The Underground River

On the other side, Kale had no idea that Ordos was already in pursuit with several high-level Satyr.

With the help of Thisalee, he and Big Black had successfully escaped the range of the demons and Satyr, beginning to travel downstream along the subterranean river.

Kale guessed that the source of this underground river was likely the water system beneath Mount Hyjal, and that the flow should run from east to west, though he had no idea where it would eventually lead.

At first, the river channel was quite wide and the current gentle. The cliff ceiling hung several meters above the water, allowing even Big Black to float easily with the buoyancy of natural energy.

However, as they ventured deeper, the channel gradually narrowed and the current grew turbulent. The two felt as if they were being pushed forward by an invisible force, and the ceiling above lowered until it nearly brushed the water, threatening to strike their heads if they were not careful.

Faced with such a situation, an ordinary person might have despaired, but fortunately, both were Druid. Thisalee had transformed into a shark, her movements in the water completely unaffected, while Kale could wrap himself and Big Black in natural energy to avoid the interference of the current.

Yet, although Kale and Big Black were safe for the moment, the amount of energy Kale could manipulate was limited. Even with Thisalee's help, they could not remain in the water for too long; otherwise, once their energy was exhausted and could not be replenished in time, they would inevitably suffocate.

Fortunately, both Kale and Big Black were lucky. After persisting in the confined current for nearly an hour, the channel ahead gradually widened as they entered a new cavern.

This cavern was more spacious than the previous ones, and the river's flow slowed significantly, forming a relatively calm pool.

Kale was the first to emerge from the gentle river, breaking the silence of the cavern, with Big Black following closely behind.

Having spent an hour in the confined, dark current, the man and the leopard were exhausted by the oppressive panic they had felt, and they could not help but gasp for air the moment they left the water.

Regrettably, this cavern was in the middle of the underground river and disconnected from the outside world; the air was thick with a damp, musty smell, and the oxygen was pitifully thin.

Had it not been for the natural energy still circulating around their bodies to maintain basic respiratory needs, they likely would have suffocated the moment they reached the shore.

At this moment, Thisalee also emerged from the water and stepped onto the bank.

Unexpectedly, she did not transform into a white tiger or Black Raven this time, but returned to her original Night Elf form.

Kale gathered a ball of green light at his fingertips to examine her closely. He had expected to see her in her usual state, but to his surprise, she was wearing a set of armor—and by the looks of it, it was a T1 Set!

No wonder this girl was so formidable; not only could she shift between various forms, but she could also cast several high-level spells in succession. It turned out she had the support of a T1 Set.

However, Kale could also tell that after the recent ordeal, the natural mana within her was likely nearly depleted; otherwise, she would not have been forced to maintain her original form.

Sure enough, Thisalee stood on the riverbank, let out a sigh, and glanced around. She walked to a flat area, sat cross-legged, and said, "My mana is too depleted. I cannot continue for the time being. I need some time to recover."

Kale replied, "I'm in much the same state. Do you need food and Moonwell water?" As he spoke, he looked at Big Black, only to realize that there was nothing left on the leopard's back. All the food and Moonwell water he had prepared for Big Black were gone!

Big Black let out a roar at him, looking somewhat innocent.

Thisalee smiled and said, "I have supplies. If you need them, I can share some with you." As she spoke, she took a large bag of food and a pouch of Moonwell water from a small leather pouch at her waist and handed them to Kale.

Surprisingly, the pouch looked no larger than a palm, yet it could produce items much bigger than itself.

Kale's eyes widened as he asked, "Is that a Magic Backpack?"

Thisalee replied, "Yes, don't you have one?"

Kale took the food and Moonwell water, shrugged, and said with a hint of envy, "I can't afford something like that." As he spoke, he slowly opened the food bag, which contained carefully prepared travel rations—Moonberry Dried Fruit, a nut mix, and some jerky.

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

Kale said happily, "Really? Don't go back on your word."

Thisalee replied, "Of course it's real. It's just a Magic Backpack." Her tone was casual, clearly indifferent to such a valuable magical item.

