Underground River

On the other side, Kale had no idea that Ordos had already set off in pursuit with several high-ranking Satyrs.

With Thisalee's help, he and Big Black had managed to escape the range of the demons' and Satyrs' attacks. They began following the underground river downstream.

Kale guessed that the river probably originated in the underground waterways beneath Mount Hyjal and flowed from east to west. He just had no idea where it would eventually lead.

At first, the underground river was very wide, and the current was gentle. The cliff overhead was several yards above the water, and even Big Black could float easily with the aid of natural energy.

But the farther they went, the narrower the river became, and the stronger the current grew. It was as if an invisible force were shoving them forward. The cliff overhead sank lower and lower, until in places it nearly brushed the water. The slightest lapse in attention could leave them banging their heads against the rocks.

An ordinary person might have lost all hope in this situation. Fortunately, both of them were Druids. Thisalee had turned into a shark, so the water posed no problem for her. Kale could also wrap himself and Big Black in natural energy to keep the current from affecting them.

Although Kale and Big Black were safe for the moment, the amount of energy Kale could control at any given time was limited. Even with Thisalee's help, they couldn't stay underwater for too long. If their energy ran out before they could replenish it, they would inevitably suffocate.

Fortunately, Kale and Big Black were both lucky. After nearly an hour in the enclosed current, the river ahead gradually widened, leading into a new cavern.

This cavern was roomier than the previous one, and the river's current had slowed noticeably, forming a relatively calm pool.

Kale was the first to emerge from the placid river, disturbing the cavern's stillness. Big Black followed close behind.

The man and leopard had spent an hour in the enclosed, pitch-black current, tormented by the oppressive fear welling up inside them. As soon as they got out of the water, they couldn't help gulping down breath after breath.

Unfortunately, this cavern lay midway along the underground river and had no connection to the outside world. The air was thick with a damp, musty smell, and there was precious little oxygen.

If the natural energy circulating around their bodies hadn't sustained their basic need to breathe, they might have suffocated as soon as they reached shore.

Just then, Thisalee emerged from beneath the water and climbed onto the bank.

To Kale's surprise, she didn't transform into a white tiger or a Black Raven this time. Instead, she returned to her original Night Elf form.

Kale gathered a ball of green light at his fingertip and gave her a careful look. He had expected to find her naked, but she was wearing a full set of armor—and from its style, it looked like a T1 Set!

No wonder she was so formidable. Not only could she switch between different forms, she could also cast several high-level spells in succession. It turned out she had the T1 Set to thank for that.

Still, Kale could tell that after all their exertions, she had probably used up nearly all the natural energy in her body. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been limited to her original form.

Sure enough, Thisalee stood on the riverbank, let out a breath, and glanced around. Then she walked over to a flat patch of ground, sat cross-legged, and said, "I've used up too much of my mana. I won't be able to go any farther for a while. I need some time to recover."

"I'm about the same," Kale said. "Do you need food or Moonwell water?" As he spoke, he looked over at Big Black, only to discover that the leopard had nothing on his back. All the food and Moonwell water Kale had packed onto him were gone!

Big Black gave him a growl and looked at him with an innocent expression.

Thisalee smiled. "I brought some, too. If you need any, I can spare a little." As she spoke, she took a large bag of food and a bag of Moonwell water from a tiny leather pouch on her person and handed them to Kale.

Amazingly, the pouch looked barely larger than a palm, yet it could hold items many times its size.

Kale stared at it. "Is that a Magic Backpack?"

"Yeah. Don't you have one?"

Kale took the food and Moonwell water, then shrugged enviously. "I couldn't afford something like that." As he spoke, he slowly opened the food bag. Inside were carefully prepared travel rations: Moonberry Dried Fruit, a mix of nuts, and some jerky.

Thisalee smiled. "It's not that expensive. If we manage to escape this time, I'll give you one."

Kale brightened. "Really? Don't go back on your word."

