Conspiracy

He had been unconscious for three hours, his face pressed against the ground, yet he couldn't smell the earth. Nathanos knew he was lying on the ground. The Lich King seemed to have intentionally stripped him of control over his body, allowing only his soul to perceive what was happening around him—the Elf were no match for Grom Grommash, being utterly routed by the Orcs. Vast swathes of forest had been felled. Many Elf who had fought the Orcs lay dead in pools of blood.

'Nathanos ...' A calm, stiff voice came from somewhere, gradually bringing Nathanos's scattered Will back together—the other party was not the Lich King!

He didn't open his eyes, only feeling complete darkness, waiting for the voice to speak to him again.

Finally, the deceased anxiously whispered in his mind: 'Who is speaking to me?'

'This attitude won't help, and I'm waiting for another opportunity to speak with you.'

'I remember your voice,' Nathanos replied rudely in his mind. 'But I advise you to get lost. There's another guy who can communicate with me telepathically. If he finds you, you're dead. This is for your own good.'

'You mean the Lich King?' Nathanos was surprised that the other person knew about the Lich King. He couldn't tell from the words, but he sensed the speaker was laughing. He was mocking the Lich King, or perhaps mocking Nathanos's belief that the Lich King could threaten him.

'You... aren't you afraid of him?'

"Of course, and I know many of his secrets. But as you've pointed out, I truly don't want him to discover me, so my conversation with you was merely seizing a brief opening. Think about it, the Lich King can't possibly monitor all his servants every moment. Like now, he's focused on Arthas, and that fallen Prince has arrived in Kalimdor."

So, what exactly are you trying to say?

There are many things to discuss, but we have limited time, so it's best if we talk face-to-face.

'Do you think the Lich King will turn a blind eye to everything? Besides, why should I go looking for you?' Nathanos hated these pretentious fellows, whether it was the Lich King or this newcomer; he'd had enough!

'If you want to regain your lost memories, do as I say!'

"What? You..." Nathanos's anger turned into urgency. He suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes. He even wanted to shout, but then he remembered his location and tried his best to restrain this impulse. The Orcs camp was not far from him.

"Damn it!" he muttered through gritted teeth. It was always the same; just when the answer he wanted to know was within reach, it would vanish.

This was no coincidence; the person clearly had more to say, and then he woke up at that moment. What does this signify?

'You should take action.'

Sure enough, the Lich King had returned. Nathanos wished he could strike this invisible being with his clenched fist. Action? How? He didn't even know what to do.

The Lich King could read Nathanos's mind and let out a heavy, cold laugh. The master of the Scourge and his servants shared a special bond.

'Set off immediately to find a spring in the forest.'

Another strange order. Nathanos instinctively felt weary. The Lich King's orders never made sense. First, he sent him to Kalimdor, then he followed Grom's Warsong Clan, and now, he was being sent to soak in a spring?

With many questions in mind, Nathanos questioned the Lich King for the first time, even though doing so might bring him punishment again, it was much better than being a puppet.

"Spring water? What spring water? What exactly do you want?"

"I could easily make you experience that excruciating torment again, but right now you're the closest to the objective. Get moving, and you'll see once you find it."

Nathanos forced a bitter smile. "So... I am your eyes?"

'A perfect metaphor.' The Lich King fell silent, his gaze fixed on Nathanos. The humans under surveillance knew this too, and, fueled by pent-up rage, went to find the spring.

He had indeed found it, deep in the jungle not far from the Orcs camp. The trees were still intact, and Grom's peons hadn't discovered it yet. The spring was natural, with no buildings or signs of human activity around it. The creatures surrounding the spring included deer, birds of prey, and an upright Furbolg. The Lich King explained that it was a bear-man, with a hint of dry humor.

Nathanos didn't care what kind of creature it was. Since arriving in Kalimdor, everything he had seen defied common sense: Tauren, Centaur, and these Furbolg —nothing was new to him anymore.

"What exactly do you want me to see?"

"Shut up, they're coming. Hide yourself." The Lich King's whisper had barely finished when two green fireballs appeared out of thin air in the clearing not far from the spring, growing larger and larger until they materialized. They were enormous, with their signature horns and ferocious wings. Anyone who saw their disgusting appearance would know they were demons.

'They've arrived, Tichondrius, the Demon Lord, and Mannoroth, the Abyssal Lord, still as... arrogant as ever.' The Lich King pondered what word could best describe these two vastly different demons, and decided that 'arrogance' was the most fitting. Nathanos wholeheartedly agreed. He had never seen a demon before, but upon seeing one, he still gaped in shock.

