The next morning, Jess and Gerred went out early and walked into the mountains.
Jess remembered this road that led directly into the mountains. In more than twenty years, the Blackrock orcs gradually occupied this area and ambushed and waited for passing pedestrians by the roadside. But now it is still guarded by the militiamen of Lakeshire.
As they got farther and farther away from Lakeshire and deeper into the dense forest on the hillside.
However, no matter where they were, looking down and into the distance, they could see the surface of the Stillwater Lake in the distance and also see Stonefort at the end of their vision. So they wouldn't get lost as quickly as in Elwynn Forest. Therefore, the two of them didn't have a particularly strong sense of tension.
"Give me the potion first." Gerred stretched out his hand and said, "If we run into him suddenly, it will be too late to divide the medicine."
Jess handed him the medicine. Gerred took the bottle and shook it back and forth, saying, "The way you brewed this medicine... it seems to be of average quality."
"Too amazing, master alchemist." Jess grabbed the bottle and said, "Then drink your own medicine."
Gerred immediately took the bottle away and said with a smile, "Why are you still angry?"
Just as the two were bickering, muffled thunder came from over the mountain.
"It's going to rain." Gerred said, "I told you. Those people in the town are still reliable. Let's go to the lake as soon as possible."
Jess followed his footsteps and said, "Do you remember what those fishermen said yesterday, about murlocs and such?"
Gerred said, "We just need to stay away from where the murlocs live. Those small grass huts they built by the shore can be seen from hundreds of meters away."
When the two ran to the shore and were about to leave the forest, Jess called out to Gerred and said, "Let's not go closer to the shore anymore. Otherwise, there will be no cover at all. Wouldn't we be easily discovered by the orc if we get a little closer?"
Gerred grabbed a tree trunk to prevent himself from continuing to slide down the slope. Here, the mountain was already very steep and only eased up when reaching the lake shore.
"You're right." He gave a thumbs up to Jess not far away and said, "From here on, we need to be more careful."
The two waited by the forest for a while. At this time, raindrops began to fall sporadically.
Jess supported himself by holding onto one tree after another and walked to Gerred's side. After standing firmly, he said, "Those militiamen. Are they sure that this orc will come out every time it rains?"
"I didn't say for sure." Gerred said, "It's just that every time we see him, it's during rainy days. There is still some distance here. Those militiamen guess that the place where he lives should be in that mountain col behind that big rock over there. When it rains, he runs to the lake shore to catch fish to fill his stomach. Let's move on."
The two walked for a while longer and stopped in a gentle forest. Gerred looked towards the lake, but didn't notice anything unusual.
The rain was already very heavy, and Jess was almost completely soaked. He sat on a rock and looked at the lake. Suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminated the field of vision and then slowly darkened.
He seemed to remember something about how that orc catches fish.
"Have you heard of people like shaman priests?" he asked Gerred who was leaning against a tree.
"Not only have I heard of them, I know one." Gerred stuffed a fruit pulled from the shrub into his mouth and said, "Humans call him a shaman, but we call them sages. They are dwarves who can communicate with the earth and the sky. In ancient times, they were the leaders and advisers of the Wildhammer clan. They would bless our warhammers with the power of storms, giving the hammers lightning and easily shattering the wings of those blood-sucking bats. However, many people say that before I was born, the sages were not as powerful as in the time of our ancestors. So according to what they said, even if they were so powerful, it was after they became weaker."
"It's probably related to trolls." Jess said.
Gerred spat the fruit to a lower place and said, "The sages have also said similar things. The sacrificial activities of the trolls have affected their connection with the elements, ancestors, and even the gods. But I don't understand exactly what's going on."
Jess said, "I guess it's like this. In the past, the elements in Khaz Modan were familiar with dwarves. But thousands of years ago, Hinterlands was the land of trolls. The elemental spirits there have lived with the trolls for who knows how long. Maybe tens of thousands of years ago, they were in contact with troll witch doctors. In other words, the elements there don't trust the incoming dwarves."
Gerred asked, "How do you know all this?"
"Library." Jess said, "This is not important. What's important is whether it's possible that that orc is a shaman priest?"
"What?" Gerred asked in disbelief, "That orc is a sage in the tribe? But according to what you said, won't outsiders not be trusted by local elements? Even if... even if he knew the elements there in Draenor, wouldn't he still be an outsider when he comes here? Wouldn't he be rejected?"
"The humans here gave up their elemental beliefs I don't know how many years ago." Jess said, "Now, mages only use arcane magic to make the elements serve them. In my opinion, the elements may even be hostile to humans. They are even willing to cooperate with gnolls! At this time, if a shaman priest who is originally good at communicating with the elements comes, at least someone who understands the elements better than gnolls, it's not strange that the elements will cooperate with them."
But at this point, Jess also felt something strange. The orc tribes that attacked Azeroth all drank demon blood. They have abandoned the way of the elements. Logically speaking, even if a person who was once a shaman priest is tainted with demonic power, the elements will try to avoid them as much as possible.
Could he have been overthinking?
Gerred asked, "So, have the local elements rebelled? No, no, no. Wait a minute. Why do you suddenly think that that orc is a shaman priest?"
Jess explained, "You said that those people from the local militia told you that when it rained, that orc chanted spells on the shore for a while, and then the dead fish in the lake floated up by themselves. Have you considered who among mages or warlocks can do this? What magic can do this?"
"Let me think..." Gerred pretended to be in deep thought.
Jess immediately interrupted him and said, "I'll tell you directly. No one... Only electricity can do it. Only electrocuting fish!"
"Electrocuting fish?"
"Yes. That shaman summons storms on rainy days and guides lightning into the lake. Wouldn't the fish nearby be electrocuted or stunned and float up? This is not a difficult task at all for a qualified shaman priest as long as the elements are willing to help him!"
The dwarf didn't know what to say now. He looked towards the lake. In the rain curtain, the lake water became extremely gloomy. Stonefort in the distance and Lakeshire on the other side could no longer be seen clearly.
"Then how do we deal with him?"
"What are we dealing with?" Jess said, "I don't think we can deal with an orc shaman priest. Not to mention his ability to control wind and thunder. Shaman priests are all powerful figures in the tribe. Orcs worship strength. Even in close combat... Are you confident that you can defeat him? I don't want to take this risk."
"This... Then let's think about it in the long run. Why didn't you say it earlier?!" Gerred picked up his bag and sword and turned around to go back.
"Is this also my fault?" Jess complained.
"Cough."
"Let's go quickly!"
However, when Jess turned around, he saw a tall and indistinct black figure standing in the forest at a higher place and looking over here.