Shadow Trails in Azeroth

"Ah, Westfall, I love this place. Every time I come here, it makes me feel refreshed."

After walking through the deathly silence of Crow Ridge, and then crossing a wide, sturdy wooden bridge over the river, Black Shaw, riding a hell horse, finally ended his trip in the Dusk Forest.

He was riding on a war horse, stepping onto the earth-yellow land illuminated by the sun in front of him. He just stood in the long-lost sunshine, stretching out his hands, as if reciting an opera, wanting to embrace the warm sun.

Behind him, Ms. Natalie Serling was riding on the old horse given by the refugees. She was standing on the edge of the wooden bridge, just at the edge of the dark gathering place in the twilight forest.

It's like there is a curtain covering the surroundings, and as long as you take one step, you can leave the darkness and step into the light.

It's like a line dividing light and dark in front of you.

This scene seemed to have a profound meaning in Natalie's eyes.

She is a pastor, a person of faith, and she likes to think a lot.

The lady wearing a long hood looked back at the twilight forest behind her, where the night lingered like a swirling black mist.

She could even vaguely hear the call from the darkness, asking her to return to the comfort and safety of the night and not to set foot on the land under the sun, where there were terrible dangers.

"Hey, ship's doctor, if you don't leave, I'm going to leave you behind."

When Natalie stopped at the edge of the wooden bridge, there was a call from ahead. She looked back and saw her captain Blake, holding a pipe in his mouth, waiting for her at the intersection in the sun.

The captain looked impatient, as if his words of abandoning her were not threatening her.

"This is coming."

The archbishop stretched out his hand to pull down his black hood, and finally bid farewell to the dark night behind him that held her back. His feet gently touched the old horse's belly.

The docile horse raised its hoofs forward and stepped from the darkness into the sunlight in one step.

The light shone on her cheek, and it was warm, like a deep and passionate kiss. It was already so unfamiliar, leaving Natalie at a loss for what to do at this moment.

But soon, she relaxed her body and allowed the sun to shine, dispelling the gloom and coldness from her body.

"Praise the Light."

She whispered something, touched the scripture on her waist, followed Blake, crossed the barren but not barren plain in front of her, and rushed towards the lighthouse on the other side of the western wilderness.

This is not a short journey. As the former Archbishop of the Kingdom of Stormwind, Natalie has been to the Western Wilds many times. She was very well supported by the farmers on this land.

Natalie would proclaim to them the power of the Light.

At the same time, it is also because every time Natalie comes to treat the farmers' diseases and distribute potions for free.

Who doesn’t like free and useful stuff?

"The old lighthouse is still in the southwest of Moon Creek Town, where the Western Wilderness and the waters of Stranglethorn Valley meet. If we go to Moon Creek Town, we have to make a big circle."

Natalie was riding on the old horse and said to the captain who was holding a wine bottle in front of him and pouring wine into his mouth:

"If we are more interested in efficiency, I mind we can go to Dagger Ridge, which is in Yuexi Town."

"Due South."

Blake waved his hand and said vaguely:

“You don’t need to explain to me where that place is, I know that there is a secret exit from the Death Mine, and when you get out of there, you can see the Westfall Lighthouse.

I also know that the Death Mine is the oldest mine in the Kingdom of Stormwind and also has the largest reserves. It has been dug for nearly eighty years and all the gold in it has been mined out.

But it can still produce other rich mineral deposits.

But the underground digging in that place is intricate. No matter how good a miner is, if he is not careful, he will get stuck in it and find no way out.

Regarding this point, I think Marshal Lothar has a lot to say.

His reckless campaign against ogres in the Death Mines when he was young resulted in him and his knights almost being buried there. It is said that the Marshal was trapped underground in the Death Mines for twenty months."

"Nineteen months, to be exact."

Natalie corrected:

"The marshal found an underground lagoon deep in the mine that was connected to the surface water source. He relied on the water and the fish in the water to persist until the church's help arrived.

That action cannot be called reckless. Sir Lothar recovered the 'Holy Book' that was stolen by the ogre for the North County Monastery and protected the inheritance of the holy land. "

"Underground lagoon? Haha."

Blake laughed in a weird tone.

No more words, just ride the horse forward.

By the time we crossed the hilly area of ​​the narrow Dagger Ridge, it was already afternoon.

Blake was riding on the hell horse and looking towards the coast in front of him. From this height, he could clearly see the vast stretches of beach washed out by the sea on the edge of the wilderness.

From Blake's commanding position, one can easily see the old lighthouse standing on the edge of the shallow sea area of ​​​​the Western Wilderness.

That was probably the tallest building in the entire wilderness.

At least fifty meters.

It was built by the ancestors who came from the northern Xinjiang to open up the southern Xinjiang before the Kingdom of Stormwind was established. It has been hundreds of years old, but it still stands in the place where it was born.

No matter what bad things happened, such as wind and rain, storms, orc invasion, the light of the lighthouse never went out.

It is guiding the merchant ships heading to the Kingdom of Stormwind so that they can arrive at the dock of Stormwind City smoothly.

"You grew up in the Kingdom of Stormwind. Have you heard the story of the "Lighthouse Ghost"?"

Blake pulled the reins and let the hell horse walk downhill along the long beach. As he walked, he asked Natalie beside him.

This question made the Archbishop hesitate.

After more than ten seconds of silence, she whispered:

"Yes, I've heard it.

The locals regarded the story as a legend, but in fact, according to the secret investigation of the Church of Stormwind Kingdom, there was indeed a suspected ghostly creature in the old lighthouse.

But we did not make this known to the public, because the ghost did not believe in the Holy Light, and he rudely refused the priests' request to say a requiem mass for him. "

"I knew it."

