The War Unicorn turned its head and gave Rhodes an "innocent" look with its pure golden eyes. Its expression seemed to say: Even though you are my master, the rules are the rules. I only let pure maidens ride. If you aren't one, I won't let you on.
Then, the War Unicorn actually took an elegant step, bypassed Rhodes, and walked straight toward the youngest member of the group—Tyrande.
Ah, the scent of purity! What a pure maiden! This is the one I've been looking for.
It stopped before the young priestess and submissively lowered its head. It gently rubbed its spiral golden horn against Tyrande's hand and even let out a soft, comfortable whinny—a complete 180-degree turn from its attitude toward Rhodes.
Rhodes's mouth hung open in an "O" shape. No way... Aren't my troops supposed to lack independent intelligence? Why is this guy acting so human?
Darn it, even higher-tier units like Black Dragons, Titans, Angels, and Archdevils haven't been this much of a "genius" character. This is ridiculous.
Watching the War Unicorn prance around Tyrande gave Rhodes a massive headache.
Tyrande was startled by the sudden affection, but sensing the pure life energy and goodwill radiating from "Radiance," she instinctively reached out to stroke its silver-bright neck. Radiance became even more docile, even nudging her with its head, gesturing for her to mount.
Rhodes: "..."
High Priestess: "..."
I swear, you bastard, if you keep this up, I'll slaughter you and turn you into mince meat right now.
Rhodes felt helpless. He had obtained two War Unicorns from the Refugee Camp earlier. In this situation, even if he summoned the other one, it would likely just go find another pure maiden to ride it. He could command these unicorns to fight, and they would obey orders perfectly, but when it came to being a mount, they had their own ideas.
The gazes of the Moon Priestesses darted between the stubborn beast, the innocent-looking Tyrande, and the dark-faced Rhodes. The atmosphere became extremely subtle—and awkward.
A young priestess couldn't help but whisper to her companion: "It... it seems to only like Tyrande?"
The looks the priestesses were giving Rhodes were very strange. Their expressions seemed to say, Wait, this is your mount, and it doesn't even like you? Did you obtain this forest beast through some despicable means? Indeed, in the eyes of the Night Elves, this was a sacred beast of the forest because its life aura was so incredibly dense.
Rhodes felt his cheeks burning. Striving to remain calm, he gave a dry cough and tried to approach Radiance again. "Radiance, stop messing around. It's time to go. I suggest you learn to recognize the situation."
However, Radiance merely tossed its silver mane, deftly using its body to block Rhodes again, standing firmly by Tyrande's side. Its posture clearly stated: Only this pure lady is worthy of riding me.
At this point, Rhodes could have technically commanded the unicorn to attack the Night Elves, but he couldn't stop it from being "affectionate" toward a pure maiden. Several other priestesses tried to coax the unicorn over, but it remained unmoved, standing resolutely by Tyrande.
"Lord Rhodes, can you tell us why? It seems to have a singular preference for Tyrande," the High Priestess asked. She could sense that Rhodes indeed had authority over this powerful lifeform, but there was a key issue: this beast seemed to have a very specific personality... or rather, a very specific hobby.
If it were just the natural aura of the Night Elves, the High Priestess and the other senior priests had a much stronger natural scent than Tyrande. So, was it something else? Beautiful looks? But did animals share their aesthetic standards?
"Ahem... it's a War Unicorn. While it is a darling of natural life, it has... certain 'specific' preferences," Rhodes explained, shrugging helplessly. If he didn't speak up, these Night Elves would start getting the wrong idea.
As Rhodes finished his forced explanation, the scene fell into an even weirder silence. Every Moon Priestess's gaze focused on the unicorn again, but this time, their eyes were filled with disbelief and a hint of... disdain?
"That... how is that possible? It likes 'pure maidens'?" one priestess exclaimed.
So, after all that, this seemingly divine and holy beast was actually a stubborn, lecherous unicorn that only recognized "purity"?
