Azeroth Monster Manual

“Your Highness, Your Highness, your Quel'Dorei golden scepter…”

Two pretty maids struggled to lift a golden scepter and rushed out of the mage tower. ♦ ♦     ♦ ♦

“There is no time to waste, damn Antonidas, who actually prohibited the use of teleportation within the inner city of Dalaran…”

Kael'thas ran ungracefully in this ancient magical city, and faint purple ripples appeared from time to time not far away. This was His Royal Highness using Flash continuously.

Grand Astromancer Solarian helplessly covered her forehead. Encountering such a willful Prince, she could only go crazy with him.

She took a pink strider rein from a servant's hand, which was a 600-year-old birthday gift from Prince Kael'thas.

She tiptoed, nimbly flipped over and mounted the bird. The wide crimson robe not only did not become a burden, but added a touch of color to her.

The whistling wind surrounded the Astromancer on both sides.

“Your Highness, want to hitch a ride?”

Solarian gracefully brushed the broken hair from her forehead and said jokingly.

Kael'thas was stunned for a moment, then patted his forehead and stopped embarrassedly.

“Sorry, Solarian, I was too anxious.”

Kael'thas chuckled and took the hand Solarian offered, sitting behind her.

The pretty face hidden under the hood of the Astromancer was a little flushed. She muttered something, but Kael'thas behind her knew nothing.

… …

Hillsbrad Foothills is located south of the Kingdom of Alterac and is one of Duke Barov's fiefdoms.

This is a land full of green hills and fertile pastures. Abundant rainfall has created many lands suitable for cultivation, and nature's generosity has enabled Hillsbrad to be self-sufficient.

The southern coast is often breezy, allowing ships to smoothly enter and exit the docks of Southshore. Murlocs haunt the beaches, and mountain lions, moss spiders, and grizzly bears are also part of Hillsbrad's idyllic scenery.

… …

It was night.

For some reason, the Southshore tavern, which was originally deserted, had been fully booked three days prior.

“Hey, have you heard? Those legendary elves from the north are coming.”

“Are they those long-eared, white-skinned elves? Zarris, I didn’t expect you to be a third-rate bard?”

The drunk Martin let out a long hiccup and laughed loudly.

The dwarves and humans at the next table all put down their wine glasses. They looked at Zarris's embarrassed expression and laughed.

The small gnome Zarris stood up in shame and walked out of the tavern.

“Hey, be careful, buddy. The tall steps will make your clever little head bleed.”

A burst of laughter and ridicule came from the tavern, and Zarris slammed the door and strode away.

“Rumble… Rumble…”

A faint vibration came from the distance, which attracted the little gnome's attention.

“Oh my god, that… that is…”

As if seeing a ghost, Zarris staggered and fell to the ground, supporting himself with his two small hands and retreating continuously.

After a long time, a sharp voice unique to gnomes resounded throughout Southshore.

“What happened? Who’s there?”

The Alterac guards who came after hearing the news came to Zarris with flickering oil lamps.

When Magistrate Ford Redpath arrived, he found that the gnome who had screamed had fainted. He quickly put down the standard long sword in his hand and wanted to step forward to check.

“Rumble… Rumble…”

At this moment, the vibration became more and more intense. Redpath raised his head, which allowed him to see a scene he would never forget in his life.

“Mom, I seem to see light…”

Redpath rubbed his eyes in disbelief, and then hurriedly blew the whistle on his neck.

“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!”

The harsh whistle and Redpath's loud voice awakened the entire sleeping town. After a while, scattered guards and adventurers all rushed over.

“Damn it, are those Alterac snow monsters attacking the town again?”

A recruit asked the captain next to him in a low voice.

“Look… look… there.”

Everyone looked in the direction of Redpath's finger in confusion, and the originally noisy town became silent.

With a muffled "clang", the recruit's Alterac Vulture Shield fell to the ground.

Like hot oil poured into water, the sound of heavy objects falling one after another was endless.

“Run!”

Someone shouted, and the petrified people all scattered like birds and beasts, leaving only the poor gnome Zarris lying on the ground.

In the dark night, two dazzling beams of light like searchlights swept across the camp, and the deafening rumbling sound gradually approached. The huge cabin door of Zero slowly opened, and Er and Hermit jumped down.

