The Kingdom of Stormwind (Stormwind Kingdom), one of the most powerful nations on the Eastern Continent, has recently been enveloped in a shadow. Both King Llane and his friend Lothar felt a storm was brewing.
In particular, Lothar had been frequently awakened by nightmares recently.
First, his childhood friend Medivh suddenly became mysterious about his whereabouts, and even the letters he sent to the King asking about him were evasive. Then, the green-skinned monsters that had been hiding in the Black Morass (Swamp of Sorrows) seemed to have increased in number?
These green-skinned monsters had only appeared recently. Initially, some suspected they were related to Ogres, but this speculation was quickly refuted, as according to survivors, those green-skinned monsters, although savage, had clear divisions of labor, which was clearly very different from beasts in the true sense of the word.
In the past, they would probably have organized an army to go to the Black Morass to clear out these green-skinned monsters, but due to Medivh, King Llane and Lothar both focused their attention on this friend. After all, they knew the situation in the Black Morass; it was not suitable for human habitation, and even if those monsters occupied it, there wouldn't be much of a problem for the time being.
But today, a piece of news struck like a bolt from the blue, directly waking everyone up.
An unidentified man appeared at the outpost on the periphery of the Black Morass, carrying a secret letter written by a spy from the SI:7 (Stormwind Intelligence).
According to the decoding by the SI:7 members stationed there, the contents of the letter were very simple —————— the green-skinned monsters have established a base in the Black Morass.
Although it was an extremely simple sentence, it represented many things.
These never-before-seen green-skinned monsters seemed to be more than just mere beasts. They were actually an intelligent race?
An ominous feeling had been lingering in Lothar's heart, and now this ominous feeling seemed to have come true.
'No! I must inform Llane!'
Because of Medivh's abnormality, Lothar was urgently appointed as the Supreme Commander of the Stormwind Kingdom's army. This point showed the trust King Llane had in his childhood companion. When Lothar rushed into the Royal Palace, he saw his surprised friend.
"Lothar? Why are you here? I just had someone ask you to come to the Palace, and here you are already?"
"You called for me? Never mind! Llane! I have something to tell you!"
"Coincidentally, I also have something to tell you."
As he spoke, Llane pulled Lothar to his desk. He first fell silent for two seconds and then regulated his emotions again ——————
"Lady Aegwynn just came to see me."
"Lady Aegwynn? Is it because of Medivh's matter? That's great! It seems..."
Lothar's excitement lasted less than two seconds before he noticed the grim expression on the face of his monarch and friend. He then realized that things might not be as simple as he thought.
"Does this mean Lady Aegwynn couldn't handle it either?"
"Yes, according to Lady Aegwynn, the body of our friend, our brother, has been possessed by a powerful demon. Even Lady Aegwynn could not defeat it. The reason she came to see me was because she failed in her previous fight with that demon. She hopes to use our strength to defeat that demon! To protect this world!"
Protect the world? Wait?! Does this imply another hidden meaning?
Llane did not continue to explain but looked at his best friend.
"Lothar, what was it you wanted to talk to me about just now?"
"There's news from the Black Morass."
"Judging by your expression, it shouldn't be good news, right? Speak. I can handle it."
"Those green-skinned monsters that suddenly appeared have built a base inside the Black Morass. I'm afraid they are more dangerous than we thought."
Lothar's words made Llane unable to resist rubbing his temples in a headache. Now their friend Medivh had a problem, and those green-skinned monsters must be the 'invaders who reached this world through a portal...' mentioned by Lady Aegwynn.
Llane silently rubbed his temples, and Lothar stood beside him without a word.
"Lothar, I think we underestimated those monsters. We can't wait any longer. We must contain their spread before their foundation is stable. I hope you will lead the army to stop those green-skinned monsters!"
"Your will!"
Lothar accepted this seemingly unusual task without the slightest hesitation regarding Llane's words. But unexpectedly, Llane shook his head again.
"Not only that, Lothar. You are my most trusted General and one of the most powerful warriors in the Stormwind Kingdom! Lady Aegwynn is looking for other helpers. I hope that you can personally lead a team to help our brother when the time comes!"
Medivh's existence could be said to be one of the factors that allowed the Stormwind Kingdom to look down upon other nations. Now that he had a problem, who knew what the attitude of the other kingdoms would be? Although this news would eventually spread, they should conceal it for as long as possible before then. Therefore, the person executing the task needed not only sufficient strength but, more importantly, to be trustworthy. Thinking of this, Lothar was the only choice.
This time, Lothar did not immediately respond to the request but lowered his head in silence and thought for a while before raising his head with firm eyes.
"Your will!"
"Good! I will prepare a feast of triumph for you in Stormwind City! Then, let the three of us get drunk together again!"
Llane's words made Lothar unconsciously crack a smile, seemingly recalling the past deeds of the three young boys.
However, as Lothar turned to leave the Royal Palace, he did not know that this might be the last time he would talk to his friend so closely...
——————
While the Stormwind Kingdom had made the decision to prepare for an expedition to the Black Morass, Lancer was sitting in a tent in the nameless outpost in the Black Morass, watching the soldier in front of him nervously recording something.
"Mr. Lancer from Lordaeron, we are very grateful that you brought back our comrade's letter. However, for your safety, please leave with our transport unit."
The 'double-crossing' that Lancer had expected did not happen. In fact, after the other party took the secret letter from him, they even let him play a waiting game for a while.
The reason why they called him 'Mr. Lancer from Lordaeron' was because Lancer made it up when the other party asked for his country of origin. Although he knew he should be in the world of 'WAR' or 'WOW', he didn't know much about it. The only city he knew was Lordaeron, after all, that 'filial son' was too famous.
But just as Lancer was about to speak, a sharp alarm suddenly sounded.
"Looks like I can't leave for now."
Without saying anything more, Lancer, gripping his Gae Bolg, rushed out of the tent with the man who seemed to be the leader. Then he saw countless soldiers clad in iron armor moving weapons, and strange movements were coming from the forest in the distance.