Chương 6: Chapter 5

She fluidly moved from one pose to another, her two-handed and slightly curved sword gliding through the air. She moved through a set of stances and strikes with smoothness that made it look like she was performing a graceful dance, every repetition faster than the one preceding it. To Thelion's eyes, her movements were extremely economical, no wasted movement, every strike and stance perfectly flowing together. Yet, he could see that her expression was less than pleased.

That's why she kept repeating this performance every morning, time after time, until anyone with a lesser will would've collapsed from exhaustion. He could tell she was getting exhausted, but he'd long since figured trifles like that didn't matter to her. Pushing through exhaustion was a matter of course for her. For others, pushing their limits was grueling, but for her, it was daily. And she was clearly unhappy with her performance. He was overseeing her training in name only.

Both of them knew which of the two was the more skilled fighter with the blade. Yet even he could see that she had improved over the last few years. It had been almost three years since the first time he'd made the error of trying to test her abilities for the first time. She had trounced him at that time, despite his obvious advantage in strength and reach. Again, something that would be a major thing for most, but a trifle obstacle for her.

Now, she was stronger than back then, and her reach had improved, even if they had not reached even close to his level. Yet that wasn't where she had improved the most. Instead, her movements had become more crisp. Her attacks even sharper. Her focus even more unshakable. She'd become more familiar with what her body could and couldn't do. And she was clearly not pleased. With a disgusted sound, she finally slid her sword into the sheath at the small of her back.

She had trained with a wooden sword exactly once before asking for a proper weapon. As she rarely asked for anything, King Anasterian had jumped to commission a sword for her, which was rather simple in the current rush of war preparations. All the artisans of the kingdom were focused on making weapons, armor, and supplies for the war. Selessa also happened to be rather well-liked among the artisans, especially the inventors, due to her involvement and fascination with their work.

So, when the king had asked for a blade for "Princess Selessa", and someone had leaked that the "Princess" might have the talent to eventually become a Blademaster, the artisans had gone above and beyond. The blade didn't look like much at first glance. It was shorter than most two-handed swords, and the blade fit inside a slightly curved and long, cane-like sheath as if they were a single piece.

Both the sheath and the hilt were smooth, lacquered wood and ebony black, only carrying the sigil of House Sunstrider on the hilt. The blade itself was somehow pure white and covered in arcane runes more beautiful than anything Thelion had ever seen, and the Quel'dorei artisans always strived for aesthetics.

He could only guess what most of the magic woven into the blade did despite his expertise, but he did know Anasterian had made sure the blade had been forged right by the Sunwell and quenched in the waters of the well itself. He could only assume that even if the blade couldn't quite match the king's legendary blade Felo'melorn itself, a blade that was said to have belonged to Dath'Remar Sunstrider and forged during the Kaldorei Empire, it wasn't far from it.

"Not happy with your performance?" He asked playfully, already knowing the answer.

"Absolutely not. I hate being so young and weak." She didn't even bother trying to hide her past from Thelion anymore. She'd already heard from Anasterian that the Spellbreaker Commander knew.

"I would assume that's a problem that fixes itself over time." He joked, leaning back against the outer wall of the citadel surrounding the Sunwell. It was the usual place for them to train. It wasn't like he didn't understand her frustrations. He just liked to wind her up a bit. She was always too serious. She never relaxed. Ever.

"It does, but too slowly. I'm afraid the problem will not have time to fix itself before the war with the trolls begins." She grumbled, and not without reason. The original plan had been to use two decades to prepare for war with the trolls, but the more time passed, the more it seemed they had been a bit optimistic in that assessment. The trolls were not quite as long-lived as the elves, though it seemed they had been preparing for centuries.

That didn't mean they'd just wait around for decades, judging by their current activities. Despite all their recent efforts, the trolls had prepared for this war a lot more thoroughly than they had. The Farstriders were doing a great job of sowing doubt and dissent among the troll ranks with surgical strikes and had even managed to ignite several inter-tribe conflicts among the trolls, but it seemed they didn't have the two decades they wanted. He shared her concern.

That said, he could also see the change slowly taking hold in his people, and they'd never been this prepared for war, and it only grew truer every day.

