Tian Sang opened his eyes and looked around the quiet stone chamber. A wry smile crept across his face. It had felt like a dream, but it hadn't been one. He had truly struck a bargain with a Loa, the Serpent Goddess.
"We have to hurry." Thinking of the bargain, Tian Sang jolted. He wasted no time, quickly getting to his feet, tidying himself up, and heading for Battleaxe Ridge.
By the time he reached Battleaxe Ridge, night had fallen. The Trolls had no idea disaster was about to strike. They were quietly preparing to rest in their camp. Tian Sang didn't raise the alarm; instead, he quietly sought out Lostro.
"Are you sure?" Lostro was startled to hear that fire magic was about to rain down on Battleaxe Ridge. Back then, at the foot of Alterac, the Amani Empire had fought the humans and Elves under Zandalar's guidance. A hundred novice human mages had summoned fire from the sky, scattering the Trolls and costing them their victory.
"I'm sure. This is revenge by the Elves and humans. The goddess has given me a warning. Tomorrow, she'll send a sign to everyone, and you must do as I say." Tian Sang looked at the shaken Lostro as he spoke.
"What kind of sign?" Lostro struggled to compose himself and stop imagining a torrent of flames raining down. Trolls had exceptional regenerative powers, but searing flames could put an end to them. That made fire one of the most effective weapons against Trolls.
"You'll see tomorrow." Tian Sang said no more, only telling Lostro to wait.
The news Tian Sang had delivered so suddenly left Lostro anxious, but there was nothing he could do. He could only go to bed in a daze. Early the next morning, the Trolls in the camp woke him.
"What's going on?" Lostro sat up, opened his tent flap, and looked at Tian Sang, who was hurrying over.
"The goddess's warning has begun." Tian Sang looked at Lostro as he emerged from his tent and nodded toward the sky.
Following Tian Sang's gesture, Lostro saw countless birds circling above the Troll camp at Battleaxe Ridge, then flying toward the depths of the Zul'Aman forest. What was more, many small animals were hurrying past the camp, dodging nearby Trolls as they raced toward the mountains of Zul'Aman.
"Tell me, what's going on?" Lostro grabbed a nearby Troll and asked.
"The birds and beasts are all fleeing into the depths of Zul'Aman's forests. It's as if something scared them." The passerby Troll looked at the fleeing animals with a baffled expression.
"Make a decision. This is the goddess's command." Tian Sang spoke up as Lostro questioned the passerby.
"What do you want me to do?" Lostro bared his tusks and asked Tian Sang.
"Starting now, clear the trees. Cut a wide path from here straight to Zul'Aman. We only have one day." Tian Sang pointed in the direction from Battleaxe Ridge to Zul'Aman.
"Understood." Lostro stared in the direction Tian Sang was pointing. After a long moment of thought, he decisively went to issue the order. The Trolls began felling trees, clearing a broad path through the forest between Battleaxe Ridge and Zul'Aman.
Trolls could hunt plenty of game in the forest and were adept at ambushes in the mountains. Cutting down the trees went against both their way of fighting and their way of life. The felling soon drew objections from the Witch Doctor priests and hunters.
"This is Ulathek's command. Disaster is coming for us, and we must prepare our defenses." Tian Sang used the Serpent Goddess as a shield against the objections of the Witch Doctors and hunters, while watching their expressions.
Faced with an order from a Loa, the Witch Doctor priests and hunters exchanged glances. Most of them were confused and asked about the disaster, but one or two priests looked uneasy.
"Our enemies will summon a firestorm. They hope to break us just as they did at the foot of Alterac." Tian Sang studied the priests' varied expressions. He was certain that Ulathek wasn't the only one who knew about the enemy's plan to attack with fire. But Ulathek had already taken the initiative in this contest for faith.
At Tian Sang's explanation, the Witch Doctor priests and hunters turned pale. The Trolls had never forgotten their defeat at the hands of the humans and Elves. After that war, the Forest Trolls lost their dominance over this continent.
Beyond the weight of history, the Witch Doctor priests and hunters were terrified. They hadn't lived through that war, but they had heard their elders' accounts of its horrors. The flames falling from the sky would wipe out Battleaxe Ridge's army.
"Ulathek has given us instructions. We can withstand this attack." Looking at the visibly rattled crowd, Tian Sang spoke gravely, urging them not to be afraid. They had a powerful ally at their backs.
"Then what do we need to do?" The Loa's support calmed the Witch Doctors somewhat, but a Loa had taken their side in that war too, and they had even had Zandalar's Witch Doctors helping them. They had still lost.
"Clear a path and gather our forces," Tian Sang said firmly.
"You're sure we should gather everyone instead of evacuating?"
"Yes, I'm sure. We can't simply retreat, because the enemy will follow us and unleash their magic on Zul'Aman. We also need a sound counterattack plan." Tian Sang nodded firmly and explained that the fire magic was under control; if the Trolls retreated, it would follow them and pour its full force onto Zul'Aman.
The Witch Doctor priests and hunters had nothing more to say. They could only follow Tian Sang's orders: have everyone cut down trees and clear a safe path through the forest, gather the soldiers in camp, and send out scouts in large numbers to make as much of a show of force as possible.
Through the Trolls' tireless efforts, they cleared a vast swath of forest between Battleaxe Ridge and the ancient city of Zul'Aman in a single day. That night, most of the warriors slept in the ancient city, while whole logs were piled in the open space.
As the morning sun rose slowly over the forests of Zul'Aman in the east, waves of energy began to ripple through the western sky. The Witch Doctor priests and hunters were the first to sense what was happening. They hurriedly sent the remaining troops along the cleared path to the front of Zul'Aman City.
Within five minutes of the energy surges, most of the Troll warriors had evacuated Battleaxe Ridge. Above it, dazzling flames gathered into red clouds, and fireballs of every size rained down. The retaliatory firestorm set all of Battleaxe Ridge ablaze, just as it had once set Eversong Woods alight that night. Its glow illuminated the mountains and forests.
"Ulathek above..." Lostro stared at the dazzling inferno, his mouth slightly open. But before he could recover from his shock, Tian Sang grabbed him by the side.
"We must prepare to respond." Tian Sang looked at the firelight illuminating the distance and spoke to Lostro.
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