Calm Before the Storm

At the headquarters, Varian, Tyrande, and several other generals were discussing the Horde disturbance from the day before yesterday. According to the scouts' reports, six worgen had assassinated more than ten Horde officers, but four had died and two were wounded, with the wounded missing. Yesterday, scouts reported that the two missing worgen had reappeared at the border and been successfully rescued. The entire Alliance was shocked. It was not as though assassins had never succeeded before, but such an achievement was rare. It was said that Garrosh had already killed quite a few people over this matter, and the Orcs were now deeply unsettled.

Varian remained silent for a long time after hearing about the assassination. Though he said nothing more in the end, he still dispatched two priests to be permanently stationed there, along with a squad of infantry to guard them under the pretense of protecting the priests. The worgen's meals and supplies, however, improved dramatically overnight.

When Varian saw Greymane enter, he did not feel his usual anger, nor did he mock Greymane. His heart was so calm that even he found it frightening. He slowly said, "King Genn, I offer my condolences for the soldiers who died in the assassination two days ago. Thank them for giving their lives for the Alliance."

But Greymane had not come for that matter. "Thank you for Your Majesty's concern, but I have something more important to report. It may change the course of the war. Sylvanas has led her Forsaken onto the battlefield."

After a brief silence, the meeting hall erupted. Many of the generals present said it was impossible. Tyrande also looked stunned, for she had never expected to hear Sylvanas's name here.

Varian rose to his feet and shouted, "Silence! All of you, quiet down! You are all seasoned generals, and most of you have faced the Scourge. What are you afraid of?" Once the room had settled, Varian looked at Greymane. "How do you know? Give us the details."

Greymane looked at Varian, his eyes filled with something called resolve. "One of the two wounded men woke up this morning. I believe Your Majesty has met him as well—Alpha Lang Tu. Before I came here, he told me the full details. It was indeed the Forsaken, and their leader Sylvanas was among them. Both of them had arrow wounds when they returned, especially Alpha, who was struck by a poisoned arrow. Only the Forsaken possess that poison; there is no doubt about it. I ask Your Majesty to permit Gilneas's worgen to join the main battlefield. We want to slaughter those undead with our own hands."

Varian had nothing more to say after hearing this, but he hesitated when Greymane spoke of slaughtering the undead. Though worgen strength rivaled that of the Orcs and they would undoubtedly be a main force on the battlefield, Tyrande spoke up at that moment. "King Varian, I agree with King Genn. After all, they have fought these Forsaken many times. They understand how to deal with them. We should be clear that the Forsaken are still different from the Scourge."

In the end, Varian agreed and even gave King Genn the forces of an entire legion, because King Genn was now truly willing to fight for the Alliance.

Back at the Gilneas encampment, Alpha was consumed by frustration after being wounded. He had thought that after gaining Goldrinn's power, he would have enough strength to make a difference on the battlefield. But reality was cruel. He was still weak, and whenever he thought of his four comrades who had died so miserably, his heart ached.

"So you're here. Looks like you woke up long ago. Come, take a walk with me." Darius, who had been watching Alpha agonize and blame himself from outside, finally spoke.

Alpha raised his head and saw Darius with one arm in a sling. He hurriedly tried to stand, but a sharp pain shot through his leg, and he nearly fell back down. A crutch appeared before him. Following it with his eyes, he found Darius grinning broadly.

Soon, two worgen could be seen fussing around in the kitchen—one with an arm in a sling, the other leaning on a crutch.

"I'm telling you, can't you spread it more evenly? The sauce has to be coated evenly for it to taste good. Oh, and stuff some scallions and ginger inside to get rid of the gamey smell." After a while, he added, "Wrap it in lotus leaves. No lotus leaves? Can't you go pick some? I saw a lake over there. Honestly, what good are you?" Darius complained.

Alpha could not take it anymore. "Boss, you said your hand was injured, fine, so I'm doing the work. But your legs are perfectly fine, and you're making me go pick lotus leaves. You're making me do everything when you were the one who said you were treating me to food." He was on the verge of exploding.

Three hours passed.

Alpha stared uneasily at the black, oval ball before him. "Boss, are you sure this is edible? Is the chicken inside even cooked?"

Darius smacked Alpha on the head with his stick. "What nonsense are you talking about? Move aside. I'll show you what Beggar's Chicken is." He gave it a light tap with the stick. The blackened clay shell fell away, revealing the emerald-green lotus leaves beneath. Darius carefully tried to peel them back, but with only one hand, he could only shout, "You peel it. Layer by layer, and don't ruin it." He stepped aside to make room for Alpha.

Alpha carefully peeled away the layers of lotus leaves. A strange, enticing fragrance drifted out, followed by a golden roast chicken appearing before his eyes. Alpha swallowed as he smelled it. A cup appeared before him. "Take it." After handing him a cup, Darius produced a wine flask and poured each of them a drink. "A bite of meat, a sip of wine—that's perfection. Come, try it." Alpha tore off a piece of meat. It steamed and dripped with juice, and he decisively stuffed it into his mouth. At that instant, Alpha felt as though he were about to ascend to heaven. The flavor was simply incredible. The meat was juicy and tender, with a faint, fresh lotus-leaf fragrance lingering as he chewed. Alpha took another sip of wine, and its rich aroma instantly filled his mouth.

Darius also ate meat and drank wine. As expected, meat tasted best and wine drank best. As they ate, he chatted with Alpha. "How is it? Feeling much better now? Is your heart more at ease?"

Alpha looked at Darius in surprise. "Boss, you noticed? You did all this for me?" Just as Alpha was about to cry from emotion, Darius said, "How could that be? I just wanted to eat meat, but I was afraid Genn would nag me, so I decided to drag you along." Alpha instantly froze, then stared blankly at Darius before looking at the meat and wine in his hands.

Darius sighed. "All right, I'll stop teasing you. I know you're still thinking about those four comrades who died, blaming yourself for being weak. I once complained like that too. I was sad, and I even wanted to kill myself. But Genn stopped me. He said that once a person dies, there is nothing left. Staying alive is what matters. Only by staying alive can you become stronger and protect the people you cherish. The dead would not want to see you like this either. You need to understand that from now on, your life does not belong only to you. It belongs to them as well—to those who have passed." Looking up at the sky, Darius continued, "Alpha, do you have something you want to protect now? Think carefully about why you sought power. Do not forget your original purpose."

Alpha murmured, "My original purpose."

A sinister voice suddenly came from behind them. "You two injured men should be lying in bed, yet you're here drinking and eating meat."

Darius, who was eating, and Alpha, who had been deep in thought, both stiffened. They slowly turned their heads. Darius even added, "Genn, would you like some too?" Greymane rubbed his hands as he looked at Darius. "You seem quite energetic. I happen to have some work on hand, so you can do it. And Alpha, don't move. Your leg seems almost healed as well. I have several reports that need delivering, so run them over for me."

Soon afterward, several screams and wails rang out.