Temporary System

Varian summoned his officials and foreign envoys to the Map Room of Stormwind Keep. As he entered, they all bowed to him, even though he had already ordered them not to.

Jaina was there, of course. But she found the number of attendees almost excessive. Almost all the Alliance leaders were present, including the master spy Shaw and the prophet Velen, the elderly Draenei who was said to be guiding Prince Anduin on the path of the Holy Light. There was another man, a burly figure, standing beside Varian. Jaina was glad to see him, and equally saddened by his passing. As the only remaining king to have witnessed the birth and dissolution of the Alliance, Genn's life was truly legendary. He had regained his former vitality due to the Worgen curse, and lost his son during the Horde's violent invasion of Gilneas. Whenever Jaina saw this gray-haired elder, she could feel his deep sorrow, yet also sense that he had lost not only his son in the war, but also his world.

Tyrande, the leader of the Night Elf, stood on the other side, facing Varian across the map. Her consort Archdruid Stormrage, was absent; instead, Sentinels General Shandris was present. Aside from humans, the Night Elf were the people Jaina interacted with most within the Alliance. Before the meeting began, she had a brief conversation with the High Priestess and thanked Tyrande for sending Baine to assist her.

The three members of the Council of the Three Hammers also arrived. The usually carefree Dwarf were unusually quiet at this moment, and instead of distancing themselves, they stood side by side, making Jaina wonder if the stories her father told her as a child about the internal discord among the Dwarf were true. How had they put aside their grudges? Perhaps only they themselves knew.

The appearance of Fleet Admiral Katherine Rogers brought Jaina a slight sense of relief. Rogers had helped her defend Theramore and was a firsthand witness to that war; they knew each other, but Rogers' excessive thirst for Horde blood sometimes made Jaina uncomfortable, even though after the War of Theramore, Jaina was forced to fully side with the Alliance.

"Theramore has just gone through a difficult time." Varian's voice rang out abruptly, turning everyone's attention to Jaina. Faced with so many sympathetic glances, the mage felt helpless. "The Horde's atrocities far exceeded our expectations. In any case, the war is not over yet, and tomorrow perhaps even more will be killed on the battlefield. We must be prepared for this." Varian gave Tyrande a look, signaling that it was now the Night Elf's turn to speak.

The high priest and his men nodded. Shandris stepped forward, nodded slightly to the crowd, and said, "Our scouts have been to Theramore... where it used to be." The Sentinels General looked apologetically at Jaina and added, "There's nothing there anymore. Also, the Horde's Horde in southern Kalimdor have been reduced considerably; they are focusing more on the navy."

"Navy, are you sure it's not Ashenvale?" Muradin Bronzebeard shouted.

Shandris frowned. "I'm pretty sure," she said. "And lately, Orgrimmar has been a thousand times more active than ever before. The city's torches burn day and night, and Kor'kron are constantly recruiting new members."

"This is not good news. Grommash's ambition is not just to conquer Kalimdor, he wants the whole world," Rogers said, clearly wanting to say something more, but was interrupted by another voice.

Moira, the regent queen of the Dark Iron Dwarf, posed a pointed question, "I heard that Grommash used a bomb when he attacked Theramore. Shouldn't we discuss that first?"

Silence fell over everyone. No one dared to speak. At this moment, Jaina should have been the one with the most authority to speak, but the sorceress did not want to recall that terrible moment. The thought that the entire city could have been wiped out in an instant filled her with dread.

"Jaina?" the King called her name. She could no longer run away; she had to say something.

"Please forgive my silence, King Majesty. Everyone in Theramore remembers Garrosh's atrocities. Queen Moira is right, the Warchief did indeed use a bomb, but according to our conclusions..." Jaina recalled that this conclusion was proposed by Sylvanas, and they had discussed this topic on the way to Stormwind City. "Garrosh could not have used a second bomb like that."

This statement surprised everyone present, some even letting out angry growls. Jaina's tone sounded like she was defending the Horde, making one wonder if she had forgotten that Theramore had recently been nearly destroyed.

Rogers was the first to stand up and question her, "Jaina, what nonsense are you spouting? Garrosh almost slaughtered your people."

"I just..." Jaina paused, "...to explain my thoughts dialectically. We must know that the Horde is not led by only Grommash. At least on the battlefield of Theramore, I only saw Tauren, Troll, and Blood Elf soldiers, but not Baine, Vol'jin, Alleria, and others. I believe they do not like war, but only because they have to obey orders."

"You'll only believe they're the enemy when they actually appear on the battlefield?" Genn's voice was aggressive. He was even more forceful Rogers. "Mrs. Proudmoore, I have something you won't like to hear: the last time the Horde attacked your city, it took your father's life. What about this time? How many Theramore soldiers have fallen? And what will you do next time if Grommash's army comes to your doorstep?"

Jaina was almost stunned by these words, and felt a pang of pain in her heart. She lowered her head and took half a step back, as if indicating that she was withdrawing from the conversation.

"That's not what Lady Proudmoore meant," said Prophet Velen. "She meant that Garrosh's actions on Theramore would not win the support of the other Horde members, so he would not use those bombs a second time."

"Who knows what that madman will do?" Rogers retorted. "Many Horde were still on the battlefield when he dropped the bombs."

"Enough!" Varian raised a hand, his deep voice silencing the argument. "This isn't the time to argue about who's right and who's wrong; it's time to devise a strategy against the Horde. Garrosh might be watching the maps of our cities, figuring out how to turn them into Horde territory. We must be on guard. The Alliance needs more fleets and supplies..."

