Silithus

Regar the Wrath of the Earth was in a bad mood. He went to inquire about the female Orcs had appeared in the arena, but no one could tell him. No one here knew where the gladiator who had cleaved the Naga in two with a single sword stroke came from, and even her enslaved master hadn't appeared. Regar began to doubt whether the female Orcs was truly a gladiator.

He spent several days in Dire Maul, where Valeera and the Forsaken made him a lot of money, even recouping the money he paid for reselling Lo'gosh.

But on the fifth day, an unexpected event occurred. In the final championship battle, the Forsaken defeated a Worgen captured in Shadowfang Keep. Amidst the cheers of the crowd, the Undead transformed into a wisp of black smoke and departed.

"When you were with him, did he say anything strange?" Regar asked Valeera.

The Female Elf's hands and feet were shackled, and her green eyes carefully observed the subtle changes in Regar's face in order to guess the Orcs's mood at that moment.

Surprisingly, although Regar seemed unhappy, he wasn't angry; at most, he was a little annoyed, which was definitely related to the sudden disappearance of the Undead.

"I hardly ever spoke to him," Valeera replied in broken Orcish.

As expected, Regar did not accuse Valeera of lying. Instead, he stroked his chin with his rough hand, appearing quite calm.

Maybe he doesn't care what I say at all.

The Female Elf's eyes slowly moved from the Orcs back to her own shackles, wondering how long it would take her to unlock them.

Night fell over the Wailing Caverns. The temperature gradually dropped, but it was far from cool enough to be refreshing. The parched, scorched sand still held the heat absorbed from the sun during the day. Climatically speaking, the area around Maraudon was quite nice, at least comfortable.

But this was something Nathanos couldn't feel; his only sensation was coldness, and everything he touched was cold.

He discovered that the unpleasant environment of Wailing Caverns was much like Lordaeron of the past, the biggest difference being that it was not a gentle and peaceful place. It was a place that tested resilience and honed Will. The Forsaken must carefully guard their hard-won territory.

On the way back, some outposts were well-defended, and his soldiers did not fall asleep.

Nathanos passed through the gates of the Undead Fortress. He gazed down at the towering scaffolding and massive stone towers. Their architecture maintained the style of Lordaeron, but the color scheme had shifted to black, becoming thoroughly militarized. In the distance, Shadow's End Fortress was faintly visible: dark, heavy, and imposing, with Forsaken ships docked in the coastal harbor.

"I will train for you the finest sailors and fleet in the world." These were the words of the Undead captain, Tatsel. However, Nathanos knew that all of this stemmed from Tatsel's service in the fleet of Lordaeron during her lifetime. Even after experiencing the pain of death and the Lich King's enslavement, she maintained her passion for her cause. But for the Witherer, he had to figure out whether this obsession would make his people yearn for their former lives.

In short, the "new" Maraudon symbolizes a new life for the Forsaken. Its robust design inspires reassurance. Here, the Forsaken will not only be safe, but will also use this as a starting point to shake the world.

Nathanos channeled his inner power, solidifying his smoky form into a physical form. As he stepped into the Undead Fortress on the outskirts of Maraudon, a sudden unease appeared on his face. Belmont, the leader of the Forsaken's Darkblade Organization, had been waiting for him at the gates of Maraudon. The Witherer acknowledged that Belmont was a dutiful leader, but his waiting for his master's return meant something else had happened on Azeroth.

"You've finally returned, Master." Belmont greeted him, but Nathanos stopped him as he was about to kneel.

"No need for formalities. Tell me, what happened?"

"A lot has happened, Master." Belmont examined Nathanos closely and noticed claw marks on his clothes, indicating he had been in a battle. "News has come from both the Alliance and the Horde."

"Let's talk about the Alliance first," Nathanos ordered impatiently. Once he was certain that Lo'gosh was Varian, he was convinced that this was a plan that could disrupt the Alliance's internal affairs.

After taking him from Regar, Nathanos ordered Gizzlok to find a way to bring Varian outside Theramore, with Lieutenant Nas, a Forsaken spy planted among Jaina's ranks, assisting from the inside.

Now, Nathanos wants to know how this plan will ultimately turn out.

"A black dragon flew out of Stormwind City. Lady Taresa didn't know the details, but she saw Varian's son, Prince Anduin King Wrynn, being kidnapped."

"Varian's precious son was taken away by a black dragon?" Nathanos almost laughed out loud. "Very good, very good. It seems the Alliance won't be taking its eyes off Anduin for the time being."

Belmont frowned, the Witherer realized that he disagreed with his opinion.

"No offense intended, Master, but... things are probably not going to go our way."

"Oh?"

"Our spies in Orgrim, Darnassus, Stormwind City, and Theramore have all reported the same thing: there's something unusual happening in Silithus, Kalimdor..."

"What's wrong?" Nathanos was prepared to find out what was wrong that made the dutiful Belmont so uneasy.

"It's an insect!"

"Bugs? Gizzlok might have some insecticide." The Witherer rarely made a joke, but Belmont didn't relax.

"Not the kind of insects you can crush with one foot, Master. But a kind of being called the Qiraji."

"Qiraji?" Nathanos's eyes widened in surprise. He had heard of this name before; when he was under the Lich King's control, he had heard that the cave spiders were transformed from Qiraji.

"Is it the Lich King?"

"No, there are other threats."

Nathanos breathed a sigh of relief; the Forsaken were not yet ready to contend with the Lich King. "Get to the point, Belmont."

"In general, the Alliance and the Horde may form an alliance and send Alliance Expedition to Silithus to face those bugs."

Heading to Silithus? Alliance and Horde? Nathanos's mind raced, processing the messages. Orgrimmar, Theramore, and Darnassus.

These places!

The Wailing Caverns, and Razor Ridge, seem to lie nestled between Silithus and the three cities.

Nathanos sighed; a new crisis lay ahead.

"Call Gizzlok back immediately, and... increase the number of scouts in the Stonetalon Mountains and the Barrens. Don't let any disturbance slip by."