the purple of Arcane magic and the blue of Frost magic, by that logic, turning into a Little Bee should correspond to the green of Nature spells!

Jaina didn't care about the filth and immediately began rummaging. At this moment, the Dragonkin General had caught up. He glanced at Taelan Fordring with hatred in his eyes, but he didn't focus on him. The mission was more important!

This boy was bizarre. Although his damage was minimal, the insult was extreme! He would deal with him after subduing the girl!

And so, he charged toward Jaina, who was rummaging through the trash heap!

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Happy Spring Festival to everyone!

Another chapter will be posted shortly!