Blade Dance

Joanna rarely comes here.

Naru, located in the center of the Holy Light Square, emits pure and powerful Holy Light energy continuously at all times.Before entering the Terokkar Forest, one could see a huge pillar of light piercing the sky in the direction of Shattrath City.It remains unchanged all year round, as if it has existed forever.

Although it belongs to the gods of Draenei, the naaru is the only god in the entire Outland, so it has also become the object of faith for other races.The god that the draenei believe in, to be precise, is this kind of conscious energy creature named "Naru", who seems to never exhaust the energy in the body, and will not hesitate to bless the Holy Light Give to everyone who comes to ask for help.

From the day the war was ignited, more people came to pray every day in the city, and even many people came from other places.The hall echoes with whispers all day long, entrusting people's beliefs and prayers, and conveying the desire for love and peace to the gods one by one.Perhaps, the prayer does not hope that the gods will be the destination of receiving, but that these wishes with deep feelings can be passed on to another person through the gods in front of them.

Whether it is something that has not yet had a chance to be said, or something that has no chance to be said again.

Joanna raised her head and stared at the creature in front of her.The naaru named "A'dal" is composed of several fragments containing the energy of the Holy Light.Fragments floated in the air, forming a huge vertical rune-like pattern.The halo wanders among them, converging to the most dazzling central part, and from there, a beam of light is generated that goes straight through the open dome and soars into the sky.

The radiance of the holy light was a bit harsh to the blood elves, and Joanna began to feel sore eyes after a while.

She took a step forward, closed her eyes, and clasped her hands to her lips.

"Naru. If you can hear, please listen to my wish."

She took a deep breath, silently recited the name in her heart, and held her hands tightly.

"Please keep my child away from the flames of war, and please let him reach Azeroth safely. If he has been unfortunately involved in the war, please let him come back alive."

She was silent for a moment, then she spoke again as if she suddenly remembered something.

"I've tried to heal his wounds and give him a sense of belonging over the years, but some things just don't seem to be within my reach. If I could..."

She smiled.

"Please let him learn to love, learn to be loved. Learn to own, and he will never lose again in this life."

She took another deep breath, her moist eyelashes trembling slightly.

"Always remember the Holy Light."

Joanna opened her eyes and looked up at the god.

"Open your heart to the Holy Light." A draenei stranger next to her nodded to her, "The naaru will not forget us."

The corner of the blood elf's mouth moved, showing a friendly smile to the other party, then turned and walked out of the Holy Light Square.

It has been several weeks since the garrison coalition set off.The road is long and full of dangers, and the army is approaching the front line on the Hellfire Peninsula step by step, and it is getting closer to the war.As the days passed, the worry and anxiety pervading the city became more and more intense, and everyone seemed to be preoccupied.The huge main city was surrounded by unprecedented desertion.Speaking of which, the hotel is not as prosperous these days as it used to be.There are gradually more and more guests who are unhappy and drink away their sorrows.When Joanna reached the door of the store, she found it was empty.

No.In the innermost corner sat an unexpected visitor.

She froze for a moment, and soon showed a warm and hospitable smile.

"Sir Bishop."

Joanna walked to the corner.Delaney cast a glance at her upon hearing the sound.

"What wind brought you here?"

"Joanna Lynn Terraris."

"It's me, please..."

"Harlan Anthenar," Archbishop Nasuen stared into her green eyes, straight to the point, "Is he your biological son?"

Joanna stopped at the table, the smile on her face gone.

"Where is he?"

"I do not know."

"I checked, and there is no such person in the defensive coalition army." The archbishop's voice was slightly sharp, "He should have joined the army, but you hid him?"

"No." Joanna looked at him coldly, "He left Shattrath City before the war broke out. I don't know where he is."

The Archbishop said nothing, just looked her in the eyes.

"You'd better tell the truth." He said calmly, "If he comes back, please ask him to come to the Holy Light Square to meet me immediately."

"If it's just to join the army..."

"He will serve as the supreme commander of the coalition forces." The archbishop's tone remained unchanged.He waited for the blood elf's reaction, took in all the astonishment on her face, and then pretended to be puzzled and said, "I thought you knew something about his origin."

Seeing that Joanna didn't respond, he continued, "But it's not your fault. After all, in terms of appearance, the difference between them and the blood elves... can be said to be significant, or it can be said to be negligible."

"Why?" Joanna's voice was dry.

"what why?"

"Coalition Commander..."

"It seems you know his identity."

Joanna pursed her lips.

