"Why... are you here?"
Al held his forehead and spoke helplessly, knowing that the "golden legendary" before him was no blessing, but an enormous headache.
Put that little brain of yours to work, long-ears. If you can please me, I will grant you supreme authority over the arcane, Aluneth whispered.
"Forget it. A poor wretch summoned here by the Blue Dragonflight, an Arcane Lord sealed away for over ten thousand years-spare me the talk of authority over the arcane."
"It was thirteen thousand, two hundred and eighty-four years..."
Aluneth's voice was somewhat hoarse. It was hard to imagine an Elemental Lord with endless arcane energy being sealed inside a tiny staff for over ten thousand years.
Al clicked his tongue. Ignoring the purple staff lost in its memories before him, he looked sadly at the robe he wore, which had been torn apart by the earlier Finger of Death.
[Belovar's Blessing] Status: destroyed
In the game from his previous life, this robe had another name: [Belovar's Last Gamble].
The yellow text beneath it read, "During the Third War, the last thing Quel'Thalas's Grand Archmage Belovar Saronar did as the city fell was teleport Countess Liadrin to safety."
But now, the First War had yet to begin, and Belovar had yet to die in battle, so Belovar had naturally given this robe to Al, who was about to set off on a long journey.
The small yellow text beneath it had also changed to:
"To my beloved grandson, Aier Salona. You are my pride, the light in my heart. I hope you never trigger this robe's special effect. May the sun be with you.-Belovar"
"I'm still too weak. Sargeras, I won't let you get away with this!"
Remembering the tragedy of Quel'Thalas in the game from his previous life, Al clenched his teeth furiously and silently made his resolve.
Such grand ambitions at such a young age. You remind me of my first master, Meryl...
He was like this when he was young, too... Ah, sorry. Please forgive a lonely old man's rambling. Reminiscing about the past is his last remaining pastime, after all, Aluneth whispered.
"What about Aegwynn, that bi... brilliantly performing Guardian?"
"Ha! I've wanted to call her a bitch for ages. Such a spoiled, frivolous, utterly reckless madwoman. I loathe her to my very core. Boy, perhaps we have something in common?"
Al: I'm not, I didn't, don't make things up.
"When Sargeras hit you just now, I thought I was going to die. What terrifying magic. Just what you'd expect from the Dark Titan..." Aluneth prattled on.
Al frowned and stopped paying attention to the chatterbox staff. He took out [Sunscorch], the epic dagger the Sun King had given him before his departure, and began positioning it over the wound on his lower body.
"Squish, squish..."
"You rude brat, are you even listening to me...?"
After talking for ages without getting any response from the long-ears beside him, Aluneth moved around in front of Al, whose back had been turned toward him.
"Have you got a death wish, boy...?"
Watching the elven youth cut into his wound with the dagger, Aluneth gave his shaft a very humanlike shudder.
"Keep talking..."
Al gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot. He motioned for Aluneth to keep going while cutting into the wound that was about to heal.
Purple-black pus and blood dripped from the charred wound onto the damp soil, soon staining the small patch of ground beneath him completely red.
"Impressive, boy. I'm just an Elemental Lord with no feewings, but that looks painful. Hiss... I feel like my arcane core is about to start sparking with static."
"The moment you fell, that bitch silently cast dozens of Arcane Missiles. Unfortunately for her, yours truly interrupted her magical circuits, leaving her efforts in vain. You should have seen that madwoman's furious expression. Absolutely enchanting..."
Aluneth's shaft shook back and forth as though having a seizure, seemingly expressing his jubilation.
"Unfortunately, that madwoman was simply too powerful. The Last Guardian, created by pooling all the mana of over a dozen legendary mages-uh, Grand Archmages, that is-all the mana of over a dozen Grand Archmages, was really no joke.
"I'd wanted to see that bitch in a sorry state, but she finished off the Dark Titan in just a few moves. She even took his corpse south. What a disappointment."
"Oh? Then why did you come here with me?" Veins bulged on Al's forehead as he endured the pain and asked, as though trying to distract himself.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't go dying on me, brat. There aren't many mortals who suit my tastes so well."
"Don't worry, I won't die. Keep talking. Hiss..."
Al let out a low, agonized growl. His slender, pale fingers gripping the dagger's hilt had long since been stained red with blood.
