Perfect Ambush
Intentional? Alleria looked at Nathanos. She thought that the difficulty in aiming from the bushes prevented Nathanos from shooting the fleeing Troll, but the human problem made her realize that he could do it, he just didn't act on it.
Nathanos awaited her answer. Alleria thought carefully for a moment, and when she saw the Troll's corpse on the ground, she understood.
"Send that Troll back to report the news."
"Very good." Nathanos pulled the arrow from the Troll's corpse and said, "The Horde had already begun their operation long before you and the Alliance arrived. Their vanguard was the Forest Troll. Your Farstrider planted in this forest have probably all been wiped out. And then, on your way home, you were ambushed by them."
The Female Elf frowned. The information Nathanos had given her seemed to lack any direct connection, and she was puzzled. "I don't understand."
Disappointment flickered in the human's eyes as he turned to look at the road ahead. "I'm asking you, why are you here? Where are the Alliance troops?"
"I'm behind you, scouting the road," she said, her face growing increasingly somber. She then realized she had stumbled upon a forest path, not the Alliance's main route, which explained her encounter with Nathanos.
"Damn it, I was in such a hurry that I inexplicably took this path," the Female Elf cursed. She prayed that Turalyon's army wouldn't get lost here.
"Then let me ask you again, where does this road lead?" Nathanos guided Alleria step by step, allowing the Female Elf to see the truth.
"This path?" Alleria pondered for a moment, her memory holding all the passages in Quel'Thalas. "I remember now, this is the path leading to Windrunner Tower. My sisters and I used to hunt here." She smiled, as if she were transported back to that time.
Nathanos looked at her with displeasure. "How can you still laugh? Why are there Troll lying in ambush on the road to your house? Why did I let that Troll live to go back and report?"
Alleria's smile faded as she listened to his words, and she slowly turned pale. "You mean..." She dared not continue, afraid that her suspicions were true.
"My purpose in doing this cannot change the outcome, but if the Troll leader knows that the Ranger-General has returned, he will consider whether to proceed with the next action. They will hesitate, which may buy some time." Nathanos looked at her, his tone gradually lowering. He did not tell the Female Elf that even so, it would be difficult to stop the Troll from attacking her homeland, because the conflict between the two races would make the Forest Troll ignore all threats; all they wanted to do was seek revenge.
Alleria nodded. There was no time to lose; she could no longer worry about the Alliance army behind her. She walked past Nathanos and prepared to leave.
"Alleria," Nathanos called out to her as he turned around.
"What's wrong? I'm in a hurry."
"Sometimes the forest is not safe," he said, a warning. The Female Elf was puzzled; she knew this, of course, but clearly she couldn't grasp the deeper meaning behind Nathanos' words.
"Thank you." The Female Elf smiled faintly at him and ran towards the Windrunner Tower.
The human knew she didn't understand his meaning. Just now, Nathanos had felt a sudden longing, a desire for Alleria to ask for his help to go to Windrunner Tower, and he would have agreed in his heart. But the Female Elf's reaction disappointed him.
"Foolish," he cursed himself. Now was not the time for idle thoughts. He hadn't come specifically to rescue Alleria; he had simply stumbled upon the Female Elf while searching for something hidden in the forest.
"It should be around here." Nathanos scanned his surroundings, readjusted his thoughts, and headed towards his target.
"We're almost there," Khadgar said to Turalyon.
Turalyon sighed, unsure whether it was the relief of the long journey or the dread of impending war. Commanding the army was incredibly difficult. Previously, Lothar had been responsible for the final decisions, but now, everything rested on his shoulders, enough to keep him awake most nights. Then there was Alleria. All the Elf were restless during the march, worried about Quel'Thalas. Everyone else remained remarkably calm, except Alleria, who questioned every order Turalyon gave: Why choose this valley to camp instead of the previous one? Why light a campfire instead of eating cold food? Why rest at Dusk instead of marching through the night? Turalyon was already tense when in command, and Alleria's incessant chatter made it worse. He felt that every decision he carefully considered was wrong.
"We'll reach the hills soon," Khadgar reminded Turalyon, pulling him back from his reverie. "We should be careful, at least to know what the Horde is up to."
"Perhaps they will be slow, and we will get here before them." This was a blessing, but Turalyon himself didn't believe it, let alone Khadgar.
"You should say that to Alleria, and she'll definitely think it's just an excuse for your slow march."
The Paladin blushed upon hearing this and rebuked, "Why do you always have to bring her up?"
The mage burst into laughter twice, which made Turalyon feel even more ridiculous. "Why not? Does she make you nervous?"
Turalyon turned away and stopped talking, but after a while he suddenly brought up Alleria again. "Why has she been gone for so long?"
Khadgar was also somewhat puzzled, and after thinking for a moment, he replied, "Perhaps she has already traveled alone." Turalyon sighed and prayed, "I just hope she doesn't encounter the Horde on the way. But we're quite close now, so if the Horde arrives here first, we can divert their attention. This will give Alleria enough time to persuade the Elf King. Then they can attack from the rear while we attack the Horde from the front."
Quel'Thalas Deep
"Quiet, don't make a sound," Zul'jin warned his kind. They were moving swiftly through the forest and getting closer to the Elf. But now, his keen sense of smell alerted him to the presence of Elf somewhere nearby. So he slowed his pace, carefully taking each step through the trees, his hand gripping his axe tightly to avoid making a clanging sound as he moved. He didn't want the Elf to know they were coming yet; not now.