“Huh? Where are the people? Isn’t this Southshore? Did we make a mistake?”

Er scratched his head in confusion, looking around at the silent town.

“Sir, look, there’s a gnome.”

Hermit nimbly picked up the unconscious Zarris from the ground.

“Is he breathing? Wake him up.”

“Okay.”

Hermit excitedly rubbed his hands and gesticulated on the gnome's face.

“Forget it, let me do it.”

Er summoned a ball of water with black lines all over his face and gently dropped it on the gnome's head.

“Whoosh”

The clear magic spring water was poured on the gnome’s head without missing a drop, but strangely, the gnome did not respond.

‘Mom, is this the elf? Could it be that elves are man-eating monsters?’

Zarris, who had already woken up, closed his eyes tightly, his mind filled with the horror stories his mother had told him when he was a child.

“You do it.”

“Okay.”

The old dwarf with a fierce face began to rub his fists, and the evil fire suppressed in his heart finally had a channel to vent.

His big fan-like palm slapped the little gnome's face, making Er's goosebumps fall all over the ground.

“Achoo… it’s too big, it’s too big.”

The little gnome's cheeks were swollen badly, and he begged for mercy vaguely.

Er waved his hand to interrupt Hermit and asked:

“Is this Southshore? Why are you the only one here.”

The little gnome saw Er asking softly and gently, and the big stone in his heart finally fell. He suppressed his tears and said softly:

“Sis Southshore, they… they…”

“Um?”

Hermit snorted heavily and raised his palm again.

“I… I don’t know”

Zarris looked at Er with tears in his eyes, begging.

“Okay, I’m just a lost traveler, may I ask, how do I get to the hotel?”

… …

The next morning

A faint purple light flickered on the open space of Southshore Square. After a while, a teleportation portal gradually took shape, and Kael'thas led his entourage out in a hurry.

“Hopefully it’s not too late…”

Kael'thas frowned tightly, and Solarian and Annet Sangunard, who were closely following behind him, did not dare to breathe, standing nervously behind him, for fear of being affected by the usually good-tempered Prince.

“This… this is”

Kael'thas looked at Zero in the distance in shock. The huge robot seemed to be wiping the clouds.

“Ah… yawn”

Hermit walked out of the tavern yawning. Last night was the best sleep he had ever had. Without Er's scolding and the huge dinosaur weighing dozens of tons, this night's sleep seemed to give him a new life.

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Hermit raised his head.

That's how the two of them stared at each other.

“Ha, the first person I met today was actually a barbaric dwarf?”

Kael'thas complained to the entourage next to him dissatisfied, and the elves echoed with bursts of laughter.

“You long-eared sissy, do you want to taste Grandpa Hermit’s iron fist?”

The old dwarf showed off his biceps in dissatisfaction and gestured rudely to the elves.

“Old Herm, did you sleep well last night?”

Er's sinister voice sounded in Hermit's ears. The old dwarf rubbed his ears without realizing it, and said carelessly:

“Without Sir Er’s roar, I’m really not used to… used to it, Sir Er… Sir Er, when did you come?”

Hermit turned his head stiffly, but was greeted by the boy's weird fake smile.

“From the moment you said long-eared sissy, it’s okay. A generous person like me doesn’t care about those gossips.”

Er smiled very brightly, but the old dwarf's heart was bleeding. With a plop, he knelt on the ground in an ORZ shape.

“Is that His Highness Kael'thas? My subordinates are ignorant and rude.”

Er bowed slightly and bowed to the prince in the distance.

“Er… Mr., no no, Instructor Er, you are too polite.”

The originally graceful prince seemed to have changed into a different person, waving his hands in a flustered manner. The eyes that looked at Er were full of enthusiasm.

“Let’s go in first, it’s windy outside.”

Er stretched out his hand gracefully, signaling the prince to go in with him.

Kael'thas fidgeted with his cuffs in restraint, excited and nervous. He signaled the attendants next to him to stay outside the door. The small tavern could not accommodate so many people.

A group of people walked into the empty tavern. The civilians and adventurers who had fled for their lives last night had not returned.

“Hermit, get out!”

Hermit shuddered and looked at the boy in confusion.

“Who told you to enter with your left foot first?”

Hermit: What happened to not holding grudges?