The archbishop tasted the annoyance she was showing, and smiled gently.

"I don't mean to make things difficult for you," he said, "it's just that the situation is urgent and I need someone I can trust."

He withdrew his gaze and turned to his clasped hands.

"We have lost the battle. It is not difficult to guess that the main reason for the confusion of the coalition army is the discord between the two camps. We need high elves." He glanced at Joanna, "As a bridge between the tribe and the alliance, they are indispensable .Historically, the high-elf ranger Vereesa Windrunner once led the blood elves and night elves to join forces with Zul'Aman to protect their settlement, Quel'Thalas."

Joanna watched him without moving.

"We need a leader who can win the hearts of the troops - neutral, not entirely part of either side," the archbishop said.

"He has never been a leader, nor is he a leader."

"How do you define a person as a leader? When he's not given any chance?"

The archbishop raised his eyes and looked at her: "If you don't try, no one will know. Besides, I didn't intend to hand over real power to him. After all, he is young and inexperienced. He only needs to exist symbolically, and the combat can be handed over to him." Deputy Commander."

Anger appeared on Joanna's face.

"He's just a regular guy. It's going to push him to the top."

"As long as he does not act out of character, he will not," said the archbishop. "The allied forces will return to the city in a short time. Unless he escapes or dies, this decision will remain in effect until the army starts again."

Joanna said nothing, her emerald green eyes were full of frightening coldness.The archbishop looked directly into her eyes and said, "There are some things that you cannot change. All you can do is adapt and cooperate. For yourself, for Outland, and for him. I need your help."

The blood elf stared at him for a long time.

"And what about the current commander?" Her voice was hoarse and weak.

Delaney looked surprised.

"You mean Commander Restalaan?"

Joanna frowned.

"The news from the city is so late. The previous commander was killed at the battle of Hellfire Citadel."

----------

"The smell of the devil." Roy said, staring ahead.

"Well," Lucas stood beside him, "and the smell of a dead demon."

The demon hunters retracted their wings and stopped.

"Further ahead is the Hellfire Peninsula," Lucas turned to look at Roy, "Will they go this far?"

Roy didn't answer, just stared straight ahead, then suddenly rushed forward.Lucas's heart tightened, and he immediately followed him.They shuttled through the fluorescent mushroom forest, and finally stopped again on an empty flat land bordering Hellfire Peninsula.

Most of the corpses everywhere have been reduced to scorched earth.The air was filled with the smell of burning.In the dead silence in front of him, only the body of the demon can be vaguely recognized.

"A Legion Guard," Lucas said. "They're not here."

Roy was looking around and seemed to want to respond, but in the end he said nothing.His eyes stopped at the mushroom forest not far away, as if locked.Lucas knew he was using ghost vision, he looked in the same direction and saw nothing.

"Too far."

Roy walked towards the mushroom forest, followed by Lucas.

There was silence in the low forest, and the thick fungus stipe was scattered, and all creatures were invisible.All I could see were fluorescent mushrooms, Monroe flowers growing sparsely, some magic grasses, and the brown-red soil under my feet.

However, there was an aura that could not be ignored floating in the air.

Such a breath indicated that what they were looking for was nearby, but not what they had expected along the way.

Lucas and Roy found their target under a two-person fluorescent mushroom.Those were three neatly placed mounds, and in front of each mound was a bouquet of pure white Monroe flowers, which had not yet withered.

Lucas suddenly turned to look at Roy.

"Don't look!"

Roy didn't respond.

The next moment, Lucas watched him clenched his fists, his whole body tensed.

"Eyes..." His voice trembled.

Lucas reached out and pressed his frowning brows, then turned and walked towards another taller mushroom not far away.

He had noticed it just now when he was still far away.The stipe of the mushroom in front of me had a shockingly large scratch several inches deep.He stretched out his finger to touch the deep mark lightly, and looked back at Roy who was standing there.

"It's the abyss lord." Lucas said, "but why did it appear here?"

"This is a vanguard force." Roy replied, still looking down at the three graves, "I saw Cerberus. The Legion intends to march into Zangarmarsh, and will move soon."

"Then enter Terokkar Forest from the swamp, and go straight to Shattrath City." Lucas gestured with his fingers in the air, as if drawing an invisible map.He looked at the scratches on the stalk thoughtfully, then touched it again, subconsciously rubbing his fingertips back and forth on it.He stood still for a moment, then walked back to the grave.

He knelt down in front of one of the tombs, reached out and picked up a small handful of broken earth and crushed it under his fingertips.Roy came over and stood beside him.

