Shadow Trails in Azeroth

Emperor Thoradin ascended to heaven on his Pegasus.

The winged starlight Pegasus carried the soul of the hero who had guarded the darkness for nearly three thousand years and flew into the rainbow bridge opened in the sky. It turned into a flying point of light and advanced to the Hall of Valor, which all powerful warriors yearned for.

On the hillside, His Majesty Fao and the Grand Knight Dathrohan were praying.

Not just praying for the death of Emperor Thoradin.

More so because they have seen things today that only exist in legends and myths.

The darkness hidden underground in Tirisfal, the rainbow bridge opening in the sky, and the golden Valkyrie still staying in front of them.

These all declare that somewhere in this world, there really is a heaven imagined by mortals.

Coupled with the Hades story that Blake once told, the contrast between these two powers is of great significance to believers.

At least next time, when doubtful believers ask the Pope whether heaven and hell really exist, the Pope no longer needs to answer tactfully with scriptures.

He can openly tell his fellow believers:

Do good deeds, do good deeds!

Otherwise, he will really be spurned by Odin and sent to hell, and then be tortured by the evil Hela forever.

This is not a threat.

Rather, it is an inference based on facts.

The predecessors of the Vrykul are the dependents of Odin and a group of Titan Guardians. Odin has absolute legal control over where the souls of all Vrykul go.

Humans are degenerated from Vrykul and can be regarded as a subspecies of Vrykul.

So in theory, Odin has the final say on where human souls go after death.

It's just that the King of War is too stubborn and a stupid racist, preferring strong and tough warriors.

He felt that humans were too weak and not worth investing too much energy into.

"Why don't you leave yet?"

After watching Emperor Thoradin ascend to heaven, Black turned his attention to the golden Valkyrie who was still flapping her wings. He followed the Valkyrie's gaze and saw that the buckler in his hand was falling.

The pirate blinked and said to the Valkyrie rudely:

"What? Are you, Val'kyr, going to stay here and let us treat you to a late-night snack?"

"Mortal! Watch your tone, you are talking to Odin's messenger!"

Valkyrie was slightly angry at Black's words.

The golden war spear with the emblem in her hand turned over in her hand, probably thinking of teaching this rude guy a lesson.

These Valkyries were personally selected by Odin and were the bravest female Vrykul. Don't expect their spirits to be good-tempered if they can enter the Hall of Valor after death in battle.

And these guys are all good at hitting.

With the pirate's current rank, if there was a real fight, he would definitely be pinned to the ground and beaten by the golden big sister with double braids in front of him with one hand.

But the golden Valkyrie did not take action in the end.

She stared at the buckler in the pirate's hand and asked softly:

"Did you capture this shield from Hela?"

"Yes, not only did I get this shield, I also stole Hela's Nagfar and killed her soul attractor."

Blake repeated what he said before.

He knocked on his shield and said to the Valkyrie in front of him:

"In your opinion, this should be considered an honor, right?"

"Um."

Valkyrie nodded, slapped her golden breastplate towards Blake, and said seriously:

"This is a supreme honor!

You have done what countless heroic warriors wanted to do but could not. If you are a warrior, just by relying on this great victory over the traitor, you will be qualified to step into the Hall of Valor.

But this shield belongs to Odin, and he doesn't like others using his weapons without permission."

"So you're taking it?"

The pirate blinked and said:

"Do you want to grab it?"

"No, it is a very dishonorable act to snatch trophies."

The Valkyrie spread her wings on her back and flapped herself into the air.

She held the war spear in one hand and said to Blake condescendingly:

"I'm just reminding you that you are holding Odin's weapon. This is a personal issue between you and him, and it will naturally be resolved by him personally.

Although we can't influence Odin's thinking, personally, I am very happy to see Hela shriveled in your hands.

From today on, the story of your battle with Hela, the brave human pirate, will also be told in the glorious Hall of Valor.

As for your request to ask Thoradin's heroic spirit to convey it to Odin, there may be a response soon.

Just be patient. "

After saying that, the huge Valkyrie flapped her wings, turned into a golden stream of light, and disappeared into the door of the sky. There was a low sound of horns echoing, causing the door to the sky to slowly close.

"call"

The pirate looked at the sky returning to the night starlight, then stretched out his hand to wipe his sweat and whispered:

"It's really tiring to deal with these guys who will fight and kill people if they don't agree with each other. A bad word will lead to a fight. The biggest problem is that there are not many people who can beat them."

He turned his head, glanced at the Pope and the Grand Knight who had just finished praying, and then looked to the side. After the Valkyrie left, the old lich also returned here using teleportation.

"Now that the matter between the emperor and the gods has been dealt with, it's time for us to talk about matters between mortals."

Black took out the Silver Hand warhammer from the Ancestral Turtle's backpack and placed it on the ground at his feet. The Great Knight of Dathrohan over there also placed the Stromka War Sword in his hand at his feet.

The four people looked at the two artifacts brought out from the Dark Land and were speechless for a while.

"This sword should be given to Marshal Lothar."

In silence, Lich Merry leaned on the staff of the guardian and said to the other three people:

“Whether it is passed down by blood or from a legal perspective, it should be returned to the descendants of Emperor Thoradin after being lost for nearly three thousand years.

At present, the only direct blood descendant of Thoradin who can be confirmed to be alive is Marshal Lothar.

Moreover, judging from the fact that he is currently commanding an army, attacking tribes, and is about to start a war that is destined to be tragic, this sword should be given to him to achieve maximum effectiveness. "

"I have no opinion."

Blake was the first to express his opinion:

“But this sword once symbolized royal power in the era of Emperor Thoradin.

