The Purge Plan

The Queen wanted to go out for a ride. Once Azshara made up her mind, no one in the world could change it... which meant that Varos had absolutely no chance of persuading her.

Azshara had not left her palace for a long time. She and her maids walked solemnly out of the gates and headed into the city, accompanied by her cumbersome personal guards and a squad of elite soldiers led by the captain of the guard on foot.

The city was desolate. The more demons emerged from the portals, the harder it was to govern. This was the first time the Night Elf's highest ruler had inspected the city up close since its destruction. She gazed at the ruined houses, the filthy streets, and the occasional corpses. The bodies remained intact due to the absence of scavengers. Varos expected this desolate scene to enrage the Queen, but Azshara remained silent.

The captain of the guard stared at the world outside the palace, his face grim. He didn't want anything to upset the queen. He was now more than willing to destroy everything before him as easily as piercing an enemy's body with a sword.

A hellhound peeked out from behind the collapsed tower, its ugly mouth filled with something unknown. It was chewing loudly as the Queen's procession passed by, but soon retreated back into the shadows.

They walked for a while, Azshara remaining silent, so the others dared not speak. Although there was no real danger, her Doomguard followed her closely. These demons were now as loyal to her as the other soldiers, and would not hesitate to obey the queen's orders to attack their own kind. Of course, Azshara would never do such a thing, for she did not wish to anger Sargeras, the master of the Burning Legion.

"He'll be here soon, won't he?" she asked.

The captain of the guard didn't understand the queen's meaning. "The queen?"

"He's coming, Captain. He's coming."

Captain Varos nodded immediately. "Yes, my Queen, she will be here soon. Mannoroth said the portal is becoming more and more secure."

"He must be a god among gods, because it would take such a solid portal to get him here."

"You are absolutely right, my queen."

The Night Elf, covered in wounds, nodded again, trying his best to suppress his jealousy.

The city is still shrouded in a green mist, the same mist that blankets most of Kalimdor. To Azshara, it adds a touch of fantasy and mystery to her capital, while also concealing many things that might bring her unhappiness. When the world is rebuilt, she will ask Sargeras to help dispel the mist; until then, the mist suits her perfectly.

Azshara looked around; the place they had arrived at had once been an open square.

"We need to talk privately, Captain of the Guard."

The other Night Elf and demons wouldn't have given this order much thought. But Varos was different. Normally, he would have been honored, but now it was different. Varos felt everything had changed. The queen was still the queen, but she wasn't the same queen anymore. Regardless, he had to stay—it was the queen's order!

Faced with the fait accompli, Varos had no right to argue and could only obediently stay where he was, while the Felguard and servants turned and slowly left.

Only after the entourage had moved out of their hearing range did Azshara speak. She smiled at Varos and asked, "Is everything going well?"

"What's progressing smoothly?"

The queen looked up at the horizon and said, "I thought the cleansing of my kingdom was already complete."

"Your Majesty, Lord Archimonde will ensure the cleanup is completed smoothly."

"But I hope to get everything done before Sargeras arrives; wouldn't that be an extraordinary gift for my master?"

All Varos could do now was to be patient. He forced back his jealousy and said, "An extraordinary gift, yes. It will definitely be completed."

"Then why is there a delay?"

"There are many reasons, my Queen, preparations take time."

She moved closer to him, Varos could see her imposing figure. "My Captain Varos! How do I look like a brainless soldier, like you?"

Varos's cheeks darkened. "I don't understand, Your Majesty."

"Then..." Azshara held her palm up, a crystal ball the size of a pea appearing in her hand. However, as Varos gazed at it, the crystal ball gradually grew larger. Though blurry, it shimmered with the light of a full moon. "Could you explain what Blackrock Spire is all about?"

The captain of the guard was utterly astonished; he couldn't even blink. What he couldn't understand was how the Queen knew that he had strictly kept the battle situation at Blackrock Spire under wraps to avoid incurring the Queen's wrath.

Azshara smiled knowingly; manipulating these things was quite simple for her. The crystal ball quickly responded, transforming Varos's thoughts into a visible scene.

"Captain of the Imperial Guard, since you find it difficult to speak, why don't I take a look myself? Are these the people who are obstructing us?"

She first searched through Varos's memories for a strong, green-skinned figure. Azshara approached, her eyes gleaming.

"His appearance is somewhat similar to those demons. He must be a Warrior like you."

"You've forgotten, Your Majesty, this fellow was once a prisoner of Suramar!" Varos's face contorted like soot, his features drastically altered.

"Varos, please tell me, why is my pet also with those who oppose me?"

Pet? Varos didn't understand at first, but he understood after seeing Nathanos.

"This dead man was also a supporter of the opposition, Your Majesty. And he caused us considerable trouble on the battlefield, not to mention..."

"What else?"

"Moreover, he stole your treasure."

"I don't care about that sword, Varos. I only care about my pet," Azshara said, her eyes fixed on the pale, Night Elf -like face. "Are these the only ones hindering my purge plan?"

Captain Varos frowned and said, "Of course, there are also some of our own people, Master. I've only heard of two, you must be very interested. These images were transmitted to me by someone using mental power, please forgive me if they are not very clear."

Azshara carefully observed the two new people: one wore a black robe and had a small braid tied at the back of his head; the other seemed to be wearing earth-brown clothes and had loose hair hanging down. The two looked so alike that she initially thought they were the same person.

"They are twin brothers, my queen," he explained to her.

"Twins...interesting." She touched the two constantly shifting faces with her fingers and said, "They're still very young...they can't possibly be leaders."

"They seem to be very powerful, but neither of them has ever led the resistance movement. The leader was the highly respected Ravencrest."

"My dear Cortalos Ravencrest ... I have always considered him my most prized subordinate, and this is how he repaid me."

Varos's thick, dark eyebrows almost obscured his eyes as he said, "Black Rook Hold has long coveted the throne, the light of the light."

She pouted slightly and said, "I declare that Ravencrest has offended me, Varos." Then she added, "Can you help me resolve this?"

The captain of the guard did not show any surprise. He said, "The cost could be high... but if you wish, it should be fine."

"Please don't disappoint me again, Captain of the Guard."

Azshara gently patted Varos's face, then walked toward the waiting guards, her semi-transparent robe swaying behind her.

The captain of the guard straightened up, considering how to meet his master's demands. Kultaros Ravencrest had angered the Queen; no Kalimdor was more wicked than him.

"I will complete the mission, my queen," he muttered. "I will complete the mission."