"Well, we have what time we have. The enemy will not wait for us to be ready. At least I heard your magic is getting there, and you're certainly qualified to take your tests to officially qualify as a rookie Spellbreaker." She would be the youngest member of the organization as well. Some of the captains had been a little skeptical, of course. Thelion had simply told them to fight the girl, mostly so that others would have to go through the same humiliation, and the results had been predictable.

Selessa might not have been even nearly as advanced in her Spellbreaker abilities, but she could get the job done with her sword skills. And if her father was right, she was about ready to reach a point in her magical apprenticeship where she could actually qualify as a proper mage. Not that her father would stop teaching her, just that she was capable of taking the trials.

"How very philosophical of you." She joked playfully.

"And so very helpful."

"Hey, my 'training' has borne great results." He too joked, knowing he wasn't really teaching her anything when it came to the sword, and she was still too small and weak for proper shield training.

"Thank you, oh great teacher." She made a mocking bow.

"Now, now. Is that any way to treat your teacher? As punishment, you should run a lap around the citadel." He could easily give such punishments, knowing she'd be doing that anyway. No one trained as hard as she did. Most grown men would've collapsed just from the sword training, and she was going running afterwards. Probably swimming as well if her father or Anasterian didn't need her. At least she sucked at swimming. As she ran, she brought back the notifications she'd received this morning.

[Your Body attribute has increased from 1 to 2! Body Perk point gained.] [Your Athletics skill has increased from 1 to 2! Athletics Perk point gained.] [Your Heavy Weapons skill has increased from 1 to 2! Heavy Weapons Perk point gained.] [Your Reflexes attribute has increased from 1 to 2! Reflexes Perk point gained.] [Your Light Weapons skill has increased from 1 to 2! Light Weapons Perk point gained.] Her System had still not unlocked, but apparently, her body had grown enough for her physical stats to improve a bit more. She was starting to hit the elven version of puberty. Slowly, but enough to qualify. The only real sign of it was her growing taller and her muscles gaining some definition due to her constant exercise. Having Body 2 meant she basically had the strength of a below-average adult female Quel'dorei. Despite being quite slim in general, the elves were surprisingly strong physically.

Due to their constant proximity to the Sunwell, magic was woven into their muscles, and their strength wasn't entirely natural. They also tended to be sturdier and heal faster than someone might assume just based on appearances and biology. The improvements were obvious, and she could feel the difference. She was notably faster and stronger than she'd been yesterday. It was actually a startling difference. That was part of why she'd been so off today during training.

It was hard to control your movements perfectly when your body was completely different than just a night before. It took time and effort to get used to. And she still hadn't picked most of the Perks either. Athletics Perks were divided roughly between fitness and physical ability-related Perks and those related to unarmed combat. She ignored the latter ones entirely, because her skill with unarmed combat was currently beyond the System's capacity.

Why would she want to learn a new combat style, for instance, if the System couldn't handle her current ones properly yet? So, she dropped the point into the fitness branch, getting a Perk called Iron Lungs, which improved her stamina due to improved lung capacity and oxygen handling, resistance to airborne toxins, diseases, and contaminants, as well as allowing her to hold her breath for longer. A generally useful Perk that brought a myriad of benefits.

She'd decided to save the other points for now, because she thought the System unlocking might make things clearer, and because the Perks currently on offer were rather niche in their application. For instance, the best Heavy Weapons Perk she was eyeing currently would improve the strength behind her blows. And while that sounded decent enough, it wasn't like she was currently in need of the added help. Better to save the point in case she needed it. Besides, her style had never relied on power.

Her physical attributes were not the only ones to improve. Discipline had gone up to 3, along with Commander, and her Magic, Arcane, and Spellbreaker had all improved as well. No Perk points there. Her repertoire of spells known had greatly improved, though not just because of the System. Sapphiron's approach to teaching magic was an intriguing one. Quel'dorei taught the theory behind a magical spell first, before going on to explain how to cast it. The Blue Dragonflight did the opposite. Or at least Sapphiron did.

He'd taught her a bunch of spells, many of which she was incapable of casting in any meaningful way. Then he started teaching her the theory that could be used to make the spells better or easier to cast. According to him, learning to make all of your spells better and learning theory never stopped. Since it was a gradual process anyway, why not start that process from the very beginning? Besides, much of the acquired knowledge could be used to enhance multiple spells anyway.

