Shadow Trails in Azeroth

"What a strange name. It seems that you have realized that your past life was full of violence and evil. This is a good start, my friend.

It seems that Akunda's keen insight has shined into your dark heart.

This fully proves that the great power of the God of Storm and Rebirth is effective both in the kingdom of trolls and in the souls of outsiders.

O praise Akunda! "

The Akunda priest on the steps is obviously a well-informed character.

Faced with Black's deliberately provocative speech, he did not show dissatisfaction or confusion.

Instead, he followed Blake's words and went down the steps. The group of guys waiting for food and water preached about the greatness of Akunda.

Those guys looked dumbfounded, and after hearing the priest's words, they also gave a messy response.

They are all flattering words praising Akunda.

"You have told me that your name is Big Bad Akunda, my friend, but these new friends behind you have not introduced themselves yet."

Wearing a mask, the priest who called himself "Honorable Akunda" walked down the stairs enthusiastically and looked up and down Black's expression and the equipment and clothes on his body.

The gaze under his mask paused for a few seconds on the Skull of Gul'dan hanging on Blake's chest, and then looked at the orcs gathered in the square with the enthusiasm and generosity of a clergyman.

He said:

"Friends, look within your hearts under the glory of the God of Storms, and tell me, what kind of Akunda are you?"

"Does it have to be that weird name?"

Red Blackhand, who was carrying a sword on his back and folding his arms, ready to slash at anyone at any time, raised his head and asked provocatively.

The noble Akunda was not provoked. He explained patiently:

“This is the rule of the Akunda Temple, my friend, those who cannot say goodbye to the past and cannot find their true name are not allowed to stay here for a long time.

Benevolent Akunda is willing to accept all well-intentioned outsiders, but you must show a willingness to tread new paths.

We, humble servants, are to respect His will.

Say it, friends.

What Akunda are you? "

The orcs hesitated, but the old mage took a step forward. The legendary mage bowed gently to the temple with a strong troll belief style.

He said in his low, decayed voice:

"As an outsider, I long to meet the God of Storms and seek His great wisdom, so you can call me Akunda the Wisdom."

"Well, that's great."

The noble Akunda said in a joyful tone:

"Another confused soul has found a new path. You are our seventh wise Akunda. Welcome, friend."

After saying that, he looked persistently at the orcs. Black was also standing on the steps, making a hidden gesture to Evil Eye and Maimu below.

So the warlock and Maimu stepped forward at the same time and said in unison:

"My name is Akunda the Faithful."

"My name is Akunda the Valiant."

The irritable Red was obviously dissatisfied with this boring ceremony, but under pressure, he turned away and casually said:

"My name is Akunda the Warlike."

The remaining orcs saw that both chiefs had new names.

They also shouted random names one by one, some called Akunda the good warrior and Akunda the good hunter in a low-key manner.

There are also less humble ones.

He calls himself Akunda the Thunder Hand, Akunda the Herald of War, Akunda the Sword of the Tribe, etc.

After everyone said their new names in such a mess, the noble Akunda allowed them to stay here tonight, and then returned to the steps at the door of the temple.

As he struck a gong, many priests dressed similarly to him rolled out some food on carts from the temple.

Most of them are local desert meatballs, some cakes made from dried vegetables, and some dried meat.

Finally a few jars of water.

Under the steps, the trolls waiting for food in front of the temple also started to commotion.

They were like praying for food or beggars, crowding forward, some holding bowls made of bone vessels, and more simply using bare hands to receive the food given by the priests.

These guys were all in ragged clothes, skinny and shabby, and they looked like they were suffering from chronic malnutrition.

Seeing how they were devouring their food, Blake wondered whether the purpose of these guys gathering outside this temple was to make a pilgrimage to Akunda?

Or did you come all the way here just for this bite of food?

However, he knew the origins of these guys.

These guys are all exiles who were exiled from Zuldazar on the other side of the island to the Great Desert of Volton. In fact, all the trolls in the Great Desert of Volton have the same origin.

A huge part of it is due to mistakes being made in the Troll's City of Gold.

A small number are officials or nobles who failed in the political struggles of the Zandalari dynasty.

Well, the Zandalari trolls are the most intelligent among the troll civilization, and therefore they have inherited the characteristics common to all intelligent life forms. The political infighting in the Golden City is very serious and sharp.

In the Zansuli Council, which was in charge of the internal affairs of the Zandalari Empire, Miaomiao and a few people were divided into several factions, and they were constantly attacking each other.

King Rastakhan, the leader of the Zandalari trolls, is happy to see this situation and even indulges it.

This is the basic operation of imperial power. If all the ministers in the Zansuli Council under his command are united, then the Golden King will really be restless.

But the Zandalari trolls are indeed very civilized.

Not only did they put an end to the barbaric custom of cannibalism long ago, but they were also very tolerant of losers in political struggles.

In most cases, they were exiled to the desert to end their troubles.

Out of sight out of mind.

Anyway, basically none of the trolls who were exiled to the Great Desert of Volton survived five years. The environment in this place was too harsh.

It was so bad that the trolls, who were always known for their strong vitality, found it difficult to adapt.

