Tauren Chieftain Band Meet Ahead of Time

They played around until dawn. After letting loose like mad, exhaustion finally set in. That was simply how the body worked. If you kept your nerves constantly taut, it numbed your bodily senses and kept you from feeling quite so tired. But once you began to relax, the fatigue that had been suppressed all along came rushing in. After the revelry, even Varok's body was urging him to rest.

So, without making any arrangements at all, everyone simply flopped down onto Mulgore's grasslands. Especially by Stone Bull Lake, the lush prairie was like a green blanket woven by the earth itself, fresh and comfortable. Breathing in the fragrance of grass, these Horde warriors who had just been burning, killing, and looting Quilboar now huddled together in little groups like oversized children and went to sleep.

"These crazy youngsters, not paying the slightest attention to their defenses. They had just ambushed the unprepared Quilboar, yet now they did not even leave anyone on watch. Aren't they afraid the Quilboar will sneak up on them?" Magatha Grimtotem grumbled as she looked at the Horde warriors sprawled across the ground. Naturally, Magatha had not joined the male warriors at Stone Bull Lake the night before, so she had summoned water elementals to wash herself, her clothes, and her armor. Then she summoned fire elementals to make a fire and easily dried her clothes by controlling the temperature. Magatha's personality was somewhat old-fashioned, and she disliked seeing Tauren frolicking with these outsiders. So she had rested alone on the grasslands. While Rend and the others were playing wildly, Lady Magatha, being older and more mindful of her routine as a woman, had used shamanic power to raise a simple earthen hut from the flat ground, shutting out the noise outside and going straight to sleep. Thus, by the time Rend and the others had just fallen asleep, Magatha had already awakened.

"They are young, Magatha. Besides, our Tauren children have not relaxed like this in a long time. The threat of the centaurs wiping out our people had hung over them since childhood. Unlike us, they never had much of a childhood. They should be allowed to relax a little, and this will also bring the children closer to their other brothers in the Horde." Druids did not like noisy surroundings either. Though Hamuul still had a youthful heart, he had not joined the young people. Instead, he flew up into a large tree and used druidic power to turn it into a simple druid's treehouse. He smiled and fell asleep amid the noise outside, because he knew the young men would surely be exhausted and asleep by dawn. Someone still needed to remain awake and stand guard then. After all, Mulgore had not only Quilboar but also gnolls. It was not especially safe.

It had to be said that spellcasters had it good. Like Magatha, she could use the elements—wind, fire, water, and earth—to help her. Wind brought her tranquility, fire brought her comfort, water brought her cleanliness, and earth gave her shelter. Wherever the elements accepted them, shamans had their aid.

Hamuul was a druid and could fly on his own, saving him so much trouble. With nature's affinity, wherever he went, nature provided him with the best rest: a comfortable treehouse, sweet fruit, morning dew, and the wonderful dreams granted by the Emerald Dream.

Although warriors still made up the main force, spellcasting classes were clearly far more refined and powerful. The development of physical strength could not always compare to the output of powerful energy. You could only wield an axe at close range, while they could fire all sorts of energy blasts from afar. You could only endure attacks with armor and flesh, while they could throw up shields of every kind. Warriors had it hard. Heaven to the left, warriors to the right. Other than sentiment, it was because those without magical talent still had something they needed to protect.

"Get up, you brat." Varok smacked Rend awake. Though Varok had also gone to sleep only at dawn like the others, he had awakened before them. Even in the safest environment, an old soldier remained vigilant and alert to danger at all times, so he never slept for long.

"No problem, Varok." Rend rubbed his bleary eyes, then woke up properly and found that he, Rokhan, and Anok had slept together in an extremely undignified pose. Rokhan was still hugging Anok's thigh, his two tusks stuck in the marshmallow-like sweets Rend had put on before bed last night.

"Hey, hey, hey, get up already. Look at you, what kind of state are you sleeping in? Hurry up and assemble the troops. The Warchief is still waiting for us." Rend kicked the two men who had yet to wake up, acting as if he had risen early specifically to notify them.

After waking the two of them, Rend went alone to the lakeside and washed his face with the lake water, which had become clear again after a night. Since childhood, Rend had developed the habit of thoroughly rubbing his face with water when he got up. It made it easier to wake up, and he enjoyed the feeling.

After washing his face, he took out a toothpaste-like substance flavored with Sunfruit, produced by the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas and purchased from the Goblins, and cleaned his teeth. Compared with his previous life, the people of Azeroth, this magical continent, had much stronger bodies. Even if they did not brush their teeth, they could drink heavily and eat large chunks of meat every day without developing any dental problems. Otherwise, Orc tusks and Trolls' massive fangs would not be teeth that suffered virtually no damage except through accidents. Still, Rend liked the fresh feeling after brushing his teeth, and even found his own breath more pleasant.

"Morning, Chieftain Rend." Samuro and Chieftain Ripi happened to come to the lakeside to wash up as well. Under Rend's urging the night before, they had begun organizing a singing gathering. The Tauren naturally sent out one of their two great kings, Chieftain Ripi—the other being High Chieftain Cairne—while Rend recommended Samuro for the Orcs. This allowed the two men who would one day form the Tauren Chieftain Band to meet ahead of time. The two immediately felt they had met too late. After their solo performances, Samuro's voice and Chieftain Ripi's signature drum kit came together in a duet. Though it was their first collaboration, they were remarkably in sync. That night, they discussed the art of music together. No one had expected that, aside from Chieftain Ripi, a Tauren obsessed with music, the Orcs also had such an outstanding singer—and that it was Samuro, the powerful and one of the few remaining blademasters. After all, aside from Lantresor of the Blade, the mining blademaster still in Outland, Samuro was the greatest blademaster. No one had expected that beneath his superb martial skill and ghostly movements lay such an exceptional voice. Samuro possessed the same talent for singing as he did for killing; folk songs, rock, and songs in many other styles all came effortlessly to him.