Zul'jin's Return

No one in Silvermoon City either? Nathanos was disappointed. The Undead roamed this place too. After driving them away, he found the command post he had once established here. Pushing aside the damaged beaded curtain at the entrance, he seemed to see a scene from the past. In his memory, Alleria stood directly opposite the entrance, tirelessly assigning tasks to everyone.

"Could it be... that everyone is in Silvermoon City?" Nathanos sat in an old chair, pondering. Should he go to that once magnificent city?

No! He leaned back in his chair, supporting his forehead with his hand. He absolutely could not go to Silvermoon City. He couldn't let anyone else discover his whereabouts. He didn't want to clash with the Blood Elf before seeing Alleria.

Nathanos's languid demeanor was out of sync with his thoughts. Having lost his ability to regenerate, he now did everything to minimize the strain on his body. But he was no longer alone; two Undead Hound nestled at his feet, and no amount of chasing them away could scare them away.

Since they want to follow me, then I'll take them with me! Perhaps they can be useful sometimes; for example, they can smell enemies and make fierce gestures to warn Nathanos that someone is approaching.

"Who is it now?" Noticing the Undead Hound assume the attack stance he expected, Nathanos stood up. The sounds of fighting came from outside: the cracking of Ghoul being sliced in two, the shriek of Banshee as she vanished. And...

"Troll." Nathanos sneered. He had almost forgotten that another intelligent species also inhabited the Elf's homeland. They had actually come here and even clashed with the Undead!

"There is only rotting flesh and bones here, Overseer! No trace of white skin or pointed ears found."

"It looks like they've given up on this place!"

The voice then erupted into unrestrained laughter.

"Hmm?" Nathanos frowned inside the house. The tone of the man who asserted there were no Elf here sounded strangely familiar. He went outside, followed by two Undead Hound.

With its oak-leaf-like skin, bizarrely shaped swearing, and powerful physique, it was undoubtedly Amani Troll.

"There's another guy."

At this shout, all the Troll turned to look at Nathanos, who had appeared. But the Undead only cared about their leader.

"I thought it was someone else!" Nathanos said slowly, arms crossed. "It's you. Your name is... Zul'jin, right?"

"Do you know me?" the leader of the Troll asked in return.

Nathanos nodded, but Zul'jin's appearance seemed drastically changed. His right eye was hollow, and the socket bore a gruesome scar, the result of a sharp weapon. His left hand had also been severed. His upper body was covered in black markings, spreading through his blood like poison, yet he didn't appear to be suffering from any illness. Most strikingly, his purple hair had turned completely white. Nathanos had never seen a white-haired Troll before. The Amani Troll had a habit of cannibalism, including their own kind, and they only considered elderly Troll a meal.

What exactly did he go through?

Nathanos asked curiously, "I remember that arrow should have hit your heart, and I also put poison on my face, so how... did you manage to get it off?"

"So it was you!" Zul'jin glared at Nathanos with fanaticism. Anger, hatred, and even joy appeared simultaneously on his gaunt face. "You ambushed me when I wasn't paying attention. I've been looking for you for so long, I've been searching for the owner of this arrow!" The Troll warlord took out a broken bow and threw it at Nathanos's feet.

Even after all these years, he can still recognize that these are his own bows and arrows.

"I'd rather know how you survived."

"Survive? Ha...!!!" Zul'jin laughed, then roared at Nathanos, "Look at me, take a good look! Do you see my blindness? Do you see that I only have one arm? Do you see my wounds?" With that, he ripped off the thin purple coat he was wearing, exposing his heart.

Even though Nathanos was no longer breathing, he still felt a chill run down his spine. A gruesome wound appeared where Zul'jin's heart had been; all the black markings on the Troll's body originated from this wound.

You still haven't answered my question.

Nathanos's indifferent expression made Zul'jin's eyes bloodshot. He gripped the axe in his right hand tightly and let out a low, eerie smile. "You want to know? I'd be happy to share with you."

"I'm listening."

"When your arrow pierced my heart and I was on the verge of death, I called upon the mighty Loa, the god of death of our Troll Bwonsamdi! I begged him not to take my soul, and he agreed, and made a deal with me! Just for revenge, revenge against the Alliance, revenge against the Elf, and against you! I dream of cutting your head off!"

Nathanos laughed after hearing his story.

"What are you laughing at?" Zul'jin roared.

"You practically wear hatred on your sleeve, Zul'jin. It seems you hate Bwonsamdi as much as you hate me. Your right eye, your left arm, and all these ominous... things on your body, are they all his handiwork?"

"That's right! These are the things I showed him to show my sincerity. He saved my life, gave me a new life, and I am better now than ever before or ever before."

Nathanos clapped, the "clap clap clap" sound testing Zul'jin's patience.

"This is the first time I've ever heard anyone praise Death, and do so with such a refined and elegant way. You've gone to such lengths to please your god."

The sarcastic remark had its effect, ending the exchange of insults between the two. Zul'jin held the axe to his face, licked it, and savored the intoxicating taste of blood. "He wants death more than my praise. Your death is the best sacrifice for him!"

"You can't see with your other eye either?" Nathanos said, spreading his hands. "I'm dead!"

"Really? Then you're very lucky. Having experienced death, you shouldn't be afraid of the process. I believe Bwonsamdi will be happy to see you enter the real realm of death!"

"Then you should say hello to him for me!" Nathanos drew his Quel'delar from his waist. During his argument with Zul'jin, he had already assessed the number and composition of this Troll squad. Although his power had diminished somewhat after the Lich King's influence faded, dealing with these savage creatures was still more than enough!

"Bwonsamdi? So there are other beings in this world... who wield the power of death!"