Chapter 188

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Chapter 188: Legend of the Wendigo

The decision to buy more clothes while in Dalaran was truly wise.

For most of the day journeying along Lordamere Lake, Jesse didn’t feel anything unusual, but in the afternoon, as he gazed up at the Alterac snow peaks, feeling the wind on his face, Jesse started to have a sense of unease.

After passing the abandoned Watcher’s Encampment nestled against the cliff, the caravan proceeded up towards the mountaintop along the thawing snow river heading into Lordamere.

Venturing deeper into Alterac Valley, the snow avalanching down from the mountaintop gradually formed an unceasing blizzard, swirling gusts of air racing around the mountain, causing the pine forests on the mountainside to continuously emit loud howling sounds.

The entire caravan journey was very difficult, Jesse was originally sitting in a cart, but later had to get off and walk by himself.

If his injured shoulder hadn’t healed yet, he would have had to help push the cart like Greed.

But following the church’s caravan didn’t cost anything, and they were just looking for some company.

The journey from Dalaran to Alterac City wasn’t too far, but this road was full of various dangers.

If two people climbing the mountain ran into trouble, they could easily lose their lives. Having a group of priests supporting them would make it much safer, and the priests welcomed as many travelers as possible to join the group, as fewer people nowadays wanted to go to Alterac City. Looking at the narrow uphill path ahead, surrounded by cliffs and snow valleys, Jesse thought to himself that it would be a disaster if an Ogre or a group of Frostwolf Orcs suddenly appeared.

Apart from the frozen bodies found on the hillside, nothing unsettling had appeared so far.

It seemed like Ogres hadn’t made their way into these snowy mountains yet, and the Frostwolf Clan in the Alterac Mountains was still struggling for survival. They were unlikely to risk conflict with a group of dozens of travelers and risk reducing their numbers.

At night, the caravan rested in a natural cave halfway up the mountain. It wasn’t until they entered that Jesse noticed many writings on the walls.

There were Dwarven, Elvish, and, of course, many Common writing on the walls, but Jesse didn’t recognize most of the Common writings.

The Alterac Mountains were one of the oldest human settlements. After the unification of the human tribes in Arathi, the first battle that led to external conquest was against the human tribes of Alterac Mountains.

The war between the Arathor tribe and the Alterac tribe is one of the main historical memories of human civilization. The most famous legend from that war was undoubtedly the duel between Thoradin the Magnificent and the leader of Alterac, Ignaeus. This mythical duel laid the foundation for the vast empire’s main territories.

Alterac has witnessed the rise and fall of humanity, once almost considered the holy mountain of all mankind.

With the Arathor Empire splitting up, Kul Tiras and the Kingdom of Stormwind, who are distant from these mountains, no longer emphasize their connection to the northern tribes. Lordaeron, Gilneas, and even Alterac itself are unwilling to be bound by the concept of a unified empire symbolized by these mountains, gradually forgetting its significance.

Over the past ten years, countless travelers have left their marks on the ancient mountain road from the Dalaran area to Alterac City, making the mountain caves seem like a resting place.

"I heard that the Wendigo of Alterac lives in caves like this, Jesse," Greed said quietly from the corner, "Do you think Wendigo used to live in this cave before?"

"How would I know, I’ve never climbed the Alterac Mountains before," Jesse replied softly, shaking his cloak.

Most of the people in the cave have packed up and are preparing to rest between their clothes and luggage. Apart from the occasional sound of wind blowing in from outside, there is almost no movement in the cave.

"In another ten days or so, when this road becomes completely impassable, dwarf," a priest lying sideways nearby said softly, "this place will become the dwelling of the Wendigo. We are just staying here temporarily as they don’t need to hide here yet."

"Alterac Kingdom ruled these mountains for ten years, but haven’t they conquered the Wendigo who come here?" Greed asked.

"Conquer?" The priest coughed and asked, "You can conquer a country, but can you conquer the wild wolves of Khaz Modan?"

"So, you think Wendigo is a kind of wild beast," Greed said.

"Wendigo and wild wolves are different for sure," the priest said. "But compared to us, maybe the differences between them aren’t that big."

"But from what I know," Greed scooted towards the priest and said curiously, "both humans and the ancestors of Wendigo lived in Tirisfal and Arathi, ancient giants."

"Nonsense," the priest sat up and said. "Yetis not only have fur all over their bodies, but also have horns like sheep on their heads. The air they breathe out can even make your hair freeze… Humans do not have any of those features, especially horns and the almost magical ability of their cold breath."

The dwarf said, "You gained wisdom, while your relatives have stronger and taller bodies, allowing them to adapt to snowy mountains and wilderness, nothing strange about that. Just like me and my Dark Iron relatives, we are tall, they have dark skin…"

The priest sighed helplessly and said, "Have you heard of Thoradin the Magnificent, Dwarf Wildhammer?"

The dwarf said, "Of course!"

The priest said, "When Thoradin the Magnificent fought Ignauus on this mountain, he wielded the holy sword Stomka and achieved ultimate victory. This sword, also known as the Sword of Giants, was crafted by the ancient giants who roamed Arathi. Even today, yetis have not created a true weapon. Have the giants, after generations of evolution, become more foolish?"

Greed nodded, "That may be true… But change doesn’t always mean becoming stronger, like those giants becoming shorter and turning into you, or becoming dumber and becoming Wendigos."

"Oh… dwarf."

The priest sighed, looking like he had given up on the topic.

"But, the reason why there are still Wendigos here is not because the humans here haven’t tried to drive them away, but because the Alterac Kingdom no longer exists. Wendigos, wild people, have returned here, and I heard that even Orcs have taken this opportunity to hide in the mountains. Perhaps some still believe that the kingdom still exists, but from what I have seen, Alterac City is on the verge of collapse. After the war, more than two-thirds of the people left there, going to surrounding villages, heading to Lordaeron, or even farther places like Elwynn and Gilneas."