Well, it seemed this girl was quite wealthy; he really hadn't noticed that in the game.

Without further ado, the two of them and Big Black quickly ate some food and drank some Moonwell water, then each found a spot to sit and meditate to recover their mana.

As they meditated, pale green natural energy emerged like light particles from the cavern's rocks, water, and air, swirling around the two like Fire Fly before slowly merging into their bodies.

This natural energy also affected the cavern's environment, making the air increasingly fresh and abundant, and even the moss and lichen that had been struggling to survive in the cave began to grow wildly.

By the time Kale snapped out of his meditation, the ground was already covered in a layer of green.

Even some of the stalagmites had sprouted tender green moss. The entire cavern radiated vitality, a stark contrast to the deathly silence from before.

Kale was not surprised by this; he knew it was a common side effect of a Druid absorbing natural energy during meditation.

Seeing that Thisalee was still meditating, he did not disturb her.

He left Big Black to keep watch over Thisalee and wandered around on his own. He discovered that the cavern was quite large, though it was filled with stalagmites and holes, making it very difficult to traverse.

He familiarized himself with the surroundings and roughly mapped out the layout of the cavern. Just as he intended to walk along the riverbank to see how far it went, he heard a sound of water coming from behind him.

The sound was very faint, but in the silent cave, it felt like a thunderclap.

Kale was startled by the noise and quickly ran back to Thisalee's side.

By then, Thisalee had also been awakened by the sound of the water. The two exchanged a look, and Thisalee said, "The sound is coming from upstream."

Kale asked, "What do you think that sound is?"

Thisalee replied, "Whatever it is, it spells danger for us. Let's leave here first and find a place to hide."

The two did not dare to delay. Along the way, they used natural energy to clear their tracks and, taking Big Black with them, found a hiding spot in an area near the underground river, far from where they had landed.

Not long after the man, the leopard, and the woman had hidden themselves, a splashing sound came from upstream. Then, a bright light rose, and in its glow stood five bedraggled Satyr.

Kale and Thisalee's hearts sank as they saw the five Satyr.

Thisalee whispered in Kale's ear in an extremely low voice, "They are five high-level Satyr."

Kale nodded slightly without speaking, his eyes fixed intently on Ordos among them.

After the five Satyr came ashore, they circled the spot where Kale and the others had just been resting.

One of the Satyr spoke in the ancient Darnassian: "Damn it, they've already left. Judging by the growth of this moss, they couldn't have been gone long." He crouched down, touching the fresh moss on the ground with his claw.

Ordos, standing beside him, said, "We keep pursuing. Since they haven't been gone long, we'll catch up to them soon enough."

A Satyr snorted and said, "Keep pursuing? Easy for you to say, but who is going to provide us with mana? Our mana is nearly exhausted."

"Indeed, there is no telling how long this underground river is. Without enough mana to sustain us, we'll all drown in the water. We must rest and recover our mana, otherwise, we aren't going anywhere."

"Damn it, you are all wasting time! You are defying the orders of Savatheras!"

The tallest of the five Satyr roared, "It was you who deceived Savatheras, Ordos! It is you who led us into this predicament!" Dark green flames burned in his eyes, clearly showing his extreme dissatisfaction with Ordos.

Ordos said, "What do you mean by that, Etherix?"

Etherix replied, "What do I mean? Damn it, don't you know? Those two pointy-ears are Druid; the energy of nature will help them escape the confines of this cave. And we are nothing but a few pathetic mages right now—do you really think we can catch them with the measly mana we have left? You fool!"

Ordos let out a huff and said, "Calling me a fool? What about you lot? Can you come up with any better ideas? Just think about how many troops those two pointy-ears will bring back once they escape! Think about what kind of fate awaits us!"

Etherix said, "You don't need to tell me, Ordos, we all understand the gravity of the situation. We will continue to pursue those two pointy-ears, but not now. We cannot enter this damn underground river without sufficient mana; we have no desire to drown in it."

The other three Satyr nodded one after another in agreement.

Ordos cursed in a fit of rage, but seeing that the four Satyr were unwilling to move, he found himself helpless for the moment.