Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 374, Section 64: The War Tribe is gone, it's Hogger's turn! - Bonus Chapter [65]

(Bonus chapter for "Huo Zheng Ting Hao" [6/5])
The Stargate to another world was closed as Lothar and the Eastern Kingdoms coalition closed their doors. Kargath Bladefist, who claimed he was retiring but actually persisted until the very end, was the last Ork to step through the Stargate.

He fought to the very end, wielding his own fist blades and gauntlets forged from the claws of Manonos, until he looked as if he had been pulled out of a pool of blood.

The instant the rift encircling the starlight closed, Lothar, leaning on his sword and covered in blood, stood behind Kargath and shouted to him:

"Flee through the stars, you greenskins! One day, the warriors of the Arathor Empire will also tread among the stars, and we will pursue you until the last greenskin falls, and only then will this war end!"

"Ha, you'd better do so!"

Kargath turned as the black rift closed, swaying unsteadily, but still managed a defiant gesture at Lothar, responding in a hoarse voice:

"We will rebuild our great army in the sea of ​​stars, Anduin Lothar. The moment you step into the sea of ​​stars, the moment the war resumes, the flames of the Horde will consume you."

Of course, once my arena is built, I would be happy to invite you to visit as a slave!

Goodbye, humanity.

Farewell, Azeroth.

As Kargath's newly grown, not-yet-flowing black hair swirled in the wind of this other world, and as Lothar glared at him in farewell, the door spun shut. Starlight gathered and shimmered, eventually transforming into a swirling point of light that fell to the ground like a falling star, extinguishing before everyone's eyes.

Kael'thas, who had just killed several greenskins, stepped forward and whispered to Lothar:

"I've recorded the coordinates of this astral portal. Perhaps we can, if you'd like..."

"No, Kael'thas, that was just to boost the morale of the warriors."

Lothar, leaning wearily on his sword, whispered:
"Kagaz and I both knew that we wouldn't be meeting for a long time to come."

The Greenskins have come to the end in Azeroth, but we humans and you elves have more important things to do besides hatred and war. Rather than venturing into the Starsea to hunt down the Greenskins, I am more concerned about the situation in the Northlands.

The demon leader has been killed, but hundreds of thousands of demons still inhabit this world. We cannot only think of ourselves.

He touched the pendant on his chest and said softly:
"This fragile world also has desires. Mother World needs brave children to fight for her. How can we refuse such a glorious call?"

Let's go. "

The marshal took one last look at the empty hilltop and the fallen corpses of werewolves and orcs around it, and said:

"The battles we needed to fight are over, and it's time for us to go home. But could you explain to me what's going on with this sword?"

The marshal, somewhat surprised, raised the Stomka sword in his hand and pointed to the strangely twisted blade, saying to Kael'thas:
"Why did it mutate into this form? It is said that this steel sword was forged by you for Emperor Thoradin. You should know the reason for its transformation."

"Because it has recognized you, Marshal."

Kael'thas stroked the humming blade of Stomka and whispered:
"This sword was forged by Emperor Thoradin by combining weapons from various human tribes. We elves simply reshaped it. The craftsmanship comes from the Sunstrider family's heirloom, the holy sword called 'Flame Strike,' so it has the same shapeshifting ability as Flame Strike."

It can shape itself into different forms depending on the power of its wielder, and there are many such magical weapons in Azeroth.

But these weapons have one thing in common: they only change form for those who are recognized as wielders.

Congratulations, Marshal.

You will possess your own true 'Emperor's Sword,' which means you might actually become emperor.

Kai smiled and said to Lothar:

"Please take your soldiers and leave first."

As a representative of the Quel'dorei, I will also be attending an internal meeting of the three races of elves. After the World Tree Nordrassil was sacrificed for a noble purpose, the Kaldorei kingdom of the moon goddess will inevitably undergo a major reform, and the Black Raven King hopes that his distant relatives of the Kaldorei can also participate in it.

"You see, even we unambitious elves have learned to forge unity after being repeatedly beaten."

"Oh, speaking of the Black Raven King, that handsome and elegant millennium-old king seems to have also extended an invitation to me. This is the first formal diplomatic exchange between humans and the Kaldorei."