"Of course I mean it. It's just a Magic Backpack." Her tone was casual, clearly showing that she didn't care much about such an expensive magical item.

Well, she really was loaded. I'd never have guessed from the game.

After that, the two stopped chatting. They and Big Black quickly ate some food and drank some Moonwell water, then each found a spot to sit and meditate, recovering their mana.

As they meditated, pale green natural energy appeared like specks of light in the cavern's rocks, water, and air. It swirled around them like fireflies, then slowly seeped into their bodies.

The natural energy also affected the cavern, making the air grow fresher and more abundant. The moss and lichen that had struggled to survive inside began growing wildly.

By the time Kale came out of his meditation, the ground was covered in green.

Even some of the stalagmites had sprouted fresh green moss. The whole cavern brimmed with life, a striking contrast to its former lifelessness.

Kale wasn't surprised. He knew this was a common side effect of Druids absorbing natural energy while meditating.

Seeing that Thisalee was still meditating, he didn't disturb her.

He left Big Black to keep watch over Thisalee and went to explore the area alone. He discovered that the cavern was quite large, though it was full of stalagmites and holes, making it very difficult to get around.

After familiarizing himself with the surroundings and getting a general sense of the cavern's layout, he was about to follow the riverbank and see how far it went when he heard a splash behind him.

The sound was very faint, but in the silent cavern it rang like thunder.

Startled, Kale hurried back to Thisalee.

She had also been roused by the sound from the river. They exchanged a glance, and Thisalee said, "It came from upstream."

"What do you think it was?" Kale asked.

"Whatever it is, it's dangerous for us. Let's get out of here and find somewhere to hide."

They didn't dare delay. Using natural energy to erase their tracks along the way, they took Big Black and hid near the underground river, far from where they had come ashore.

Not long after the three of them had hidden themselves, a loud splashing came from upstream. Then a ball of light appeared there, revealing five battered Satyrs.

Kale and Thisalee's hearts sank at the sight of them.

In a very low voice, Thisalee said into Kale's ear, "There are five high-ranking Satyrs."

Kale nodded without speaking, keeping his eyes fixed on Ordos.

After coming ashore, the five Satyrs circled the spot where Kale and Thisalee had stopped earlier.

One Satyr spoke in ancient Darnassian: "Damn it, they've already left. Judging by how the moss has grown, they can't have been gone long." He crouched down and touched the fresh moss with his claws.

Ordos, beside him, said, "Let's keep after them. If they haven't been gone long, we'll catch up soon."

A Satyr snorted. "Keep after them? That's easy for you to say. Who's going to supply us with mana? We've nearly used all of ours up."

"That's right. We don't even know how long this underground river is. Without enough mana to sustain us, we'll all drown. We have to rest and recover our mana. Otherwise, we won't be going anywhere."

"Damn it, you're wasting time! You're defying Savatheras's orders!"

The tallest of the five Satyrs roared, "You're the one who deceived Savatheras, Ordos! You're the reason we're in this mess!" Dark green flames burned in his eyes. He was clearly furious with Ordos.

"What do you mean, Etherix?" Ordos asked.

"What do I mean? Damn it, do you really not understand? Those pointy-eared ones are Druids. Natural energy will help them escape this cave. And now we're nothing but a bunch of lousy mages. Do you think we can catch them with the little mana we have left? Idiot!"

Ordos snorted. "You call me an idiot? What about you? Can you think of a better plan? And what do you think will happen after those two pointy-eared ones escape and bring back a whole army? Think about what will become of us!"

"We don't need you to tell us, Ordos. We all understand how serious this is. We'll keep pursuing those two pointy-eared ones, but not now. We can't enter this damned underground river without enough mana. We don't want to drown."

The other three Satyrs all nodded in agreement.

Ordos cursed furiously, but when he saw that the other four Satyrs refused to move, he was powerless to do anything.