The pirate curled his lips and said:

"This is definitely not the only thing you have hidden. You have also hidden the 'ghost children' of Goldsmith Town, right?"

"Then that can't be considered malicious!"

Natasha made a religious symbol on her chest with a compassionate tone and said:

“That incident was a paranormal event triggered by a horrific crime.

We hide it to protect the innocent villagers of Goldshire. Before the orcs invaded, innocent people would die tragically in Goldshire every year because of their curiosity chasing those six children.

This is the responsibility of the church. "

"I understand, and I didn't say you were malicious."

The pirate waved his hand and said;

"You don't have to explain anything to me. There are too many unsolved mysteries in this world. Come on, let's go visit the lighthouse ghost. I don't know if Shore parked my ship next to the lighthouse."

The two took some time and finally reached the island of the old lighthouse.

This is a typical human lighthouse, built with stones to look like a sentry tower.

The lower level is where the tower keepers live, and the upper level is the main body of the lighthouse, but the lock on the door of the lighthouse has long been broken open, and it is a mess inside, with several dried orc corpses.

Obviously, when the orcs invaded the Western Wilderness, some greenskins rushed into the lighthouse and robbed it, and as a result, something unfortunate happened.

Natalie was checking inside, but Blake didn't go in at all. He went around to the other side of the lighthouse. On the edge of the island, there was a long-abandoned pier.

The boat that Black snatched from the group of Shadow Val'kyr is now docked at the dock and has been anchored.

This ship is not big, at least much smaller than the Nagfar.

It is a standard Vrykul dragon-headed long ship. The bow and stern on both sides are very high. A huge dragon head is carved out of wood on the bow. Under the bow, an underwater ram made of steel is also installed. .

It is about thirty meters long, five to six meters wide from left to right, and completely black.

There is a keel under the deck and a huge mast in the center, which can flexibly adjust the direction, but the draft is very shallow. This long and narrow unique design makes it fast and flexible.

You can follow the sea water into some inland rivers at high tide, which is very suitable for pirates to plunder.

Although the ship in front of me was also driven from Hades, its maintenance condition is obviously much better than that of the Nagfar. There are signs of decay on the hull, but they are not serious.

Its displacement is about 60-70 tons, making it an out-and-out small boat.

But carrying seventy or eighty people at a time is not a problem.

This ship can be used as a soul boat like the Nagfar, which means that it is also a ghost ship.

In the afterglow of the setting sun at this time, the ship was still exuding a slightly cold aura. Although it was no longer shrouded in fog, it still gave people a chilling feeling when viewed from a distance.

Blake wasn't afraid.

He held the skull flask in his hand and staggered towards the ship. As he approached the hull, he stretched out his hand and patted the cold hull. The character card immediately gave the ship's information:

Name: Jotunheim Force [Excellent Quality]

Condition: Generally intact [damaged deck/rotten sail]

Faction: Undead Fleet [Fleet Commander: Black Shaw]

Special effects:

1. Ghost Ship【1/90】

The Naqfar is the most famous ghost ship in legend, but it is not the only ghost ship.

In the salt moth harbor of Hades, Hela still has many ships available.

But none of them could compare to the Naqfar.

Whether it is from the perspective of reputation or strength, this warship built for Hela by the Jotunheim clan of Northrend still has a long way to go before becoming a legend.

Even though it has been soaked in the harbor of Hades for hundreds of years, it has yet to develop its own consciousness.

But anything a ghost ship can do, a ship that's tough and eager to fight, can do.

2. Robbery of bloodline

The Jotunheim clan is one of the most powerful clans among the Vrykul. Although the Vrykul living in the Icecrown Glacier are accustomed to infantry fighting, they can still become the best pirates and plunderers. .

Therefore, the warship they dedicated to Hela was infected with the warlikeness and desire for plunder of the Jotunheim clan from the moment it was born.

When carrying pirates into the battlefield, the ship's speed and impact will increase.

When returning full of loot, the ship's toughness and protection will increase.

"Hey! Who are you? Don't touch my ship, okay? I'll cut off your hand! Did you see my hat? I'm a pirate! Pirate, do you understand?

The kind that kills people! "

Just as Blake was carefully checking the ship's information, a rude but erratic voice suddenly sounded from above the ship's deck, making Blake raise his head in surprise.

As a result, he saw a human ghost pirate with a blue body, lying on the side of the ship, waving a sailor sword that was between reality and reality like him, and shouting.

His outfit was almost identical to Blake's.

They all wear black pirate tricorn hats with a white skull logo on them, and also wear pirate trench coats, but he looks sloppy and bearded, and is not as handsome as Blake.

"Huh? Pirate?"

Blake grinned, pushed up his pirate hat, adjusted his blindfold, spread his hands, and said to his colleagues in front of him:

"What a coincidence. Me too, man. Besides, this is obviously my boat, so why does it become your boat? If you call it, will it agree?"

"Pooh!"

The ghost pirate spat to the side angrily, glared fiercely at his counterpart, and said:

"It's parked under my lighthouse, it's parked in my dock, of course it's my ship. And are you crazy? How can a ship answer that?"

Can you make it respond to you? "

"certainly."

Black snapped his fingers and said:

"Kick this bastard down!"

"boom"

The moment the captain issued the order, the retracted mast suddenly rotated, knocking the ghost pirate on the deck over unexpectedly and flipping outside the ship, smashing it to the ground in disgrace.

He reacted quickly and was about to get up immediately, but he was met by a beating flaming sword that was pressed against his neck.

Black held the flaming sword in one hand and took a sip of wine from the flask with the other. He wiped his mouth again, looked down at his unlucky colleague, and said:

"You know the rules of our industry, right?

You boarded my ship without permission and planned to launch a mutiny against me. Haha, Captain Grayson, the 'merciful pirate', what should I do with you? "