Lothar touched the scar on his face and sighed, saying:

“I’m really not good at this kind of thing. I should have brought Ryan along.”

As they were talking, a light-forged beacon suddenly landed beside them. As the beacon activated, Yrel, the little hoof who had killed at least three hundred demons in today's battle, emerged wrapped in bandages.

She said to Marshal Losa:
"The Vigilant is calling you, Marshal. He says there is something he has kept for you for too long, and it is time to return it to you. Also, the Exodar is about to depart for a special mission."

Therefore, if your warriors need to return to Stormwind Kingdom, please prepare to accompany us as soon as possible.

You will remain here to participate in diplomatic affairs, after which you can return with the Highborne elves. Their magical prowess is sufficient to ensure your safe return to the kingdom within a few days via a secure portal.

"Take all those orc prisoners back with you!"

The Marshal turned to General Gavinrad and said:

"Lock them up in prison, and put them on trial after Llane finishes the Battle of Redridge Mountains, including Orgrim."

"marshal!"

The White Soldier, who never removed his helmet, rushed out of the crowd and whispered a few words in Lothar's ear, causing Lothar's expression to change slightly. After exchanging a few words with Yrel, he hurriedly turned around and left with the White Soldier.

The commanders in the crowd watched this scene in astonishment.

They were whispering about what could have made the marshal so nervous, but the clever ones had probably already guessed it, yet no one offered an opinion on the matter at that moment.

Alas, given the current situation in the Eastern Kingdoms, the Mag'har orcs are quite important allies, so what choice will Marshal Lothar make?
It’s really exciting.

------

"Hey, you guys hurry up and catch up! Can't you see that the black and white wolf packs are retreating? Their battle is over, and you won't get any more cover from the wolves."

Leave quickly.

Otherwise, those ferocious humans will pounce on you and wipe you all out in a moment!

Hogg Wolfline, riding his ghost wolf, yelled at a group of wounded orcs hiding in a cave. Behind him were many gnolls and orc warriors he had recruited.

Now that the stargate is closed, these orcs stranded on Mount Hyjal have nowhere to go.

They had originally planned to stay and fight the humans, but Hogg appeared at this moment and gave them another option.

Although most orcs look down on the weak appearance of the gnolls, Hogg is an exception. This guy is the chosen one of the Black Wolf God in the gnoll civilization, and he has a high status. At the same time, he also has the chieftain's seal given to him by Orgrim.

Therefore, most of the orc warriors who are found choose to follow Hogg, but some refuse to be recruited.

These were often orcs who were exhausted from the war. After the demonic blood curse brought by Manonos dissipated, they regained their rationality and calmness and did not intend to continue the war.

These orcs wanted to find a quiet, undisturbed place in the sparsely populated Kalimdor to live a peaceful life and see if they would ever have the chance to return to their homeland.

After all, given the nature of Hogg Wolf, it's easy to understand why it gathered the orcs together.

war!

It's war again!

Damn it, every race in Azeroth is at war. Even the murlocs fight each other over territory. This world is hopeless.

Hogg didn't make things difficult for those who were tired of war.

It even summoned black wolves to serve as their mounts and guided them along Frostwhisper Valley. Once they rushed into Winterspring, they could find the goblins doing business there, and by following the goblins' path, they could escape the still quite dangerous Mount Hyjal.

From this perspective, Hogg is indeed a very kind guy.

It upholds the attitude that everyone is "a few buddies under the Black Wolf God's command" and is very tolerant of the orcs.

Perhaps it was because Orgrim had made a pact with it beforehand; in any case, Hogg Wolf was indeed no ordinary gnoll.

However, it seems to be having some problems with its recruitment.

There were quite a few orcs hiding in the cave in front of it, but no matter how Hogg called out to them, they did not respond, which made it suspicious. So it rode the ghost wolf closer to the cave, but was forced back by several orcs holding weapons.

However, the moment it got close, it saw what was inside the cave and shouted:
"Bald Red? Is that you? Red Blackhand? You're a chieftain, how did you end up trapped here? You're really unlucky!"

"Shut up, Hogg."

Red's impatient voice rang out from inside the cave, cursing:

"Wasn't I stopped by Gilneas' lackeys while covering my comrades' retreat? Now stop talking nonsense, my brother is seriously injured, can you find a doctor? He can't be moved now, he'll die."