The other Troll obeyed, silently preparing their weapons. Most of them wore smiles, revealing their triangular teeth. Zul'jin understood perfectly well that they felt the same way he did. They were deep in the Elf's homeland, preparing to attack them from this very place. He could almost taste that feeling himself.
These Elf have tormented them for far too long. Ever since these pale-skinned, pointy-eared intruders first set foot on this continent thousands of years ago, they have relentlessly stolen territory from the Amani Empire, gradually seizing control of the land. They possess the speed of Troll, and most terrifyingly, their magic. Troll had never encountered magic before; they had no way to retaliate against those mystical attacks or destroy the Arcane defenses that blocked their path.
Fortunately, the Troll have a significant numerical advantage, allowing them to overwhelm these abominable Elf with sheer numbers.
Afterwards, the Elf and humans formed an alliance.
These two pale races utterly shattered the Amani Empire, breaching fortresses and slaughtering tens of thousands of Troll. Zul'jin was lost in thought. Before this war, they were numerous and incredibly powerful, controlling much of the land. Afterwards, however, they were shattered, the shadow of their past hanging over them, unable to ever return to what they once were and reclaim what was rightfully theirs.
Zul'jin believed in them until Orgrim found him and promised them revenge. Doomhammer would not let Zul'jin down; he swore to help the Forest Troll rebuild the Amani Empire.
Zul'jin had been working on this for a while. He had survived the terrible war and was trying to reunite the various Troll tribes. He challenged and defeated the tribal chiefs one by one, through battle and other means. All had fallen before him, and the Forest Troll were united once more. With the Horde's help, they would contend with the humans Elf for control of the world. Fortunately, the Orcs had no interest in the forest; they only cared about the valleys and plains of this world. Let them be; the Troll only wanted timber.
But first, he needed to take them back from the Elf; that would be very rewarding. Zul'jin stopped, raising a hand to signal a halt, and the other Troll froze, holding their breath. He peered down through the leaves, his sharp eyes easily piercing the darkness, and waited.
They appeared! A tremor ran below, and something moving through the forest came into his view. They were draped in brownish-green cloaks that blended seamlessly with the trees, moving silently through the undergrowth as if it were flat ground.
One Elf! No... more than one. Another emerged after the first, then a third, a fourth. Soon, a whole hunting party passed below, ten Elf in total. They didn't look up; their sense of security in their forest made these Elf completely unprepared.
Zul'jin grinned; it was easier than he had imagined.
He signaled, put the axe back at his waist, and silently landed it on a branch below, then moved to another. Now, he was only a dozen paces away from the Elf, and could clearly see them and the cloaks behind them. The loathsome longbow and arrows hung on their backs, but their hands were empty. They had no suspicion that something was hidden above them.
Zul'jin leaped down from the tree, drawing his axe as he landed. He easily positioned himself between the two Elf, striking before they could react, aiming directly at the Elf's throat. Blood splattered onto the leaves.
The other Elf turned and cried out in surprise, "Troll!" Then they reached for their weapons. But Zul'jin's kin descended from above, axes, daggers, and clubs already in their hands. The Elf dodged, desperately trying to draw their swords or bows, but they had no chance. Though the Elf were swift, the Troll were taller and stronger, and they finished them off before the Elf could move.
An Elf dodged the attack, quickly stepping back and turning to use a tree for cover. Zul'jin expected the Elf to draw his bow, but instead, he took a horn from his belt. The Ranger raised the horn to his lips and blew a loud blast, but the sound was quickly cut off. Another Troll stabbed the Elf in the abdomen, and the horn's sound turned into a weak gasp as the Elf fell, blood flowing from his mouth and abdomen.
"Hmm?" Nathanos heard the brief horn sound coming from behind him. "Is that Alleria?" He vaguely remembered that when he first saw the Female Elf, she had a horn at her waist.
The minor skirmish ended quickly. Zul'jin jumped down, cut off the ear of the Elf he had killed, and put it in a small bag he carried with him. After a while, he would dry his "trophy" and then string it on his the Necklace to show off his bravery.
"Come here," he called to his men. Many of them were collecting their spoils. "Don't get too caught up in this small victory," Zul'jin warned them. "Back in the trees. We'll keep hunting." He laughed, and his kind responded with cruel expressions. "Kill them all," Zul'jin shouted, echoing their sentiments. Just then, a man rushed into his line of sight, looking flustered. Something bad must have happened.
"What's wrong?" Zul'jin asked.
The Troll who ran up to him caught his breath and pointed behind him, but there was nothing there. "Ranger... Ranger-General, the Windrunner... is back."
"Windrunner!" A flash of anger crossed Zul'jin's eyes as he grabbed one of his kind. "Which one?"
"Alleria Windrunner, I'm sure it's her." The Troll who delivered the message endured the immense force surging through his arm; if Zul'jin didn't let go soon, his arm would be snapped.
"Her alone?"
The Troll shook his head. "There are also enemies lurking in the shadows who shot and killed five of our Warrior."
"Haha~" Zul'jin laughed, releasing the Troll. From his description, Alleria must have abandoned the Alliance army. The Troll leader said to his Warrior, "It's time. That damned Female Elf isn't as fast as us. My brothers, hurry to Windrunner Tower and let Quel'Thalas' Ranger-General taste the bitterness of losing a loved one."
The Forest Troll quickly returned to the trees, grabbed branches with their long-fingered hands, and then flung themselves into the shadows of the leaves, leaving behind corpses and blood everywhere.