Seeing Sylvanas put Claudia in a pleasant mood, but when she saw the other two strange figures, the expression on her face stiffened. Though she wore a smile, it still looked forced.
That strange humanoid creature was feathered and had a crow-like head. Arakkoa Peaks Forest was fraught with danger and enemies lurked everywhere. The Alliance had fought several battles upon arriving here, but they had never clashed with the Arakkoa—at least, not the flightless ones. The Alliance had no intention of making enemies of them, nor did they intend to associate with them. Thus, Claudia felt only curiosity upon seeing it.
But the other person was different. There were several officers and guards in the command post, and they all looked surprised and suspicious when they saw him. Some even placed their hands on their sword hilts. The atmosphere turned heavy and tense.
"Brigadier General." To avoid a conflict, Sylvanas spoke first.
"General." Sylvanas outranked Claudia, so Claudia welcomed her with a military salute. Then, unsurprisingly, she looked at the person standing to Sylvanas's right.
"I know you—the King of the Forsaken." She took a deep breath, as though preparing to condemn Nathanos for conquering Lordaeron and numerous territories that should have belonged to the Alliance. Yet this action drew a strange look from Sylvanas. Perhaps it was an illusion, but Claudia felt there was pity mixed into that gaze.
"May I ask what brings you here?" As she spoke, the Brigadier General signaled for the others not to act rashly.
Before all Alliance forces had set out, Varian had specifically instructed them to avoid conflicts with members of the Forsaken whenever possible, so long as they were not launching an attack or doing anything else harmful to Alliance interests.
"He came with me," Sylvanas explained.
"Could you tell