The Most Important Thing is That the Mission is Complete

Although G'hnir departed with effortless grace, he did not leave empty-handed; he left behind the Tiger-Striped Voodoo Mask, and the Ring of Tides he had seized from the Naga Sea Witch Mepgira remained resting on the stone cushion before the shrine.

The Ring of Tides was a trophy G'hnir had claimed after slaying the Naga Sea Witch, a creature who had slaughtered the tribe of Kupaka centuries ago. Consequently, Kupaka, who was about to relocate his people here, had no love for the trinket.

Tortollans are a gentle race, devoid of any obsessive fixation on magic, and given their distaste for Naga artifacts, they readily handed the Ring of Tides over to Zul'ra after he casually inquired about it.

Upon receiving the Ring of Tides, Zul'ra felt he had been shortchanged. After all, he had walked the razor's edge of death; did they really think a single mask and a ring were enough to send him on his way?

He knew better than to provoke G'hnir, so Zul'ra turned his attention to the Tortaka tribe of Tortollans who were preparing to move. After some observation, he set his sights on their unique technique for crafting inscribed scrolls.

Tortollans are a long-lived race with a distinct culture; they excel at brewing unique inks from herbs and inscribing magic-infused runes onto animal hides. These scrolls could grant the user unique magical effects—truly remarkable items.

Zul'ra cornered Kupaka, demanding to learn the Tortollan inscription technique. Because Zul'ra had spent time alone in the chamber with the King of Beasts and had even earned the King of Beasts' gratitude, Kupaka treated him with care, readily imparting the formulas for the herbal inks and the patterns for the inscriptions.

The Tortollans possessed only three types of inscribed scrolls: the Scroll of Survival for restoring stamina, the Scroll of Torga's Journey for increasing speed, and the Scroll of Inner Truth for meditation.

Zul'ra learned quickly. Under Kupaka's guidance, he even traced a Scroll of Torga's Journey as a test. The effect was certainly there, though not quite as he had imagined; the scroll was designed for Tortollans, and its effect on Trolls was precisely the opposite.

This was actually logical. Tortollans are sluggish, lethargic creatures, yet they possess immense strength, with a combined weight of person and shell exceeding a thousand pounds. Unlike ordinary people who need to shed weight to run faster, they must add weight to exert the force required to move quickly. Thus, the "acceleration" of the Scroll of Torga's Journey was, in reality, a weight-bearing enchantment.

While Tortollans could use the Scroll of Torga's Journey to increase their speed, once the scroll was applied to Zul'ra, the invisible gravity made even walking a struggle, let alone sprinting. However, just as a lamp lights up a room regardless of where it is placed, while this item failed to provide speed, it could be repurposed elsewhere.

After Zul'ra mastered the creation of the three Tortollan scrolls under Kupaka's tutelage, he and Kurtaki boarded a ship to return to Zuldazar. To curry favor with the King of Beasts, Kurtaki had spent these days organizing men to help the Tortaka Tortollans move their home to the temple, and he resolved to organize new followers to guard the site in the coming days.

On the return journey, Kurtaki asked Zul'ra many questions about the King of Beasts. Zul'ra, using the name of the King of Beasts, spun grand tales, emphasizing how the King of Beasts had been trapped in the temple for centuries, agonizing over a solution to the binding of his followers' souls, and how he, Zul'ra, had helped him liberate those spirits and grant them freedom.

To prove his claims, Zul'ra showed him the Tiger-Striped Voodoo Mask. Upon hearing this, the devout follower could not help but praise the glorious heart of the King of Beasts, while also highly affirming Zul'ra's own heroism.

Because of Kurtaki's endorsement, Zul'ra successfully made a favorable impression on Rastakhan. He received a high score for mission completion, earning the reward of two Golden Bracers and a Zandalari Golden Mask—a certification of his status.

In the Zandalari caste system, beyond prohibitions regarding marriage, there were strict limitations on attire. A Troll's status in Zuldazar could be discerned from their war regalia, with specific regulations for every profession.

A warrior must never display skulls below the waist; a commoner must never wear golden armor, nor could their armor feature decorations of tusks or feathers. The punishment for rashly violating these taboos was second only to the crime of blasphemy.

Zul'ra was fascinated by the gleaming Golden Bracers and the Golden Mask; he had never possessed so much gold in his life. However, this interest waned as he reflected on the mission.

In the spirit world of this mission, Zul'ra had engaged in real combat and narrowly escaped the jaws of death. He hadn't felt much at the time, but looking back now, he was overcome with lingering fear—he had nearly ended up in a crematorium.

To avoid repeating the same mistake, Zul'ra decided to deepen his study of magic. Yet, this was not something that could be mastered in a moment; some spells required a lifetime of insight and practice. Besides, spellcasting could never match the thrill of melee combat.

Melee was the romance of a man, but such romantic notions had to take a backseat to the importance of his own life. Moreover, even if he were to engage in melee, he needed to find ways to increase his strength and speed, and forge better weapons; pure melee was a dead end.

Increasing human strength and speed and forging superior weapons all required magic. Once Zul'ra had settled his affairs, he donned the wooden voodoo mask given to him by the King of Beasts and entered the pitch-black spirit world.

Zul'ra had already begun to understand some of the functions of the wooden voodoo mask left by the King of Beasts. The mask held the power of the Tiger God, allowing him to freely enter the dark, cold spirit world. He could do anything there, and when he wished to leave, he simply had to call upon the name of the King of Beasts—a rather lackluster ability.

Though the ability was mediocre, Zul'ra found a good use for the mask: it aided his meditation. While that lonely spirit world was chilling, it also contained the power of darkness.

In the lonely, freezing darkness, Zul'ra learned to unearth the deeper distractions of his mind. He had lived in Zuldazar for two years, carefree and untroubled, yet his heart had grown heavy with dark, complex thoughts. He knew too much, and his mind was burdened with too many things to ponder, often feeling confused between his identity as a human and a Troll.

Facing the lonely, dark spirit world, Zul'ra confronted the deep-seated questions within himself and made his decisions. As he sorted through these issues, the distractions and the gloom in his heart naturally vanished.

With the disappearance of those dark thoughts, Zul'ra no longer felt the boundless darkness of the spirit world to be cold. He no longer needed to call upon the name of the Tiger God to enter or exit, and during meditation, he could use his spiritual vision to see far beyond obstacles.

Beyond his spiritual vision, the surge in his mental power also allowed Zul'ra to feel the life force surging within his body. Every time he felt that invisible, vibrant power, he experienced an indescribable sense of comfort. After each meditation, he felt refreshed and invigorated, as if his body had grown stronger—though that was merely an illusion, for he was simply still growing.