"With all this chaos and war, where am I supposed to find a doctor for you?"

Hogg cursed:

"Can't the Black Wolf God's blessing make Maim healthy again?"

Red didn't answer, but his silence suggested that Maim Blackhand's situation was indeed dire, which explained why Red was trapped in this cave with his guards.

"Hogger, could you help me contact the Mag'har orcs?" Red asked in a muffled voice after a few seconds.
"Have them send a shaman."

"You are crazy!"

Hogg roared:

"They are now allies of humanity. Once they find out you're here, you'll be captured or even killed. You fought in the Western Wilderness, and humanity doesn't treat you well."

"But I can't abandon my brother. So what if he's been arrested? I need Maim to live!"

Red shouted:
"I'm willing to surrender, you help me find someone."

"Tch, idiot."

Hogger had no intention of dealing with the humans who were currently riding high on morale, but it still sent a ghost wolf that could move through the shadows to find the nearby Mag'har orcs.

Instead of finding the orc, the ghost wolf soon returned with a dangerous, large creature.

Rexxar transformed into a raven and flew over, landing at the cave entrance. His pack of beasts followed closely behind and quickly surrounded the creatures inside.

Hogg gripped the powerful axe he had found tightly, somewhat nervously.

That elven battle axe was shattered beyond recognition; no wonder old Gani directed Hogg to find it.

To the junk collector, this was a real "treasure".

Hogger wasn't a blacksmith and didn't know how to repair things, but he was really lucky. Near the World Tree Highlands, he found a broken piece of World Tree branch that had been thrown out. He used the tough vines to bind the broken battle axe together in the way gnolls make stone axes.

You know what, the combination of these two items really gave Hogg a "budget version of Stormbreaker".

Rexxar strode into the cave.

Many orcs knew him and tried to stop him, but Red stopped them. Red knew that Rexxar was a druid and could save Maim's life.

Ignoring the hostility of the greenskins around him, the orc strode forward and first put the grunting rock-skinned boar in his arms aside.

This was the "beast companion" that Lady Saloras had given him. After hearing about the little boar's "background," Rexxar vowed to train it into a powerful boar warrior and release it back into Razor Hill at the right time.

Rex also named the spirited little wild boar "Hoffer".

He knelt down and looked at Maim's terrible injuries. The orc warrior had clearly been caught in a frenzied attack by werewolves, leaving almost no part of his body unscathed.

The most fatal injury is internal organ damage, but this is not a terminal illness for druids.

Under Red's tense gaze, Rexxar took out a magic seed and put it into Maim's mouth. He then used nature magic to make the seed take root and sprout inside Maim's body, wrapping and healing the damaged internal organs, and replenishing him with the necessary life force.

Soon, Maim's breathing became steady.

This relieved Red. He sat cross-legged beside his brother, looking at the silent Rexxar. After assessing their fighting strength, Red sighed, threw away the Black Hand Saw, and stretched out his hands in front of Rexxar.

"What are you doing?"

Rexxar looked at Red as if he were an idiot and said:

"I'm not a jailer. If you want to turn yourself in, go find a human."

"Ok?"

Red stared wide-eyed at the orc, and exclaimed in surprise:
"You didn't come here to arrest us?"

"I am merely fulfilling my duty to maintain harmony with nature. I cannot turn a blind eye to those in need, nor can I stand idly by while the dying return to the realm of the dead."

Rexxar waved his hand and said:

"I am a wanderer of the wilderness and do not intend to get too involved in the conflicts of the civilized world. You can settle your own grudges with humans and Mag'har orcs."

But by saving Mam Blackhand, I've connected his life to nature. If the person I save later harms nature, then you two can expect to be coming after me.

After saying that, Rexxar stood up, holding the little boar beside him. As he turned to leave, Red called out:

Will you go back to Draenor in the future?

"Of course, that's my hometown."

Rexxar said without turning his head:
"But I will spend a lot of time wandering the wilderness of Azeroth, a sacred place for everyone who loves nature."

"wait!"

Red stood up, took a few jars from his bag, limped forward, and handed them to Rexxar, saying:
"These are the ashes of the orc warriors who sacrificed their lives in the Arathi Highlands. When you return to Draenor, scatter them on the wastelands of Gorgrond. That was the warriors' last wish."