It was simply up to her to apply it when she acquired new knowledge. So, theoretically, she was capable of casting something like the instant short-range traversal spell Blink, for example, but it still took her twenty seconds to do so, making the whole spell completely useless. It wasn't just a case of lacking knowledge, though. While knowledge and understanding were key components of Arcane magic, something as simple as practice was more important.

Just casting a spell over and over again would help you understand it better, and to make little improvements to both the spell formula and the way you cast it. Just the act of bringing forth the mana and forming the necessary spell formula became faster and easier with each cast, just like muscle memory. And while she had an advantage in some areas of understanding and the speed at which she absorbed information, practice was the one thing she lacked.

There was a world of difference between her, someone who had been learning magic for a few years, and someone like Nallorath, who'd been casting magic for over a hundred years, even if she did understand the properties of something like fire better. Without even realizing it, she finished her second circuit around the Sunwell Plateau and was about to go for a third when Thelion called out to her.

"I don't mind if you want to keep running, but I have other things to do. And if I recall correctly, you mentioned that you had places to be as well. If you want a ride on the same boat, you'd better come along." She cursed silently. How could she have been so lost in thought? The old her would never have lost her situational awareness so completely, even if only for a moment. This kind of carelessness was not good. She was growing soft due to this unnatural peace. She was also more tired than she'd realized.

Yes, she was strong for her age, but she was still young and had a long way to go. A third circuit would've been too much, and the small aches in her body announced their presence now that she acknowledged their existence. With a shake of her head she followed him onto the boat that ferried her to Sunstrider Isle, before it turned and took Thelion to Silvermoon. Thanks to all the exercise, she really needed a bath, which was thankfully easy to find here. Warm water was not an issue due to the presence of magic.

She could create it herself rather quickly and easily, but the baths did that for her with the enchantments laid on them. The tiled stone baths were large enough to hold thirty people at the same time, and the room was covered in moisture- and heat-resistant art. The baths also had nifty little features like the ability to change the scent lingering in the air, bath salts, the exact temperature, and she could even have the water moving if she wanted.

The Quel'dorei really liked their luxuries, so there were also countless bath products that she had no idea what to do with, and other knick-knacks she didn't know the purpose of. One she was pretty sure was a back scratcher, or at least she really hoped so. Otherwise, it looked like a torture implement. Having cleansed herself, she dressed in a relatively simple dress that wasn't anything too fancy, but wouldn't look embarrassing either. Purple silk with gold accents.

The color was a bold choice considering how popular red was in Silvermoon, but she wanted some change. She didn't often go into the city, but since she had to, she might as well not look like a beggar or a homeless orphan. Her usual training clothes were practical, but not exactly suitable for 'representing' as her mother called it. Still, the Quel'dorei didn't really make rags, even for training, so even her workout pants and shirts were decorated with gold thread.

As she slowly made her way over the long and graceful white bridge connecting the island to the city, she had to once again marvel at the sight that Silvermoon presented. The sun glinted off countless golden spires and gilded decorations, joined by just as many magical lights that glowed warm gold during the day, and chilly blue during the night, just for ambience. If the Quel'dorei did one thing well, it was architecture. Even if the style could get a little monotonous as it was applied over the whole city.

There was undeniable beauty in that uniformity, and they had mastered their chosen style well. Large arching glass windows were everywhere, set in gilded frames. Long red banners and wall-hangings with gold patterns hung from every overlook and windowsill. The elves absolutely adored their sheer silk curtains as well. Masterfully crafted statues were everywhere. The countless spires of the city uniformly grew taller closer to the palace, forming a kind of wave just by existing.

There was no dirt anywhere, thanks to the magical autonomous brooms that were sweeping every nook and cranny, and the air was clear and filled with the scent of nature and flowers, as the Eversong Trees dotted everywhere in the city. Silvermoon was the epitome of the words Shining City. Even in a supposed war economy, there were countless traders hawking their wares, and everything they sold was crafted with meticulous detail and mastery.

The elves simply didn't do single-use items, and even the most mundane objects were decorated in detail. Craftsmanship was king over mass production. Magic was absolutely everywhere, as even the simplest objects seemed to hold enchantments, either useful or simply playful or decorative. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Where the looming threat of the trolls was the most visible was in the heavy presence of armored and armed individuals.