Radiance seemed completely oblivious to the shift in the atmosphere. It continued to nuzzle Tyrande's palm, its pure golden eyes full of expectation for "pats and rides."
Tyrande's face was now so red it looked like it might bleed. Being publicly "chosen" by an ancient holy beast (even a lecherous one) made her so embarrassed she didn't know where to put her hands. She stole a glance at Rhodes's stony face and quickly looked down, her heart pounding, feeling like she had stolen someone else's property.
The High Priestess took a deep breath. In her thousands of years of life, she had never seen such a bizarre situation. She rubbed her temples. "The will of Goddess Elune cannot be delayed. Since... er, the beast... Lord Rhodes, do you have a solution? Otherwise, perhaps you should put this mount away."
"Haha, it's just a mount. I never said I only had one. Since he's so desperate to be ridden by a pure maiden, let's satisfy him. Lady Tyrande, why don't you see how this fellow runs?" Rhodes said through gritted teeth.
I summoned you to make me look cool and majestic, and you pull this stunt?
What could Tyrande say? She could only reply in a voice as soft as a mosquito: "This... this is so embarrassing."
Then, under the unicorn's expectant gaze and Rhodes's almost murderous stare, she stiffly mounted Radiance's broad and comfortable back. Radiance immediately let out a joyful whinny, its hooves prancing excitedly. Its face even showed some human-like traits of happiness.
The War Unicorn is completely different from the troops I usually summon, Rhodes thought, stroking his chin. What caused this?
He needed to investigate. If these creatures could truly develop self-awareness, it meant they might be able to reproduce, meaning the Unicorn species could officially be introduced to Azeroth. What puzzled him was why a Tier 6 unit had developed intelligence while Tier 7 units hadn't.
Rhodes began to think deeply. Since his arrival, most of the Tier 6 units he had summoned were either Elementals, Constructs, or Undead. The War Unicorn was his first top-tier "living" holy beast from the Rampart faction.
Was that the reason? But if so, Archdevils and Black Dragons should also have intelligence. Then, a thought struck him. When he first summoned the War Unicorn, he was already in the War of the Ancients era. He had released one in Azshara's palace, and it had drunk some of the water from her pool—water infused with the power of the Well of Eternity.
Could it be the energy of the Well of Eternity?
A flash of insight hit him. At the time, he was just experimenting, so he only summoned one. The other was still in his system.
"Lord Rhodes?" the High Priestess turned to him, seeing him lost in thought.
Without a word, Rhodes waved his hand and summoned his second War Unicorn. This one looked identical to Radiance, but its eyes were hollow and lacked the same spirit. Its eyes merely glowed with a static golden light. It stood beside Rhodes, and while it radiated life energy, it was significantly weaker than Radiance's.
The Moon Priestesses' eyes lit up. They hadn't expected him to have a second one. But what was the point of summoning it now?
Rhodes didn't say anything. He walked up to the newly summoned unicorn and vaulted onto its back. This time, the creature showed no resistance at all, allowing him to sit firmly in the saddle. It was a stark contrast to Radiance.
The new unicorn stood silently, functioning like a perfectly obedient, if mindless, magical construct. Radiance, meanwhile, was still busy acting cute and showing off for Tyrande.
This scene confused the priestesses even more. The High Priestess looked back and forth between the two identical-looking beasts that felt like two different species entirely.
"Lord Rhodes, why... why are they so different?" a young priestess asked, voicing everyone's question.
Rhodes didn't answer immediately. He patted the neck of the "normal" unicorn, feeling its steady but stagnant life energy. This one hadn't drunk the water from Azshara's pool; it hadn't absorbed the Well's power and thus hadn't developed self-awareness.
Rhodes hopped down and walked toward Radiance, who was carrying Tyrande. As he approached, Radiance immediately shifted its weight, shielding Tyrande behind its body and lowering its golden horn slightly as if to say: Even if you're the master, don't you dare steal my pure maiden!
Confirmed, Rhodes thought. My summons developing intelligence is caused by the energy of the Well of Eternity. What a discovery.