Though G'hnir had left in style, he hadn't left empty-handed. He had left behind the Tiger-Striped Voodoo Mask, and the Ring of Tides he had taken from Mepgira, the Naga Sea Witch, still rested on the stone cushion before the shrine.
The Ring of Tides was loot G'hnir had obtained by killing the Naga Sea Witch. Centuries ago, that witch had slaughtered Kupaka's tribe, so Kupaka, who was about to settle here, didn't like the ring.
The Tortollan were a gentle people, with no extreme obsession with magic. They also disliked Naga things, so when Zul'ra deliberately asked about the ring, they readily gave it to him.
After getting the Ring of Tides, Zul'ra felt he'd come out a little short. He'd been one step from death, after all. They thought they could fob him off with just a mask and a ring?
He couldn't afford to antagonize G'hnir, so Zul'ra turned his attention to the Tortollan of Tortaka's tribe, who were about to move. After looking them over, he focused on their unique skill at making inscription scrolls.
The Tortollan were long-lived and had a culture of their own. They were skilled at making special inks from herbs, then writing magical inscriptions on hides. These scrolls could grant their users unique magic. They were pretty useful.
Zul'ra grabbed Kupaka and asked to learn the Tortollan's inscription techniques. Kupaka treated him with care because he had once been alone with the King of Beasts and had even received the King of Beasts' thanks. So Kupaka readily taught him the ink recipe and the inscription symbols.
The Tortollan had only three kinds of inscriptions, each made into a scroll. One was the Scroll of Survival, which restored energy; another was the Scroll of Torga's Journey, which increased speed; and the last was the Scroll of Inner Truth, which aided meditation.
Zul'ra learned quickly. Under Kupaka's guidance, he copied a Scroll of Torga's Journey to test it. The effect was real, but not quite what he'd expected: the scroll was made for Tortollan, and when used on a Troll, it had the opposite effect.
That was only natural, really. Tortollan were sluggish and lazy, but immensely strong, weighing well over a thousand pounds with their shells. Unlike ordinary people, who needed to shed weight to run faster, they had to carry extra weight to get moving. So the Scroll of Torga's Journey, though called a speed scroll, actually added weight to the user.
The Tortollan could use the Scroll of Torga's Journey to move faster, but when Zul'ra used one, an invisible weight pressed down on him, making even walking exhausting, let alone speeding up. Still, as the saying went, if one lamp went out, another could be lit. It might not work for speed, but it could come in handy elsewhere.
After learning how to make all three Tortollan inscription scrolls from Kupaka, Zul'ra sailed back to Zuldazar with Kurtaki. To curry favor with the King of Beasts, Kurtaki had spent the past few days organizing people to help Tortaka's Tortollan move into the temple. He also planned to gather new followers to guard the place soon.
On the way back, Kurtaki asked Zul'ra many questions about the King of Beasts. In the King of Beasts' name, Zul'ra spun him an elaborate tale, describing how the King of Beasts had spent centuries confined in the temple, seeking a way to free the souls bound to his followers—and how Zul'ra had helped him set those souls free.
To prove his story, Zul'ra even showed Kurtaki the Tiger-Striped Voodoo Mask. Hearing all this, the devout Troll praised the King of Beasts' glorious heart and loudly affirmed Zul'ra's bravery.
Thanks to Kurtaki's endorsement, Zul'ra made a good impression on Rastakhan and scored highly for completing the mission. As a reward, he received two Golden Bracers and a Zandalari Golden Mask, a mark of status.
In Zandalar's caste system, restrictions governed not only marriage but also what people could wear. A Troll's standing in Zandalar could be read from their battle attire, and every profession had its own prescribed ornaments.
A Warrior must never wear a skull below the waist, and a commoner must never wear gold armor. Armor could not be decorated with tusks or feathers, either. The punishment for casually breaking these taboos was second only to that for blasphemy.
Zul'ra was very interested in the gleaming Golden Bracers and the Golden Mask. He had never owned so much gold in his life, but that interest faded as soon as he reviewed how the mission had gone.
During this mission in the spirit world, Zul'ra had fought in a real battle and barely escaped death. He hadn't felt much at the time, but now the memory filled him with dread. He had come close to ending up on a funeral pyre.
To avoid making the same mistake again, Zul'ra decided to deepen his spell training. But that wasn't something he could accomplish in a moment; some spells took a lifetime to understand and master. Besides, nothing beat the thrill of close-quarters combat.
Melee was a man's romance. But when that romance was weighed against his precious life, it would have to take a back seat for now. And if he did want to fight at close range, he'd need to find a way to increase his strength and speed and forge better weapons. Pure melee was a dead end.
Increasing his strength and speed and forging better weapons all depended on magic. After taking care of his affairs, Zul'ra put on the wooden Voodoo Mask the King of Beasts had given him and entered the dark spirit world.
Zul'ra had already figured out some of the wooden Voodoo Mask's functions. It held the Tiger God's power and let him enter the dark, desolate spirit world at will. He could do anything there, and to leave, he only had to call upon the King of Beasts by name. It was a rather useless ability.
Though the ability seemed useless, Zul'ra had found a good use for the mask: it helped him meditate. The lonely spirit world was chilling, but it also contained a dark power.
In that desolate, frigid darkness, Zul'ra learned to dig out the distractions buried deep in his heart. He had lived an easy, carefree life in Zandalar for two years, yet more dark thoughts had taken root in him. He knew too much, had too much to think about, and was often torn between his identity as a man and as a Troll.
Facing the desolate darkness of the spirit world, Zul'ra brought the questions buried deep within him to the surface and made decisions for himself. Once he had sorted everything out, his distractions and gloom naturally faded away.
As his dark thoughts disappeared, Zul'ra no longer felt the endless darkness of the spirit world as cold. He no longer needed to call upon the Tiger God to enter or leave it, and while meditating, he could use his mind's eye to see far beyond obstacles.
Beyond his mind's eye, the great increase in his mental strength also let Zul'ra sense the life force coursing through his body. Whenever he felt that invisible vitality, he was overcome by a hard-to-describe sense of comfort. After each meditation, he felt full of energy and a little stronger—but that was only an illusion, because he was simply growing.
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