In the era of the Great Emperor, there was a folk legend that whoever held the Stork Card would be the Emperor of the Empire.

As far as I know, when the emperor abdicated, he stubbornly wanted to take away the sword in order to prevent it from falling into the hands of careerists and causing the empire to split.

That story continues to this day.

Every human warrior knows the name of Stromkar, and every human knows the legendary story of Emperor Thoradin.

If it is not handed over to someone who is absolutely trustworthy and able to convince everyone, then no matter which king it falls into the hands of, it will immediately trigger the Seven Kingdoms War.

Marshal Anduin Lothar is indeed the most suitable person to hold it. "

"That's right. Before Stromka reaches Lothar's hands, the news of its appearance must not spread!"

His Majesty the Pope nodded with deep approval.

The tired old priest looked at the sword placed on the ground. He twirled his beard and said:

“After defeating the orcs, what the human nations need is to recuperate and recuperate, rather than spark another civil war because of the pursuit of power by high-level officials.

Saidan, you immediately return to the Holy Light's Hope Chapel and summon the Knights of the Silver Hand who are resting.

You will personally escort this sword to Khaz Modan as quickly as possible, and be sure to deliver it personally to Marshal Lothar. "

"As commanded, Your Majesty."

Dathrohan ignored his fatigue.

He reached out and took off his protective cloak that was seriously damaged in the battle, wrapped Stromka with his heart, and then the old lich opened the portal to Stratholme City.

The tall paladin wearing a war helmet held the sword in his arms and strode into the portal. The moment he left, he turned to look at Black.

He looked at the pirate with whom he had not dealt with much before and said softly:

"Thank you, little Drake. If your father knew what you did, he would be proud of you."

"Then do me a favor and don't let him know."

Black, who was smoking his pipe, replied.

The great knight nodded regretfully, and his figure disappeared into the light curtain of the portal. Through the light curtain, the bustling Stratholme city could still be vaguely seen.

The next moment, the portal closed, and the light turned into light spots and dissipated.

In the pirate's eyes, a glint of "planned knowledge" appeared, but it was fleeting. He coughed twice, hugged the little fish man, turned around, and looked at the two people behind him.

There is also the Silver Hand war hammer placed in front of him.

He said:

"Your Majesty, you have seen with your own eyes the power of this warhammer left behind by the god Tyr to restrain evil spirits.

Since it can be used by the power of the Holy Light, it should belong to the Church of the Holy Light. This can be regarded as a small contribution that I, the 'Temple Assassin', have made to the church. "

Faced with Black's words, the Pope this time did not express his opinion on Black's self-proclaimed "Temple Assassin".

It was as if he acquiesced.

Sure enough, everyone has a price in their heart.

If you find someone difficult to deal with, then the price you are offering is definitely not enough.

The crown prince stretched out his hand and touched the handle of the war hammer. The power of the holy light was injected into it, making the simple carvings on the war hammer emit a golden shimmer.

It was a warm, healing, holy light.

But the next moment, the Pope said in a puzzled tone:

"This god's weapon seems to have changed. Compared with when I awakened it just now, it seems to be missing something."

"Because the god has died and the darkness has dissipated. After completing his mission, the last power of God Tyr left in the weapon will also dissipate. This is a normal thing, Your Majesty."

The old lich explained very professionally:

"Just like the Atiesh staff in my hand, after the death of the astral mage Medivh, the remaining power of the dark god on it quickly dissipated.

That is not a power that mortals can control.

Its dispersal is a good thing for the church.

This means that you can give this relic to a loyal Grand Knight to use without worrying about the side effects of being unable to manipulate the power. "

"Well, that's true."

Feeling the holy power reverberating in the holy relics, the Pope said:

"The dissipation of the divine power has not affected the power of this holy object. In addition to the five sacred covenants, the church has gained another power that can protect hope. This is the gift of the holy light.

Thank you Holy Light. "

Black waited for Pope Fa'ao's speech to end, looked at each other with the old lich, and then took the initiative to say:

"Your Majesty, I noticed that you have been frowning since you personally felt the dark power from the abyss in the catacombs.

And when I told you about Tirisfal's past, you seemed to be very interested in the seductive darkness in that story. The troublesome knight who had a heart for justice has left.

Let’s just talk about these dark things.

You are the most devout Holy Light Walker, so you cannot actively pursue the power in the shadows.

Then I might as well make a bold guess. "

The pirate looked at the Pope's old face.

He said softly:

"Have you heard of or been exposed to similar power before? Is this what makes you uneasy when you embark on this journey?

Could it be that you sensed some disturbing omen? "

"Why do you think so? Little Drake."

The Pope glanced at the pirate and said softly:

"Did you collect any clues?"

"I was indeed attacked by a similar force in Duskwood on my way from Booty Bay to Karazhan."

Blake looked into the Pope's eyes and said frankly:

"And as far as I know, after the fall of the Kingdom of Stormwind, not everyone followed Marshal Lothar and His Highness Varian to evacuate to the Northern Territory.

There are still many rebels active in the land occupied by the orcs.

The Twilight Forest is their stronghold, and the orcs dare not enter. The resisters are safe hiding there, or perhaps they think they are safe.

Your Majesty, you deliberately sent away the Great Knight of Dathrohan, probably because you didn't want him to know some terrifying secrets.

You fear that those secrets may interfere with the Lord Knight's faith.

But I am a shadowwalker, and I have no faith that can be destroyed.

I am now the 'Temple Assassin' appointed by you personally. I have offered two tributes to the Holy Light, which proves my ability. Therefore, if you need me to do things for you or the church.

Just give your orders.

You just need to tell me where to go and who to kill.

And how many to kill.

My blades and my fleet are ready to serve the Light. "