Forest Guardian

"Druids?" Nathanos's anger turned into confusion, and he couldn't help but ask the Lich King what Druids were.

The Lich King replied, "This is a realm never before trodden by humans, Dwarf, or even High Elf. Druids are the closest beings to this world. They can transform into animal forms, such as bears or eagles."

"And you also gained the abilities of those animals at the same time, right?"

'Indeed. And in the passage to your left, a large group of Druids in bear form slumber.'

"Are they also guards watching over Illidan?"

'No, it's just that Illidan happened to be imprisoned right next to them.'

Nathanos breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. I didn't want to see them wake up during the mission."

"You must hurry!" the Lich King urged. "Someone is on their way."

"What?" Nathanos exclaimed in surprise. "Who? When?"

'They've come to awaken the Druids. The leaders of the Night Elf, Tyrande Whisperwind and Malfurion Stormrage. They could arrive at any moment.'

"Damn it!" Nathanos punched the wall, leaving a dent. "Will they come looking for Illidan? If I run into them, I'm in trouble."

"Enough talk. The Elf left to guard Illidan aren't elite. Kill them and take Illidan."

"Arrogant wretch," Nathanos cursed after the Lich King's whispers faded. Of all times, things went wrong at the most crucial moment, and by such coincidence. Why was the Night Elf leader here on the very day he was to begin his mission? It was as if everything had been planned. Nathanos couldn't help but begin to suspect the Lich King.

"There's no turning back." He began heading towards the tunnel on the right and successfully found the place where Illidan was actually imprisoned. He also spent some time opening the energy bridge leading to that place. Although the Lich King had told him that the remaining Elf were not elite, their numbers were not to be underestimated. To avoid any unforeseen circumstances, he did not carry out the Lich King's order to kill all the Elf.

Unable to attack, he could only hide. Fortunately, some of the Elf here were asleep, allowing Nathanos to easily penetrate deeper. Besides Illidan, many strange creatures were imprisoned here, such as the Centaur he had seen before, and a creature that resembled both Elf and demons.

"The Jailer of this prison certainly has unique tastes," Nathanos chuckled. He had an idea: what would happen if these guys were released?

The guards, fast asleep, were awakened by the sudden alarm; the imprisoned monsters had inexplicably escaped. The Tranquility night was instantly shattered by the sounds of fighting.

Those guys are huge; the Elf will likely suffer heavy casualties. Nathanos pondered this as he continued forward, carefully avoiding the guards who were preparing for battle.

"Keep going forward... turn left, then go straight, and then..." Nathanos recalled the route from the illusion. He assumed all the guards were dealing with the chaos inside the prison, but unexpectedly...

"Oh! Are you kidding me?" He exhaled sharply. In front of the innermost prison cell, a gigantic creature, almost twice his height, emerged from the shadows. At first, he mistook it for Centaur, but upon closer inspection, he realized his mistake. This was a far more troublesome being than Centaur. It resembled a savage creature in appearance, but possessed elegant antlers on its head, and its right hand looked like a work of art carved from wood.

"This continent is truly magnificent," Nathanos scoffed, drawing his Quel'delar from his waist. The other spoke in a language Nathanos couldn't understand, and Nathanos pointed his sword at the creature, gesturing for the rather elegant being to step aside. But in the end, neither of them heeded the warning.

"This is troublesome." Nathanos charged forward. He had no experience dealing with this kind of creature and could only treat it like a cavalryman on the battlefield. So he subconsciously locked his attack on the creature's left front leg.

He had only approached his opponent by a dozen meters when his feet, as if stepping on some kind of mechanism, were suddenly bound by vines that rapidly grew from the ground. Nathanos frowned, realizing that this was the opponent's magic.

"Magic that can control plant growth? How interesting." Nathanos sneered. His expression seemed to have angered his enemy. The other party didn't chant any spells, but a glowing energy ball appeared between his hands, which were placed in front of his chest, and flew towards Nathanos.

Unable to move, he could only shield Quel'delar with his own. The impact nearly sent him tumbling backward, and a second energy ball followed closely. Nathanos ducked back, barely managing to avoid it.

"Enough!" he shouted, quickly drawing an arrow from his quiver and embedding it in the vines binding his feet. The poison on the arrowhead caused the plants to instantly wither and die. The creature was astonished to see Nathanos free. He tried to use the same tactic to restrain Nathanos again, but the human, having learned his lesson, gave him no chance. Nathanos timed his opponent's incantation perfectly, leaping up the instant the vines sprouted and easily dodging them.

"It's over!" Nathanos's eyes reflected the look of terror on the other's face. He showed no mercy, and his Quel'delar was aimed at the horned head...

... Purple blood gushed out from the incision, the body convulsed and struggled a few times, and then collapsed.

"A good-looking but useless piece of trash." He spat at the corpse. The battle hadn't taken him very long, but it still made Nathanos unhappy.

"You'd better be careful. If the Forest Guardian's father finds out how you've treated his child, he'll make you feel his wrath."

The voice came from the prison, and just as he had seen, Nathanos knew who was speaking to him. The Lich King had told him that Illidan Stormrage had been imprisoned for ten thousand years. Nathanos had initially worried whether the prisoner would still be able to speak when he found him. But now, Illidan's voice sounded loud and confident, making Nathanos want to talk to him a little longer.

"Forest Guardian?" The human pointed at the bleeding corpse with Quel'delar. "Such a useless thing doesn't deserve to be called a guardian."

"Do you know who their father is? He's the ancient demigod Cenarius."

"Is that so?" Nathanos scoffed. "Then he can go find his father. Cenarius is dead!"

"What?" Illidan was somewhat surprised, the chains binding him rattling. "Who has such power?"

Nathanos wanted to answer that they were Orcs, but upon reflection, he realized that the blind Elf had never seen such creatures before, and explaining it to him would likely waste a lot of time.

"It's the demon," he replied. "The demon has returned."

The word "demon" seemed to rouse Illidan to his feet. Nathanos couldn't see him, but he heard his struggles, though the chains were too strong for him to break free.

"What does this have to do with me? And why should I believe you? You reek of death."

Nathanos was about to explain, but the hurried footsteps behind him made him swallow his words. Were the guards returning?

"Listen. You'd better not reveal my whereabouts if you don't want to die," he threatened, then ran and hid around a shadowy corner.

Quite a few people had arrived; it was a small force. Nathanos's eyes caught sight of the Female Elf at the head. She was the most elegant Night Elf he had ever seen. Her emerald green hair shone vibrantly even in the dim light. The Elf leader, who had just arrived, frowned as he looked at the still-warm corpses on the ground. Then he called out to his comrades in the prison, "Illidan?"

"Tyrande?"