"New friends, why don't you eat?"

The noble Akunda was surrounded. He seemed to have turned a blind eye to the ugly eating habits of these desert exiles. He also saw that Blake and his party did not reach out to take the food and water distributed by the priests.

Then he came over and said seriously:

"You must be very tired after a long journey in the desert. Eat something quickly, drink some water, and take a rest."

"No need, we bring our own dry food."

The pirate waved his hand and said to the noble Akunda in front of him:

"Give the food to these poor people. Look at them. They are all skinny and skinny. It is so miserable."

Looking around at the Akunda Temple in front of him, he could clearly see that outside this stone, pyramid-like temple that was already very old, under the night, there were wisps of light among the bricks from time to time. Blue arc.

It jumped out like lightning and crawled along the outer layer of the temple.

These lightning strikes are certainly not natural.

Akunda, the god of storms, is indeed in the temple in front of him.

But the temple door was closed and locked, and there were more than a dozen strong troll guards wearing armor and holding sacrificial weapons guarding there.

No others are allowed to approach.

The pirate's eyes stayed on the closed door and lock for a few seconds. He stretched his left hand behind him and made a covert rubbing motion. Then he looked back at the noble Akunda and said directly. :

"Honorable Akunda, the only purpose of us outsiders coming to the Great Desert of Wodu is to meet the great Akunda and seek his blessings.

Now that we have chosen a new name and embarked on a new path as you wished, when can we see the great Akunda? "

"It's 'He'! You should use the honorific title, my companion Big Bad Akunda."

The noble Akunda first corrected Blake's "grammatical error", then with a respectful temperament, bowed to the temple behind him, and then turned back to Blake and said:

"But it is not a coincidence that you are here. My friends, the great Akunda has been busy guarding the order of this desert in the past thousand years, and He is already very tired.

A year ago, He told His humble servant, me, that He needed some time off.

It’s not just you, friends.

Look at all the people gathered here. These poor people are here to see the great Akunda, but they cannot see the god.

So do you.

You need to wait patiently. Once the great Akunda regains his energy, He will definitely meet you. "

"But we were in a hurry."

The pirate shook his head, looked into the eyes of the noble Akunda, and said:

"We have to leave early tomorrow morning, so tonight, we have to see Akunda no matter what."

Hearing Black's words, Red Blackhand snorted and put his hand on the handle of the knife behind his back in a cooperative manner. The other orcs also gathered around with warlike expressions.

The noble Akunda saw that the situation was not good and took a step back.

There were also troll guards guarding outside the temple who rushed over with weapons in hand. Seeing that the two sides were about to clash, the priest waved his hand and said:

"The great Akunda taught us that there are exceptions to everything, my friend, don't worry yet."

The next moment, he shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Akundas!"

When this voice was shouted, the desert exiles who were as thin as a stick and eating around them seemed to have heard some kind of call, and a large group of them stood up.

They were all skinny and skinny, but there were a lot of people in this meeting. The moment these two to three hundred people stood up, Black and his men were at a numerical disadvantage.

This scene scared the fox leader Eudora and several of her tribesmen, their ears shrank, their tails shook, and they hid among the orcs.

The orcs are not afraid of this threat at all.

They have suffered enough along the way!

It's enough to be bullied by the servants of the God of Death. Now, sloppy trolls who don't even have enough to eat dare to bully them?

court death!

Seeing the furious orcs drawing out their weapons, the noble Akunda took a few steps back to his guards. He shouted to the pirates and the exiles below:

"Our new friends insist on meeting the weary and great Akunda, which offends the Loa, but the benevolent storm god will not refuse the sincere prayers of his followers.

Therefore, as the sole priest of the great Akunda, I declare here!

As long as our new friends can find perfect tributes to the great Akunda, they will be allowed to see the great Akunda. "

This guy paused and then said to Black and his group:

“The great Akunda’s favorite food on weekdays is the sweet sand fruits in this desert, but he has the form of a majestic beast, so he occasionally wants to taste the taste of fresh meat.

Fresh meat that can satisfy a Loa is not easy to find in the Vodun Desert.

But you are lucky, friends, there is a dangerous creature entrenched in a cave not far around the temple.

We suffered so much that we called it Logogo the Devourer. It had eaten too many innocent travelers, and its meat would surely satisfy the great Akunda.

Therefore, as long as you can get it for Akunda."

"Kacha"

Before the noble Akunda finished speaking, a sound that shocked his heart came from the closed door of the temple behind him. The priest turned around and looked.

My heart went cold.

In the shadow of the temple door, there was a hooded female orc, easily twisting the extremely precise lock.

Damn it!

That lock was something he brought from Zuldazar, and it was a lock with the magical power of another Loa, Ms. Shadra, the "Silk Dancer"!

How could he be opened so easily by a mortal?

Probably feeling the astonished gaze of the noble Akunda, the hooded Garona turned around, pushed open the closed door of the temple in front of her, and said to the noble Akunda:

"My name is Akunda the Lockpicker, Lord Priest."

"Now, we are all Akunda, we are all family members, so don't be so open-minded."