Also, if Maim and I die in this world, please make a trip and bring our ashes back to the ancestral lands of the Blackrock Clan.

It was placed next to our father's tombstone.

I am down on my luck right now and have nothing to offer you in return, but if you wish for us to live in harmony with nature, then I will try my best to discipline my people.

"We probably won't stay here for long. The war tribe will send someone to pick us up once they've settled in."

Rexxar took the ashes, stroked the rough bottle, and after a few seconds said:

"Leave now. I will take good care of the bodies of the orc warriors who died on Mount Hyjal. If this is your last wish, then I will find a way to bring your ashes back to your homeland."

If the Maghhan tribe agrees.

"Thank you, this means a lot to us."

Red and the other orc warriors bowed deeply. Rexxar's promise filled them with mixed emotions. After watching the half-orc hunter leave with his herd, Red carried his brother, who had recovered somewhat, and followed Hogg on the road to departure.

"So, what are you planning to do next?"

As they sped along the mountain road leading from Mount Hyjal to Winterspring, Red asked from his warhorse:
"You must have a plan for gathering so many people, right?"

"Heh, a plan? Of course I have one!"

Hogg proudly took out a scroll made of animal hide from his pocket, opened it, and took a look.

Red leaned over and glanced at it, only to find that he couldn't understand it at all. It was full of things Hogg had recorded with claw marks and messy symbols, probably in "gnoll language," but other gnolls probably couldn't understand it either.

This is the Hogger Wolf's "secret technique".

It stroked its chin, examined the animal hide with great seriousness, then put away the hide and said to Red and the other gnoll overseers:
"I'll take you to the goblins in Winterspring first, and then we'll take their airships to leave the dangerous Mount Hyjal and Ashenvale. We'll travel through the Barrens to Thousand Needles, and then conquer the Woodclaws, the largest gnoll clan in Kalimdor, in the vicinity."

I heard from the goblins that the Woodclaw clan supposedly has a huge number of people.

"We'll conquer them first, then use their treasure to hire a fleet of goblins to take them to the Black Swamp."

Hogg looked at Red and said:

"Orgrim 'sold' me your fortress in the Black Swamp. From now on, it will be the capital of the Gnoll Kingdom, and the environment of the Black Swamp is also very suitable for our development."

This is the plan Orgrim devised for me!
We need to recruit those rabid orcs who are being hunted and have nowhere else to go. I was worried I wouldn't be able to manage them, but now that I have you, those guys are in your command, dear Chieftain Red.”

"whispering sound"

Red curled his lip, somewhat disdainful of this cunning gnoll, but after thinking it over, he nodded, then winked at Hogg and said:

“The Black Swamp is vast, but you can’t stay there forever. You have to expand outwards and avoid human influence. I have an idea!”

He lowered his voice and said to Hogg:
“We were stationed in Blackrock Mountain with Orgrim before, and my brother and I are very familiar with the terrain of Blackrock Spire. Once you have recruited enough warriors, I will take them to Blackrock Mountain and establish our territory there.”

Moreover, we can cooperate with the dwarves.

Red chuckled and said:
“I have a life-or-death bond with the dwarf princess. When the Bronzebeard dwarves attack Blackrock Mountain, we’ll take the opportunity to make a fortune. That city is very wealthy.”

"Yes, yes, that's a great idea!"

Hogg's eyes lit up, and he said:
"With the weapons of the dwarves, my kingdom can now attempt to conquer the gnolls of the Dragon Isles. It is a mission given to me by the Black Wolf God, who has made me the gnoll king of Azeroth!"
I like that name, but it's not that easy. I don't even know where the Dragon Islands are.

Sigh, this is too difficult. Let's just follow the plan step by step.

Orgrim told me that this matter should be pushed forward while the momentum is strong, but I don't quite understand it and need to find some smart guys to give me some advice.

Do you have any good candidates in mind?

"Well, I only know a few smart people. How about we try asking the dwarf princess? I think Moira is very smart and ambitious. Maybe she'd be willing to help."

"Oh, how do we contact her?"

"Well, shouldn't this be an idea for a smart person? Hogg, a smart gnoll like you should learn to solve problems yourself."

(End of this chapter)