The two demons terrified the creatures around the spring. One Furbolg was unable to escape and was smashed into a pulp by Mannoroth's massive double-bladed halberd.

"Ashenvale Forest!" Mannoroth opened his mouth and his voice trembled. "After ten thousand years, I have finally returned to this cursed place."

"Can I understand them?" Nathanos asked quietly. The Lich King's smug laughter reached his ears. "The Scourge can understand what demons are saying."

"Yes, this is not only the territory of the Night Elf, but also the dwelling place of our mortal enemy, the ancient demigod Cenarius." Compared to Mannoroth, Tichondrius's voice was more cunning and eerie.

"Cenarius!" Mannoroth repeated the name, his body trembling, his armor creaking. "Yes, so much time has passed, yet I still remember the trouble he caused us. I long to fight him again, but Cenarius is well hidden; he won't show himself easily."

"That's right." Tichondrius nodded. "However, your precious Orcs have cut down a lot of trees here, which has angered him. Lord Archimonde has ordered us to take down Cenarius before the Legion invades Kalimdor. I believe the Orcs can accomplish this task."

Mannoroth, dragging his massive, clumsy body, turned toward Tichondrius. "They'll probably be wiped out before they even get close to Cenarius. This mission is still best left to me..."

"If you grant your power to the Orcs once more, they can accomplish this impossible task."

"Explain your schemes and plots, Demon Lord."

Tichondrius's gaze locked onto the spring, a cold smile spreading across his face. "Pour your blood into this spring, Mannoroth. That way, the Orcs will be drawn here, drink the polluted water, and become Invincible."

The Demon Lord thought he had explained things clearly enough. Mannoroth nodded, walked to the spring, and cut his palm with his weapon. Thick, green blood spread like a virus into the once clear water. The demon let out a maniacal laugh that sent chills down everyone's spine. This didn't last long; Nathanos waited until they left before speaking.

"Very well, we have witnessed the birth of a conspiracy. So what is your plan? To have me tell the Orcs this news, and then they will kneel before you like they worship a god?"

'They've done it before.'

"What?"

'That's all in the past. Now, you should get down to business; go to the spring.'

Nathanos frowned. "You want me to drink this disgusting stuff?"

'Fool.' the Lich King whispered curses. 'Use your sword to carve ritual runes on the ground as I instructed.'

"A ritual?" Nathanos asked skeptically, drawing the Quel'delar hanging from his waist and drawing intricate shapes around himself on the ground.

'Then, find a container, fill it with spring water, and pour it onto the rune.'

Nathanos did as instructed. The runic seal was quickly filled with the green liquid.

What's next?

'Stand in the center of the ceremony, then kneel down and close your eyes. I will chant an incantation, and you will see something. Remember, look carefully, and be sure to remember what you see.'

When everything was ready, Nathanos was prepared. The Lich King's hollow, deep voice transformed into a series of strange musical notes. On the runes, guided Demon Blood ignited, swirling around Nathanos. The echoing incantations formed image after image in his mind, rapidly shifting.

Tell me what you see.

"The den of beasts...the sleepers...and the prison..."

'Yes. Good. Keep an eye on the prison, look inside. What else do you see?'

"Guards, lots of guards... fully armed, and..."

'What else?'

"A soul... a imprisoned soul, he... is angry... and powerful..." Nathanos said haltingly, the energy on the runes nearing its limit.

"Hurry up and keep watching." The Lich King's voice grew tense. Nathanos was just a little short, just a little short of finding the person he was looking for.

Too many things flooded Nathanos's mind. Besides the guards, he also saw a trap that surrounded a special cell. Each of the stone pillars on the side had an iron chain that held the person inside the cell. Who was that?

Concentrate, concentrate. Nathanos reminded himself. He tried again and again. Finally, his gaze pierced through the shadows of the prison, like the curtain of a theater being drawn back.

Nathanos saw clearly that it was a figure resembling a human, but the long ears indicated that it was not human. Its body was emaciated, as if it had suffered greatly. It must be a dangerous prisoner, so much so that it was firmly bound by four sturdy chains. It was kneeling on the ground. Nathanos felt that it seemed to have been in this position for a long time.

Is this the person the Lich King is looking for? Out of curiosity, he continued to move his gaze forward, wanting to see what the other person looked like.

The person had their head down, but suddenly, a dark purple smile appeared on their lips in the shadows.

'He's laughing? Why is he laughing?'

Nathanos was curious, but then the person suddenly raised his head, as if right in front of Nathanos, and said with a slight smile, "Because I see you!"