Soon, Zul'ra stopped worrying about the Blood God, G'huun, because Malacrass came to see him. More than two years had passed in Zandalar, and during that time, most of their fellow students had completed the required trials. It was time to return to Zul'Aman.
After they discussed it, Malacrass decided to request an audience with Rastakhan, while Zul'ra took charge of gathering their fellow students and telling them the news. He would also help those who had yet to complete their trials prepare for the journey home.
When they had come from Zul'Aman to Zandalar, there had been 122 of them, including Zul'ra and Malacrass. Now, 82 had passed their trials, six had died during them, and 34 had yet to attempt them.
Before leaving, Zul'ra wanted to help as many as possible of those 34 who had not yet taken the trials pass them, so they could catch the ship back to Zul'Aman. But he soon realized that his efforts and intentions might be unnecessary.
When the 34 people who had yet to take their trials were offered help, most of them were evasive or simply avoided him. At first, Zul'ra had no idea what was going on, but after visiting two households, he finally understood: they no longer wanted to return to Zul'Aman.
There was nothing particularly wrong with that. Intelligent races were all inclined to seek comfort. Zul'Aman was a poor, run-down little city overgrown with moss, while Zandalar was a glorious land blessed with fine weather. Even those of low social standing here could still live comfortably.
Everyone had their own aspirations, and Zul'ra couldn't demand too much of them. He relayed the facts to Malacrass, who had just met with Rastakhan. The priest's reaction was a little hard to accept, because most of those 34 people had been brought here by him.
"How could they do this?" Malacrass's nostrils flared with anger, and flames seemed to flicker in his green eyes. This was betrayal.
"Let it go, Malacrass. What was Rastakhan's answer?" Zul'ra raised an eyebrow slightly. Several of the 34 who were staying behind were soldiers studying here, along with workers learning metallurgy. Their reluctance to leave was probably tied to Zandalar's behind-the-scenes maneuvering.
"The God-King has agreed to let us return home. But, as we agreed before, those who failed their trials and those who never took them must remain in Zandalar." Malacrass lowered his eyes. He, too, had considered who the holdouts were. There was probably some connection between their decision to stay and Rastakhan's generosity.
"Then when should we set out?" Zul'ra watched the priest put his anger aside and asked with a slight nod.
"We're just going to let those traitors go?" Malacrass could guess at Zandalar's role in all this, but it still left him feeling uneasy. He wanted to punish the traitors.
"We don't have time for that. We all came here from Zul'Aman. Our goals may differ, but that doesn't mean we have to become enemies over it." Zul'ra shook his head. Everyone had their own aspirations. Though he disapproved, they couldn't cause trouble in Zandalar. Returning to Zul'Aman was what mattered most now.
"All right. We'll return to Zul'Aman at once." Malacrass was uncomfortable with Zul'ra's words, but after weighing the situation, he finally chose to yield. This wasn't the time to cause trouble.
Once they had made their arrangements, Malacrass went to organize a ship, while Zul'ra gathered the others. He also said goodbye to his mentor, Lal, and his close friend Talanji. They tried to persuade him to stay, but he had already made up his mind while meditating in his tiger-striped mask. He wouldn't change it now.
Zul'ra politely declined Lal and Talanji's pleas for him to stay, and wished them well. Yes, that was right: somehow, those two Trolls, a man and a woman, had gotten together. Love was a strange thing.
Lal was a priest of Pa'ku, the Pterosaur God, and his faith was in voodoo. Talanji was a priestess of Gonkk, the Raptor God, but she followed the ways of the Druid. Their beliefs couldn't have been more different, yet love had brought them together.
Zul'ra said he was sorry he couldn't attend Lal and Talanji's wedding and wished them happiness. Then he informed those who had chosen to stay in Zandalar, whether willingly or reluctantly, giving them time to understand and say goodbye. Whether they came to see the others off was entirely up to them.
After a flurry of activity, on a breezy, sunny day, Zul'ra slung his pack over his shoulder and boarded a ship bound for Zul'Aman at the Rastali War Port. Twenty-seven months had passed since he had left.
A gentle breeze carried ten ships out of the harbor. Besides their Forest Troll sailors, the ships returning to Zul'Aman carried two priests, eleven scholars, sixteen soldiers, and fifty-three craftsmen, farmers, boatmen, and other workers.
On the deck of the slowly moving ship, Zul'ra first gathered his classmates, including Malacrass, then took out a wooden box and handed out the gold rings inside.
"Come on, take one each. It's a keepsake." Zul'ra took a gold ring from the box and gave it to Malacrass beside him, then handed the rest out to the others.
"Where did you get all this gold?" Malacrass looked at the plain gold ring in his hand. It had no magical glow, but its surface was engraved with unusual patterns. He looked up at Zul'ra, who stood beside a hunched Troll as he handed out the rings.
"Rastakhan gave me a golden mask, and I had Zak'al at the Artisan Platform melt it down for me." Zul'ra continued distributing the rings to his companions and answered with a smile. Rastakhan had given him a mask and a pair of bracers. He had given the bracers to Lal and Talanji as a wedding present, and had the mask melted down to make these rings.
Most of those aboard received a gold ring, and their faces showed delight and gratitude. Trolls had always prized gold, but Zul'Aman was simply too poor. In Zandalar, they hadn't had the good fortune to receive gifts from Rastakhan as Zul'ra had.
The 84 Forest Trolls had all studied in Zandalar as commoners. Though Zandalar's laws allowed them to wear gold jewelry outside of battle, they simply didn't have enough money to afford any.
"This is only a small trinket. Everyone, we learned a great deal in Zandalar. Today, as we return to Zul'Aman, remember this moment." Once Zul'ra had finished handing out the rings and made sure everyone had one, he raised his left hand, revealing the gold ring on his little finger.
"We'll use what we've learned to build our empire and change our homeland. We will restore Zul'Aman's former glory. For the Amani!" Zul'ra held up his hand and called out solemnly. The Trolls who had received rings slipped them onto their middle or little fingers and responded with solemn expressions.
"For the Amani!" The Trolls shouted the slogan, banishing the traces of uncertainty and reluctance they felt about leaving Zandalar. Now they had some direction for the road ahead.
"..." Malacrass slid the ring onto his little finger and watched Zul'ra hand out rings and vow to change their homeland. His eyes narrowed slightly as he considered the matter, but he said nothing.
The cover is here—I'm so happy! Though the main character is a Troll, they gave him a Tauren cover. 0.0
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