"It's still wet. Who would do that?" Lucas said.

The soil is crushed into fine particles.Let go of your fingers, and they all fall back to the ground.

"The pit lord? Or the succubus? Kill first and then bury," he said. "The legion is really unpredictable."

"It's not them." Roy's voice came from above, "Someone came here before us."

Lucas looked up at him, meeting his gaze.He immediately looked away, patted his palms, and stood up.

"They should not be buried here. This land will soon be corrupted by the Burning Legion." Lucas said, looking down at the ground.

However, there was no response for a long time after the voice ended.Lucas couldn't help turning his head to look at Roy, and then saw the strange expression he had seen in front of the Dark Temple.

Second time.

But this time, instead of being elusive, feelings of regret, remorse, and even anxiety and worry can be clearly seen mixed together.Those emotions are like flowing clouds in the sky, and the wind pushes them to gather quickly, flamboyant and eye-catching.But when people looked up, they dissipated at an extremely fast speed, leaving only the blue sky in the blink of an eye.

There is no possibility of capturing, no possibility of understanding.

What was he feeling remorse and annoyance about?The tragic death of Dane's team?Roy and Dane had some friendship, and the sacrifice in front of them was indeed tragic, but over the years, the companions around him died one by one, and newcomers joined, this kind of thing should be commonplace, shouldn't it?Why is he feeling anxious and worried?This person has always been calm and determined, and may even soon become the sole leader. How could he, and how could he show such an expression?

What the hell are you thinking?

"Let's go," Roy said suddenly, "We are already behind, and we must go to the peninsula to join the rescue operation as soon as possible. There is nothing we can do here." After speaking, he wanted to turn around and leave, but Lucas grabbed his hand wrist.

"Roy."

He takes a step forward.They were facing each other, with similar heights, he was almost close to Roy's face with this step, and the tip of his nose touched lightly.He stared at Roy at a very close distance, breathing and hearing him.

"I saw Felix's warblade in the soil not far from Dane." He said in a low voice, "I believe you have seen it too."

Lucas breathed in.Roy didn't answer, nor backed away, but just looked at him quietly at a distance of a few millimeters.

"The blade of a traitor should not be buried with a hero. The weapon of a demon hunter should not fall into the hands of others."

He stared at Roy's face, wondering what reaction his every word would have on that mask-like face.At such a close distance, any clues emerging from any inch of muscle or line should not be able to escape his eyes.But there was nothing on it.Like a wasteland.Lucas' eyes moved to the dark cloth, only to see a silence.

Can't I see his thoughts, moods, and the traces they show?

Or don't let me see it?

"They should be buried with their masters," his voice became colder and colder. "If it is a traitor's warblade, it should be taken back to the Black Temple and destroyed. Have you forgotten? This is the iron law of the Illidari."

His words were quickly lost, followed by an endless silence.A short distance away, but none of what was said seemed to be passed on to the other party.He waited in silence, but the person in front of him remained silent for a long time.

Suddenly, some fragments flashed in my mind, and then connected.All the anomalous, fragmented conversations and traces of minutiae since Roy's return, they put together a blurry but complete picture.In an instant, everything is obvious.

Frustration surged up.

"Is it him?" Lucas blurted out. "The man who saved you. You gave him Felix's Glaive."

His voice was almost harsh: "That blood elf. Is it a man or a woman?"

The person in front of him was almost staring at him, Roy looked away.

"Lucas," he said coldly, "don't forget that we are on a mission and we are about to go to war."

He said: "These things have already passed, and they will never happen again. Our minds should not be wasted on these things." He pulled Lucas's hand from holding him tightly, and said in a stern tone, "Don't be fooled by the past." , unimportant distractions. You can’t get distracted by anything, it’s going to kill you.”

Roy didn't look at Lucas again, turned around and walked out of the mushroom forest.

At this moment, it began to rain heavily in the sky.

The downpour of raindrops rushed to the ground from a high altitude, instantly washing away all the remaining smells in the air.The smell of embers, blood, demons, and corpses were all washed away.

Roy stopped and looked up at the sky.Only faint starlight could be seen, covered by a layer of floating mist.Above that, lightning flickered in the deep purple void, and thunder was faint.Pearl-sized raindrops hit his face one by one, causing some pain.The rainwater slid into the clothes along the neck, and it didn't take long to wet the clothes, clinging to the skin, icy cold.

Amidst the drum-like rain, Lucas' vague voice came.It was icy cold beyond comparison to the rain.

"The one who gets distracted is you."