Bad Things

The next day, at dawn, Windrunner Village was in an uproar. Nearly half of the guards had been knocked unconscious, and when they awoke, they remembered nothing, all giving the same answer—they had been ambushed from behind.

"The consequences of this matter are very serious, and I think it is necessary for us to inform His Majesty the King," Lirath said to his second sister, Sylvanas, who was leisurely wiping a vase.

"There's no need to be nervous, Lirath," Sylvanas replied calmly. "We haven't suffered any losses, have we?"

"But our guards... wait, the guards are all alive, just knocked unconscious. How did this happen?" Lirath looked at his sister's smile and felt that it was all related to her. Sylvanas didn't answer him, but she seemed to already know who was behind it.

"I just went to check on the human you locked up, and he's gone too."

"What does this mean?" The Female Elf put down the vase and finally turned to face Lirath.

"Don't you care at all? He was your pet, and although I don't believe it, he's already been taken away."

The Female Elf frowned. "Now I finally understand why Mother didn't want you to become a Ranger —because your judgment is truly terrible." Sylvanas's undisguised sarcasm puzzled Lirath, and it took him a long time to react.

"He did it. He escaped, and he also knocked out our men."

"You're not entirely stupid," the Female Elf said, turning around. Nathanos had done more than just those two things; he had also found her room late last night and swaggered in without a care. Sylvanas was fast asleep, but the moment the door opened, she instantly woke up. She pretended to be asleep, wanting to see who dared to be so bold, but the man didn't approach her. Instead, he walked to a wall where Nathanos's bow and arrows hung. She knew who it was immediately, but she hadn't expected this human to act so quickly. She was also disappointed in her Ranger. Nathanos had already run out, and they hadn't sounded the alarm. It seemed she needed to train them more quickly. Nathanos didn't leave immediately but stayed for a while. Sylvanas felt a pair of eyes watching her. The man didn't move, just stood there admiring her beautiful face. He watched for almost half an hour before leaving. Sylvanas didn't stop him; she had promised not to prevent him from leaving. She couldn't be like Alleria.

Why don't you go and bring him back?

Lirath's voice pulled her back to reality.

"Bring him back?" Sylvanas chuckled easily, then said, "No, I will go find him, probably soon."

The feeling of regaining his freedom was wonderful. Nathanos darted through the jungle, stopping only two or three times throughout the entire night, as if possessed by inexhaustible energy. Finally, at dawn, he saw the vast wilderness. He instinctively looked southwest; Marius Farm was there.

The war continued. A month later, the Horde launched a full-scale offensive, with large Horde armies appearing in the Sea of Mists, Hillsbrad, and Arathi. But on both sides, the Alliance's battle reports were always the same—a series of defeats. Two months later, after losing the vital food supply point of Sepulcher, the Alliance finally reached a stalemate with the Horde. Lothar probably knew he couldn't retreat any further; the Horde was already very close to Silverpine Forest. Fortunately, the Kul Tiras navy, which they were so proud of, hadn't lost the initiative, Orgrim had to constantly watch his rear. Nathanos had been pondering whether Marius Farm was still safe. At least for the time being, there was no sign of Orcs, but what about after that? He didn't tell the Alliance about his findings; there was no need. But the Troll were truly unsettling him, and he even started setting up traps around the farm, checking the defenses the next day to see if they were still intact. He had told his father, Bred, several times to move the family to Stratholme, where it would be safer. But old Bred always gave the same answer—this was the place where the Marius Family had lived for generations.

His father's stubbornness left him helpless. When Nathanos was feeling down, he liked to go to the Sodori River, where the clear water could wash away his worries.

The Ranger-General approached without making a sound. Sylvanas Windrunner exuded a sweet, flower-like fragrance. It was a unique scent that Nathanos would never forget after smelling it for the first time. He could instantly recognize anything he touched at any time.

The human lay on the hill with his eyes closed for a long time, ignoring the Female Elf beside him. Only birds sang in the setting sun, and the bleating of sheep could be heard from the farm.

He opened his eyes. From this small slope, the last rays of the setting sun stretched out before him. Below stood the large house, the barn fortified last winter—his home.

Nathanos loved this landscape, and no matter what he had been through, he would find peace every time he returned here.

"How did you find your way here?" After a long silence, he realized he should send the Female Elf away.

"I've been asking around, and I think some people here must have heard of you, Uther's apprentice." Sylvanas turned to face him, though a smile played on her lips. She wore blue leather armor, carried a magnificent longbow, and her hair was slightly disheveled, blown by the wind, clearly indicating the effort she had put into finding her "prey."

"I have given up this identity, and I will not be proud of it." He sat up, and the Female Elf squatted down and sat beside him.

"I've heard that Uther is very brave on the battlefield, and he often mentions you."

"Why are you telling me this?" Nathanos asked, but then realized he'd phrased it wrong and corrected himself, "I mean, why would Alleria tell you this?" There was no doubt that Sylvanas had told her this from her sister.

"The Alliance's situation isn't good, as you know."

"Although you haven't joined the Alliance, your sister is very willing to share news about the Alliance with you."

Sylvanas nodded. "Alleria has her own selfish motives."

The human looked at Sylvanas curiously upon hearing this. "Speak your mind." He hadn't asked the Female Elf why she had come to see him; he didn't believe that the Ranger-General, burdened with heavy responsibilities, had come all this way just to chat with him.

"She told me that the Alliance's casualties were increasing every day, supplies were becoming increasingly scarce, and, more importantly, manpower was extremely tight." As she said this, she pulled down her azure hood, letting her long, pale blonde hair flow freely. Nathanos felt uneasy.

"Nathanos! Nathanos!" the boy shouted, waving his hands as he charged toward them. When he was still a dozen yards away, the boy stared wide-eyed at the High Elf. He nearly fell as he was climbing the hill, finally stopping a step away from her.

"This is Ranger-General Sylvanas Windrunner," Nathanos introduced. "This is my cousin, Stephan Marius. He's only seven years old, so please forgive him; children his age often do things that are hard to understand." Stephan blushed at this. Nathanos looked at him and smiled; he liked his cousin very much.

"That's normal, Nathanos," Sylvanas said calmly, crouching down to look the boy in the eye and giving him a warm smile. "But he will grow up to be a very elegant gentleman."

"You... you're a Ranger?" Stephan stammered, his eyes wide open.

"No, she is not merely a wandering Ranger. She is a Ranger-General, leading all the Ranger of this land," Nathanos explained.

Stephan's gaze darted back and forth between the two, racking his brains for something to say. He had never known before that Nathanos knew a Ranger-General.

The High Elf leaned forward, closer to the boy, and asked softly, "Do you want to be Ranger when you grow up?"

Nathanos's cousin shook his head, brimming with youthful vigor. "I want to be a knight, wearing shining armor, wielding a greatsword, and owning my own castle! I don't want to be like my cousin, constantly running into the woods, or sleeping in trees shooting arrows or something." He suddenly looked alarmed and quickly added, "I'm not saying being Ranger is bad... I mean... it would be an honor to serve you, General!"

Sylvanas's lips parted in a soft, melodious laugh. "So your brother is a monkey in a tree."

Nathanos sighed through gritted teeth, preparing to end this strange conversation. "Stephan, what brings you here?"

"Oh, right." Stephan suddenly remembered something important he had forgotten. "You'd better go home quickly, something bad has happened."