Chapter 60

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Chapter 060: The Fisherman and the Fish

Early the next morning, Jesse and Greed set off into the mountains.

Jesse remembered the path leading to the mountains, which had been gradually taken over by the Blackrock Orcs over the past twenty years. They would ambush passersby along the road, but now it was guarded by the militiamen of Lakeshire.

They went further and further away from Lakeshire, deep into the dense forest on the mountain slope.

But no matter where they looked from, they could see the distant Lake Everstill and the Stonewatch Keep at the end of their sight, so they didn’t feel as anxious as they might have in the Elwynn Forest, where it was easy to get lost.

"Give me the potion first," Greed reached out and said, "If we suddenly run into trouble, there won’t be time to divide the potion then."

Jesse gave him the potion, Greed took the bottle and shook it back and forth, saying, "You made this potion… feels average."

"You’re too skilled, Alchemist Master," Jesse grabbed the bottle and said, "Then you drink your own potion."

Greed quickly took the bottle and laughed, saying, "Why are you still angry?"

While the two were arguing, the sound of thunder came from the other side of the mountain.

"It’s going to rain," Greed said. "I told you, the people in the town can be trusted, let’s hurry to the lake."

Jesse followed his steps, saying, "Do you remember what those fishermen said yesterday about Murloc?"

Greed said, "We just need to stay away from Murloc’s place. We can see their little grass huts on the shore a few hundred meters away."

As the two were about to reach the shore and leave the woods, Jesse stopped Greed, saying, "Let’s not go closer to the shore anymore. If we do, without any cover, won’t the Orcs easily spot us?"

Greed grabbed a tree trunk to prevent himself from sliding further down the hill. The terrain was steep here, only easing up towards the lake shore.

"You’re right," he pointed towards Jesse not far away and said, "We need to be more careful starting from here."

The two waited by the edge of the woods, and raindrops began to fall sporadically.

Jesse walked to Greed tree by tree and asked, "Do the militia know for sure that this Orc comes out every time it rains?"

"I didn’t say for sure," Greed replied. "But every time they see him, it’s when it’s raining. We still have a bit of a way to go. The militia guess he lives behind that big rock over there in that mountain hollow. When it rains, he runs to the lake shore to catch fish to fill his belly. Let’s keep going."

The two of them walked a bit more until they reached a gentle grove. Greed looked towards the lake but didn’t see anything unusual.

The rain was getting heavier, and Jesse was almost soaked. He sat on a rock by the lake, watching the water, when suddenly a flash of lightning illuminated the sky, then slowly faded.

Suddenly, he remembered something about how the Orc caught fish.

"Have you heard of a Shaman before?" he asked Greed, who was leaning against a tree.

"Heard of them? I know one," Greed said, popping a berry from a bush into his mouth. "Humans call them Shamans, but we call them Sages. They are dwarves who can communicate with the earth and sky. Long ago, they were leaders and advisors of the Wildhammer tribe. They could bless our warhammers with the power of storms, making them crackle with lightning and easily shatter the wings of those blood-sucking bats. But many say that before I was born, the Sages were not as powerful as in ancient times. So, as they put it, even though they were mighty, they ended up weakening instead."

"It probably has something to do with trolls," Jesse remarked.

Greed spat out the berry and said, "The Sages have said similar things. The troll’s rituals have affected their connection with the elements, ancestors, and even the spirits, but I don’t quite understand what’s going on."

Jesse said, "I think in the past, the elements in Khaz Modan were familiar to the dwarves, but the Hinterlands was the land of trolls thousands of years ago. The spirits of the elements there have been living with the trolls for who knows how long. It’s possible that they had been in contact with the Troll Witch Doctor tens of thousands of years ago. In other words, the elements there don’t trust the dwarves from outside."

Greed asked, "How do you know all this?"

"The library," Jesse said. "That’s not important. What’s important is whether that Orc could possibly be a Shaman."

"What?" Greed asked incredulously, "That Orc is a Sage in the tribe? But according to what you said, outsiders won’t gain the trust of the local elements, right? Even if… even if he knew the elements in Draenor, wouldn’t he still be considered an outsider here? Wouldn’t he be rejected?"

"The humans here gave up the belief in the elements many years ago," Jesse said. "Nowadays, mages only use Arcane to control the elements for their own use. In my opinion, the elements may still be hostile towards humans. They might even be willing to work with the Gnolls! So, if a Shaman who is skilled in communicating with the elements comes at this time, at least more understanding of the elements than the Gnolls, it wouldn’t be surprising for the elements to work with them."

But at this point, Jesse also felt something strange. The Orc tribe that attacked Azeroth had all drunk demon blood and had abandoned the elemental ways. Logically, even if they were once Shamans, the elements would try to avoid those tainted by demonic powers.

Was he overthinking?

Greed asked, "So, are the local elements betraying their kind? No no no, hold on, why do you suddenly think that Orc is a Shaman?"

Jesse explained, "You mentioned the local people’s group telling you that on a rainy day, the Orc chanted a spell on the shore, and the dead fish in the lake floated up by themselves. Have you ever considered whether any mage or warlock could do that? What kind of magic could achieve that?"

"Let me think…" Greed pondered.

Jesse immediately interrupted him, saying, "I’ll just tell you directly, only electricity… can be done, only electric fish!"

"Electric fish?"

"Yes, that Shaman summons a storm on rainy days, guides lightning into the lake, and the fish nearby get electrocuted and float up. It’s not difficult at all for a qualified Shaman, as long as the elements are willing to help him!"

The dwarf didn’t know what to say now. He looked towards the lake, where the water became extremely dark amidst the rain. Stonewatch Keep in the distance and Lakeshire on the other side were already hard to see.

"How should we deal with him?"

"Deal with him? No way," Jesse said. "I don’t think we can deal with an Orc Shaman priest, let alone his ability to control wind and lightning. Shamans are highly respected in the tribe. Orcs worship strength. Even in close combat… do you have the confidence to defeat him? I don’t want to take that risk."

"Well… then let’s discuss this further. Why didn’t you say so earlier?!" Greed picked up his package and sword, turned around, and started walking back.

"Is this my fault too?" Jesse complained.

"Cough, cough."

"Hurry, let’s go!"

But when Jesse turned around, he saw a tall, dark figure standing vaguely in the high forest, looking this way.