"All right, as you wish.
"Aegwynn didn't come out of her fight with Sargeras unscathed, either. For an instant, Sargeras's Mind Blast overwhelmed her mind.
"I escaped during that moment of distraction and kept hiding nearby. When you woke up, I followed you here."
Cold sweat seeped from Al's forehead and trickled down his handsome face to the ground. His entire body trembled as though he were about to release something.
"Crackle, crackle."
A continuous series of faint sounds came from Al's mangled, severed lower body, making Aluneth's shaft tremble slightly as he watched from the side.
I don't know what he's doing, but... this long-ears... is terrifying, Aluneth said, still shaken.
"Haaah!"
With that explosive roar, Al's severed lower body miraculously began to writhe. In moments, it was restored without a scratch. Sticky fluid coated the newly grown skin, its pallor showing that this was no illusion.
[Limb Regeneration] activated!
"Huff... huff... huff..." Al lay flat on the ground, panting heavily. He could not spare a thought for his exposed lower body; he was so weak he lacked even the strength to move a finger.
"Heh, heh, haha, hahaha!"
His delighted laughter grew louder and louder, his eyes curving into crescents. Only when he could no longer catch his breath did he stop laughing.
I thought I was Kakarot, the god of war. Turns out I'm Piccolo the babysitter.
"Are you some deformed Zandalari Troll kid?"
Al: How rude.
Having just recovered a little strength, Al took a change of clothes from his spatial backpack and put them on. He leaned against the tree trunk beside him, panting as he recalled some past events.
Of everything Al had done over the past five years, he felt the best decision had been capturing the Amani Trolls' Loa Lord, Akil'zon, alive.
Although he had killed seven Troll assassins five years earlier, dead research specimens were far less valuable, after all. Having reaped enormous dividends from that large-scale speech, he had therefore decided to visit Zul'Aman, the capital of the Amani Trolls.
The process had gone ridiculously smoothly, thanks to his powerful body, which far surpassed that of an ordinary epic Warrior, along with the [High-Level Stealth] he had wheedled out of Sanguinar.
Al had easily captured Akil'zon, the Eagle God. On his way back, he had also helped Sergeant Aqiang repel a small Troll incursion.
[Monster Compendium: Amani Trolls activated] [Your teaching materials +1] [You have obtained a divine gene] (eagle) [Your brain development has increased by 1%] [You have learned Troll Regeneration] (enhanced version)
That was how Al had gained today's Limb Regeneration.
Al: Akil'zon, my thanks to eight generations of your ancestors.
He took another pill of the kind he had just taken from his backpack and popped it into his mouth.
In moments, Al regained his vitality. He energetically moved his newly restored body, looking nothing like the half-dead wreck he had been earlier.
"Survive a great disaster, and good fortune is sure to follow. Lemme see what goodies that old bastard Sargeras can drop for me. Finger of Death looks pretty good."
[Your murloc material has been consumed] [Randomly extracting 10% of the target's stats] [You have obtained 10% of the intelligence of the Fallen Titan Sargeras (false)] (click to claim)
"I'm rich! I'm rich!"
Al's eyes rolled back, and he nearly fainted. Happiness had come so suddenly.
"Even if it was only an avatar of the Dark Titan, it was still an existence capable of going toe-to-toe with Guardian Aegwynn. A genuine demigod.
"It took dozens of Grand Archmages as fuel to produce a demigod powerhouse like her. Besides, the Guardian's power is passed down through generations. There's no need to explain just how immense the accumulated mana of generations of Grand Archmages is."
"What are you babbling about, boy?" Aluneth asked in bewilderment. The long-ears before him had been acting strangely ever since recovering.
"Out of the way. I'm about to show off."
Aluneth: ...
Tomorrow at two in the afternoon, this book gets its first trial recommendation slot. I got the news at eighteen thousand words. Although it's only a tiny recommendation slot (Hot Recommendations), I doubt many people will see it. It's an unpopular recommendation slot, after all, and Warcraft is a niche subject. Still, I hope those of you enjoying the book can spare a couple of recommendation votes and add it to your favorites. I don't have any great expectations for its performance. I just want more friends who like Warcraft and love Azeroth to see this book.
My humble thanks~