The meeting quickly turned to the topic of war. More than what the Alliance should do next, Jaina wanted to return to Theramore and help her people rebuild their homes. Theramore was now located where Dalaran once stood; after so many years, she had returned to where she started. A strange weariness was eroding her Will. The peace she had long sought seemed to have been shattered; what then was the point of her efforts?

"We have lost the former strategic locations of Northwatch Hold and Theramore, making it difficult to launch a pincer attack on the Horde from the north and south." Genn's unintentional remark made Jaina even more heartbroken. Was Theramore always just a springboard for the Alliance to attack the Horde?

"As things stand, we are evenly matched with the Horde. A direct war would be unlikely to win, so perhaps we should seek ways to break the balance. Secondly, we need to keep track of the Horde's movements." Varian's eyes were fixed on the silent man.

Spy mastermind Shaw nodded and slowly walked from the doorway to the map table, with Fleet Admiral Rogers making way for him.

"Shaw, report your findings."

Two hours before the meeting began, Nathos finished his final experiment, quickly noting down anything that might be useful. Then he went to meet his colleagues.

A meeting between several leaders of the Forsaken.

Meryl's words filled Nathos with questions. What exactly was this? Were a few people forming a small group behind the backs of the Witherer? If that were the case, Nathos felt it was better to withdraw sooner or later.

The location was the Withering Council, deep within Maraudon. Nathos thought he had arrived early enough, but it seemed he was the last to arrive. The meeting was almost full, but the participants were no longer the same. There were two newcomers: Fleet Commander Tatsel and Death Knight Commander Prefist. Nathos recognized the latter; the Witherer had ordered Prefist to train the Death Knight with him. Besides them, Meryl sat in his usual spot, and Veronalara, the leader of the Dark Ranger, had recently returned. During her absence, her seat in the Wither Council had remained vacant.

"Why aren't Gizzlok and Rassuvios here?" Nathos asked, slowly walking to his seat.

"This is a meeting of the dead," Veronalara replied, the dark Ranger's choice of words quite clever. "As for Rassuvios, he has no interest in such a meeting."

"So, there are two newcomers?" Nathos looked at Tatsel and Prefist with interest. The two had taken the positions of Goblins and instructor.

"You sound surprised, Grand Apothecary," Prefist said, his lower face covered so his expression couldn't be seen. "But we both control a portion of the Forsaken's military power, don't we?"

Nathos then realized that the leaders of the Alchemist Association, the Death Knight, the Navy, the Dark Ranger, and the mage units specifically for the Forsaken were all gathered. Command of the Terror Guard and the main fighting force remained in the hands of the Witherer.

"If that's the case, then shouldn't we..."

"Is everyone here? Great!" The arrival of the last member signaled that the meeting was about to begin.

Belmont represented the Darkblade Organization, which controlled intelligence on the Forsaken. Nathos was surprised to discover that he was the one who initiated this special meeting. Was this the will of the Witherer?

The only vacant position belongs to the Supreme Leader of the Forsaken. Just like its current state, most people don't know where its master has gone.

"As you may have noticed, our master has temporarily left us and his whereabouts are unknown."

"You don't even know?" Veronalara asked with ulterior motives.

"Even if I knew, I wouldn't say anything, since it's the master's wish."

Tatsel frowned, his eyes darting every now and then to the empty seat belonging to Nathanos. "Then why hold this council? Shouldn't all our work reports be submitted to the Witherer?"

"The people miss him terribly now." Although Veronalara had only recently returned, her tone suggested she had never left. She continued, "Many are proud that Lord the Witherer is always fighting on the front lines for the Forsaken. But some feel he only caters to the material needs of his subjects. More and more Forsaken are wondering what their future holds, but our leader has vanished."

Belmont's expression was solemn from the start. Perhaps anticipating an answer to the question, he stated directly, "Years ago, the Forsaken were always worried about their survival; now they want to know the meaning of their existence. No matter what the Witherer does, there will always be those who question and raise new questions. Is there any ruler who can satisfy everyone?"

"Then at least he should have stood with us all along," Nathos said. "He created the Forsaken, allowing so many cursed dead to continue living in this world. He was everything to the Forsaken. It was very sudden for him to leave alone, and he left no one to care for the Forsaken."

The others nodded in agreement, finding Nathos's words to be quite reasonable, except for Meryl, who had remained silent since the beginning of the meeting.

"Interestingly, the master had already thought of how to improve the situation before he left." Belmont's eyes swept over everyone, and then he continued, "His departure left a huge vacuum. This vacuum must be filled. Since the Forsaken temporarily lacking a strong leader, we can select some outstanding individuals from among them to form a political system to meet the needs of the people."

A temporary organization? It sounded obvious, but Veronalara shook her head, which was covered in long, pale hair. "If that's the case, why choose us?"

"You, including myself, were all chosen by Lord the Witherer, a decision made before he left. Just as Prefist said, we command different military forces of the Forsaken."

"The Forsaken aren't just military," Meryl said, pointing out Belmont's problem, or rather, Nathanos' problem. "There are also civilians and those unable to fight. Are we going to ignore them?"

"While our master is away, the task of caring for all the Forsaken falls on our shoulders." Belmont didn't seem to directly answer Xie Feng's question, but his description reminded Nathos of his assistant Vesex.

"I have another question," Prefist said. "Why did the master leave in secret? Was he afraid we would misunderstand and think he had abandoned us?"

"His appearance..." Veronalara turned to look at the Death Knight, "...If the Forsaken see him as he is now, more people will worry about our future."