When You Rise, Help the World

As the saying went, "When you're down, focus on bettering yourself; when you rise, help the world." When I lacked the ability, I focused on taking care of myself. Once I had it, I wanted to make life better for those around me. After settling down for several years and spending five years comprehending the Way, I'd trained in martial arts day and night and fought countless battles to the death—all so I could make a stunning debut! Who didn't want countless disciples at their feet and believers everywhere? Who didn't want to be second only to one and above ten thousand?

But Azar only wanted to be a scroll mounter. He simply couldn't stand the Night Elves' ostrich-like attitude, and he only wanted to follow the path he believed was right. Still, before anything else, there'd have to be a fight. This was Azar's first shot, and he had to make it count—to show his might, make a statement, and make his name known!

"Beat my guards first." He was putting on a show; he couldn't afford to lose face before the fight even started. Though Azar had been holed up, preparing a killer move, that didn't mean he knew nothing about the outside world. In just a few short years, the Well of Eternity had quietly changed his people's bodies and appearance. Their hair had grown smoother, their teeth smaller, and their skin better. "Use it, and use Franchin—" Pah, pah, pah, wrong script.

Azar was increasingly certain that they were the ancestors of the Night Elves—the Dark Trolls. He just didn't know when the tribe's great shamans would develop Arcane Magic, or when they would begin spreading the splendor of magical civilization. For Azar, he needed a group of followers of his own to increase his influence within the tribe. Only then could he put forward constructive ideas and suggestions for its future.

To put it plainly, Azar wanted power—lots of it. Being the Chieftain's nephew was completely useless. But being the tribe's greatest warrior as well as the Chieftain's nephew would be useful. When the time came, even if Azshara showed up, he'd be able to stand toe-to-toe with her.

"Maiev, I'd planned to guide you in your training, but as you can see, Uncle is facing a challenge of his own. Your performance today was actually excellent. You found another path through martial techniques, and I hope you'll stick with your choice. I have a suggestion: if you learn to conceal yourself, wouldn't that help you more in battle? Try to figure it out on your own first. After the whole tribe's tournament is over, I'll teach you personally."

"Yes, Uncle. I'll remember what you said. I'll take my leave."

Watching Maiev leave, Azar walked slowly toward the Well of Eternity. When the water reached his waist, he bent down and reached in, pulling out two One-handed Swords: Quel'Delar! Quel'Serrar! In his previous life, these weapons had been made by dragons in Warcraft. Now, he'd made two just like them. The Titansteel had come from the Drakkari tribe, and the Ghost Iron from the Zandalar Tribe. The funny thing was, they didn't even know what it was good for. They'd abandoned it like trash simply because their techniques weren't good enough to smelt it.

As it happened, Azar knew the secret to smelting it: high heat, extreme heat! That was how he made Quel'Serrar. Low heat, extreme cold! That was how he made Quel'Delar. He knew the game used Arcanite Bars, but Arcanite couldn't possibly be as good as Titansteel, and Saronite couldn't compare to Ghost Iron. You think he didn't have the skills? That was looking down on him. Were the great shamans just there to eat? They were the predecessors of the Elf Archmages; extreme cold and extreme heat were no challenge for them. And there'd been the Centennial War against the Aqir. There were more than enough excellent blacksmiths!

You think they lacked the dragons' blessing, so they weren't as good as the originals? Don't make me laugh. Could the dragons compare to the Well of Eternity in its early days? It was the bloodline of a world-soul, after all—its nourishing effects were top-notch. One sword was dark red, the other blue-gray. Their metal dragon-claw hilts gripped the blades from either side, while the finest parts of spears had been used to make their hilts. The hilts were wrapped in century-old crocodile hide, giving them a wonderfully solid feel. They weren't just deadly weapons; they were works of art. The dark-red Quel'Serrar and blue-gray Quel'Delar had been steeped in the Power of Order, and both were saturated with it. Azar even dreamed that one day he'd have the chance to ask a Blue Dragon to carve a few enhancement runes for him. Then these two weapons would be incredible.

If a craftsman wanted to do good work, he first needed good tools. But having a good weapon didn't mean you could win; in the end, strength was what mattered. If you had no skill, even a Titan's sword would be useless. Holding the swords in his hands, Azar slowly guided the Power of Order within him into their blades, where it resonated with the Power of Order already within them. Yes, they answered him. He felt himself fill with power, leaped out of the water, and landed on shore.

Thunder Clap! Heroic Strike! A normal strike, then another—Enrage! He roared, unleashing Rampage—Burst! Raging Blow! Raging Blow! Raging Blow! After a flurry of combos, he was done.

The weather was lovely that day, with a gentle breeze. Four people had gathered at the training ground. Two stood respectfully: one held a spear—it was Falco—and the other was Maiev. Muru stood to the side, holding Azar's two swords in both hands. The last person paced about casually.

"Ever since I taught you how to sense the Power of Order three years ago, I haven't checked on your training again. That was my failure. I called you here today to make up for it. For the next while, I'll be demonstrating my techniques here. You can watch from the side, and how much you learn will be up to you." Before the two could react, Azar began his demonstration. They silently stepped aside and watched with complete concentration, afraid they'd miss even the smallest detail.

"What! How did he disappear? What kind of skill is that?" Maiev cried out.

"Don't talk. Watch closely, and ask questions when he's done." This was where Falco showed his superior judgment. He knew exactly what to do and when.

Gouge—Kick—Sprint away! The first wooden post fell.

Heroic Leap—Fear—Disarm—Blade Dance! The second post was smashed to pieces.

He moved some distance away, faced the third post, and used Battle Shout—Charge—Raging Blow—Raging Blow—Execute.

"Hm? The third post didn't react?" Maiev muttered in confusion.

"No! There are six pieces!"

Azar chuckled at that, then tapped the post with one finger. It split down the middle and broke into three sections at the waist, making six pieces in all.

"Okay, you can ask questions now."

"I'll go first! Me first! Uncle, what was that skill you used at the start, when you disappeared?" Maiev was the most impatient.

"I told you before: many of your moves are explosive and deal tremendous damage. You could even say they're lethal in one hit. That's why you need to hide yourself and wait for the right moment to strike!"

"After you kicked him, shouldn't you have kept attacking? Maybe with Eviscerate, Garrote, then Blade Dance?"

Azar smiled faintly. "That's a good idea, but it's too idealistic. Real combat isn't imaginary, and it isn't a sparring match. You have to adapt to each situation as it arises. My demonstration was meant to tell you this: if your first strike misses, run immediately. You can only deal damage if you're alive."

"One last question. Do I need to learn Fear? That was the move that got me last time." When Maiev brought up their previous spar, she looked a little aggrieved.

That was a good question. Warrior or Rogue? Plate-wearing Rogue? Azar thought for a moment, then said calmly, "During our training, we'll encounter many different moves. Do we need to learn them all? I don't think so. We need to build our own paths from the beginning, then choose the best and learn from them. But we can't ignore the moves that aren't useful to us. We need to study and understand how to counter them. Only by doing these three things can we keep improving and reach the peak."

"Go on. Think carefully about your own path."

The All-Round Melee King! That was Azar's path as a Warrior.