Dragon's Trial
Looking at the obediently nodding Blue Dragonflight girl, Zul'ra felt a surge of excitement for no reason. Just as he was about to say something, footsteps approached. Bolvar's lieutenant came to tell him that Bolvar wanted to see him; the advisor from Darnassus had arrived. ♜🍪 ♗😈
Shandris Feathermoon, the Sentinel Leader of Darnassus, has arrived. Upon hearing the news, Zul'ra, no longer able to linger with Tarecgosa, quickly pulled her along to see Bolvar.
By this time, it was already dark. The camp by the sea was dotted with lights in the darkness. Outside the large tent in the center of the camp, there were many Kaldorei, who were much taller than humans and whose skin ranged from pink to purple. Most of them were women, with pointed ears, long eyebrows, slender and strong bodies, wearing fine armor, tattoos on their faces, and their pupils shimmering like cat eyes in the night.
Zul'ra led Tarecgosa through the Kaldorei guards into the main tent. Besides Bolvar and Brann, there were two other Kaldorei standing there, a man and a woman. The female Kaldorei was none other than Shandris.
"General Feathermoon, you've arrived." Zul'ra greeted Shandris. He and Shandris had met before during the clearing of Felwood, so there was no need for further introductions.
"Zul'ra Jin, this is my subordinate, Toranicus Moonspear." Shandris first nodded to Zul'ra, then introduced the male Kaldorei beside her, who also nodded to Zul'ra.
"Hello." Zul'ra smiled and nodded back to Toranicus was bowing respectfully, before looking at Shandris, Bolvar, and Brann.
"Are Sentinels here now? When can we set off?"
"Everyone's here. This is our last group," Shandris was the first to respond to the sentries.
"Now that everyone is ready, we will set off for the front lines tomorrow to prepare for the operation to break the seal!" Bolvar said after Shandris confirmed the personnel.
"The troops are heading to the front lines, but we need to go somewhere first." Shandris didn't refute Bolvar's words, but instead issued an order, or rather, a condition.
"Where are we going? Who are we including?" Zul'ra couldn't help but ask.
"Go to the coast of Tanaris, which is southeast of here. There's a rocky mountain there, and we're going to go there. As for 'us,' it includes me, Zul'ra Jin, Bolvar Fordragon, and this Dwarves gentleman." Shandris glanced at Brann, making the explorer a little annoyed.
"My name is Brann, Brann Bronzebeard. I have a name, but I probably didn't introduce myself." Brann handed over his name, feeling annoyed. He had neglected to introduce himself to Shandris earlier, and Bolvar hadn't had a chance to finish introducing himself either.
"Then let's go with Mr. Brann! In any case, the four of us will leave the group first and head to the mountains in the southeast." Shandris didn't take Brann's dissatisfaction seriously.
"What are we going there for? Do we really have to go?" Bolvar was somewhat speechless; these Kaldorei were just strange!
"There are quite a few rocky mountains in southeast Tanaris. Where exactly are we going?" Brann chimed in, his tone revealing deep dissatisfaction. This was a reflection of his character, honed by years of wandering through the sands and winds of the world. If his older brother had been here, he probably would have turned on him by now.
"We are going to retrieve the Scepter of the Shifting Sands. Please forgive me if my words have caused you any inconvenience!" Shandris stated her goal succinctly, and apologized for her attitude at the same time, but her lack of expression made the apology seem insincere.
"I've heard about the fragments of the Scepter of the Shifting Sands, but haven't you Darnassus finished collecting them yet?" Bolvar paled slightly. He had heard about the Scepter of the Shifting Sands; it was the item used to break the seal, but Darnassus hadn't resolved this matter yet?
"Darnassus has already collected all the fragments of the Scepter of the Shifting Sands, but the scepter belongs to the dragons. I want us to go to the southeastern stone mountains to retrieve the scepter; it must be a test from the dragons for us!" Zul'ra took over Bolvar's words. Although he was happy to see the Alliance clash with Darnassus, he felt that such a conflict was inappropriate at this time.
"Yes, that's right." Shandris nodded in agreement with Zul'ra. This operation was indeed a test from the dragon for them. The reason she didn't explain it clearly was because she didn't want the test to lose its original meaning.
"A test?" Unlike Shandris's original intention, Bolvar and Brann seemed somewhat stunned, absurd, and unable to accept the truth after learning it.
"If you chose me, why test us?" Bolvar was tolerant of the Kaldorei, but when it came to dragons, well, during the Second War, the Dragonmaw Clan Orcs had caused them great losses. They lacked the respect to look up to dragons that could be enslaved by Orcs.
"That's right, since you've chosen us, why do all this?" Brann followed Bolvar. The Dwarves not only lacked reverence for dragons, but even looked down on them. The Dwarves had organized teams to hunt dragons, and the exhibition hall even displayed a dragon skull.
"Gentlemen, please hear our explanation." Zul'ra held down Shandris, who was about to speak, and patiently explained to the extremely dissatisfied Bolvar and Brann.
"The dragons we speak of are not on the same level as the dragons you encountered in past wars, nor the primitive dragons of the wild. They have long lifespans, unique histories and societies, and possess immense power. They also silently protect our world. They participated in the First War of the Shifting Sands more than six thousand years ago."
"In that great war, besides the Kaldorei, the dragons also paid a heavy price. The enemy we faced was very powerful, which is why the dragons tested us. This is not to doubt your strength; if we had doubted that, we wouldn't have invited you to participate in this war."
Faced with Zul'ra's words, Bolvar and Brann, who were initially dissatisfied, quieted down. After thinking it over carefully, they realized that Darnassus and the Horde were being so cautious, which suggested that the enemy was indeed in a hurry. Perhaps they had mobilized a large army, or perhaps there were other reasons. Their impatience and underestimation of their opponent was not a good thing.
"I'm sorry, we were too hasty and underestimated our opponents. This is not a good sign. Perhaps we need to go through some things and calm down." Bolvar spoke first, reflecting on his actions. It wasn't just about underestimating the opponent; the Alliance couldn't afford to fall out with both Darnassus and the Horde in Kalimdor at the same time.
"Young races are always a bit impatient," Zul'ra said calmly, and Shandris nodded in agreement. This made Bolvar and Brann, who were initially somewhat introspective, turn slightly dark-faced, but they ultimately did not refute her.