Troll corpses lay everywhere, and many more Trolls knelt, begging for mercy... It had been a victory to be expected.
The caravan members and the many Rangers who had rushed over from Tranquillien celebrated their victory!
"Host, the probability of encountering danger on this journey has not fallen to zero. Instead, it has risen slightly... from 7.63% to 12.26%!" The All-Knowing Eye's voice rang out in Karin's mind at a thoroughly unwelcome moment.
Damn it... A possibility occurred to Karin.
He quietly slipped into the celebrating crowd, pretending he had never been there.
The truth behind this journey was much as Karin had suspected! The caravan's true "owner" was the female Goblin, Mrs. Hoffman. She must have struck a deal with the Trolls long ago, promising to sell them a large shipment of living beings... Knowing the Trolls, they most likely intended to offer these Elves and members of other races as living sacrifices.
Myra Dawnblade was the front man Mrs. Hoffman had found-or perhaps her pawn would be a better description. Through his connections with the Dawnseal Family, he could still lead a caravan through the Ghostlands despite the tension between the Elves and Trolls, delivering the "goods" safely into the Trolls' hands.
According to Mrs. Hoffman's plan, when they passed through this forest, the two "bodyguards" she had planted at Myra's side were to go ahead to the Troll camp and tip them off. Once the Trolls had devoured the entire caravan and its escorts, no one would be any the wiser, and no one would discover her connection to the caravan...
Fortunately, Karin had noticed something was wrong in time and secretly informed Vereesa, asking her to report it discreetly to the Rangers in Tranquillien... The main Ranger force had swiftly mobilized, turning the Trolls' ambush against them and winning an overwhelming victory!
Given the pride of the Quel'dorei, Silvermoon City's leadership had probably already sent representatives to Stratholme to take the matter up with Lordaeron. As for that crooked Goblin merchant, she likely had very few peaceful days left.
Under Myra's direction, all the granite on the wagons was thrown off. There was no longer any need for the caravan to continue to Quel'lithien... For now, its hundred-odd members followed the Rangers to their camp in Tranquillien.
Karin soon caught sight of Tranquillien, a small town occupying a highly defensible position ahead!
It stood against the towering Sunsail Peak. Even Elves who faced no resistance would have found climbing it difficult... let alone Trolls under constant surveillance.
It looked as though he would be spending the night here. A few Rangers assigned Karin a small cabin for the time being.
Perhaps because he was a mage, the cabin was reasonably well furnished.
After entering the cabin, Karin thought for a moment, then took paper and a pen from his pack and began to write:
"Observations on the Trolls of Azeroth"
"Adult Trolls average seven feet in height and weigh roughly two hundred pounds. The Forest Trolls living near Zul'Aman have green skin... The skin colors of other Trolls are unknown, though rumors speak of yellow-skinned and blue-skinned Trolls!
Trolls are considerably stronger than other humanoids. An adult Troll possesses roughly twice the strength of an Elf Ranger... Their endurance, regenerative abilities, and willpower are even more impressive. I personally witnessed a Troll Warrior continue fighting with his axe after a Ranger's arrow pierced clean through his lung!
In contrast to their excellent physical attributes, Trolls have little talent for arcane or divine magic. I faced a Troll force numbering as many as 413, yet there were only six Witch Doctors among them, and their strength was merely comparable to that of first-ring and second-ring mages.
Their weaknesses are equally obvious. Their organization and discipline are truly abysmal... A single harmless crossbow bolt was enough to throw the Trolls lying in ambush throughout a vast stretch of forest into disarray! Thus, I would venture that one Troll could easily defeat one Ranger, ten could fight ten Rangers to a standstill, but a hundred Trolls would be routed with ease by a hundred Rangers!
Of course, this assessment applies only to Forest Trolls... It might not hold true for more ancient groups, such as the Zandalari Trolls or Hakkari Trolls!
..."
"What are you recording, host?" the All-Knowing Eye asked curiously.
"Nothing much. Just taking notes! Writing down detailed information about Trolls. It's a good habit I developed years ago... This stuff will probably come up on tests a lot-no, I mean I'll probably have to fight them a lot!" Karin replied casually.
"The host has used another phrase not included in the All-Knowing Eye's vocabulary. Should a new entry be created?"
"No..." Karin hurriedly shook his head!
Just as he was about to resume writing, something seemed to occur to Karin. "All-Knowing Eye, based on my description, don't these Forest Trolls seem rather weak?"
According to what he had written, Forest Trolls were a race with poor discipline and an extreme shortage of spellcasters. Their only praiseworthy trait was their reasonably good physique...
"They do appear somewhat weak... And the host's description is largely unbiased!" the All-Knowing Eye answered honestly.
"That's strange, then!" Karin frowned.
The Forest Trolls could hardly be called powerful... Six thousand years ago, when the High Elves had first arrived in Quel'Thalas, their foothold had been unstable while the Forest Trolls were at the height of their power, so it was understandable that the Elves had been kept on the back foot. But times had long since changed. Repeated defeats at the hands of humans and Elves had steadily diminished the Trolls' strength, while the High Elves had spent thousands of years building theirs and were far stronger than before!
"Silvermoon City has at least six Eighth Ring mages and two Ninth Ring mages!" the All-Knowing Eye estimated. "If those mages acted together, even if they could not wipe out these Trolls completely, they could at least eliminate most of their leadership. The current standoff between the Trolls and Elves in the Ghostlands is truly difficult to understand!"
"Who knows!"
Karin slowly closed the notebook in his hands. He could hardly be bothered to think about political matters like these.
Was that a sound outside the door?
Then came a knock. "Mage Karin, are you in?"
It was Vereesa Windrunner. Someone else seemed to be with her.
Karington's heart sank. He prayed silently, Please let it be the eldest sister, not the second!
The door opened, and Vereesa entered first. Beside her stood the female Elf who had captured the two "bodyguards" alive earlier.
The blood had been wiped from her body, and her silver leather armor gleamed faintly. Had Karin studied her face, he would have noticed that she bore quite a resemblance to Vereesa and was perhaps even a little more beautiful!
But Karin was in no mood to appreciate any of that. He steadied himself as best he could. "How can I help you, ladies?"
The female Elf fixed him with an icy stare.
"Hello. I am Sylvanas Windrunner!"