At least one in three people wore red and gold armor and carried weapons. Anasterian had taken her advice to heart, and everyone, absolutely everyone, was being trained and armed. It didn't turn all of them into soldiers or rangers, only experience could do that, but it did mean that once the battles started in earnest, the populace would be ready, and the army had much more manpower to draw upon. All those who'd gone through the training would know at least the basics.

They would not be helpless if danger came knocking, and it would take a lot less effort to turn them into real soldiers in the fires of war. Although she had to wonder about the practicality of some of the armor choices. Not the armor itself, but things like the capes starting from your waist that many of the Quel'dorei seemed to like. Even standard capes were questionable in battle, not to mention ones that didn't actually protect you from… well, anything. A purely cosmetic choice.

Some of the weapons also seemed more aesthetic than practical, but better than nothing, she supposed. Apparently, armor and weapons were fashionable now. And naturally, not a single piece had a scratch on them, meaning they never saw real use, not to mention action.

Considering most of the fighting was done by rangers and Farstriders currently, neither group really wearing anything heavier than leather armor, the lack of wear on metal armor wasn't unexpected, but one would assume they at least trained with their equipment. Her path took her a little outside the city, to the field where the artisans were testing the siege weapons she had helped develop.

Dozens of trebuchets were currently being tested, countless stones thrown towards specified targets in rapid succession, as if to see how quickly it could be done. The crews were getting quite accurate with the weapons, and the designs were now mostly about honing out small differences in the standardized design. Oh, that was something she'd insisted on. Standardization, just so the weapons could use spare parts from each other, and were easier to make and operate.

It hurt some of the Quel'dorei's artistic sensibilities, but they could see the benefits when forced to. The ballistae had already gone through the process, and a standardized design for both land and naval use had been decided. Now they were being mass-produced, and nearly every ship in the growing fleet of Quel'thalas was equipped with at least one, most likely several. The bolts were more customizable for different use cases, but even they were mostly standard issue.

That's why the testing process was so rigorous, to find the optimal designs. Although the elves knew most of the fighting would happen on land, they knew naval presence would be important. There was also the fact that Zul'Aman had a harbor, even if the Amani trolls weren't exactly a naval power. Zul'Aman itself had been built into the intersection of two mountain ranges, closing the city off from the south and east, but there were paths running down the eastern mountains into the harbor.

The elves also didn't want the trolls to bring supplies or reinforcements over the water; thus, blockading the harbor was a necessity. It was also a potential avenue for an attack should an opening be discovered.

"Seems you've finally settled down on a general design." She called out to Haldir Brightwing, the artificer in charge of the newly found 'engineering corps'. Calling them engineers was perhaps a bit hopeful, but they were the elves with the highest technical knowledge, and perhaps more importantly, they had the expertise to apply their knowledge of magic and enchanting into their work.

"Ah, Selessa." He turned towards her and took a second look, as if seeing her for the first time.

"Is it just me, or are you growing?"

"That much should be obvious. I'm eleven, lest you forget." She laughed.

"Huh. My wager was on you just being short." He seemed almost disappointed. Likely had money on that wager.

"You do realize that my birthdate isn't exactly a secret? Anyone can quickly confirm it with little effort." She pointed out.

"And it's not like the members of the Sunstrider dynasty are secret or anything either."

"Checking would be cheating." He almost pouted.

"And if you're not cheating, you're not trying." She philosophized. She pointed at the stones hitting around the circled area.

"Your crews are getting pretty good at hitting the target as well. Especially considering the ammo." Every rock the machines threw was a different size and shape, making them all weigh differently as well.

"We're trying to simulate more realistic conditions. Even though it would be more efficient to have standardized ammunition, the machines are already difficult enough to tear down and rebuild. We can't ferry around enough standardized ammunition as well. Even if enchanting our own stones would be more effective. We need to make cuts somewhere. It'll already be difficult enough to lug around the bolts for the ballistae. Those at least we can move more comfortably on ships since they use the bolts themselves.

Stones are too heavy for normal carriages." The inventor explained.

"Like I said, your crews are getting better. Not all stones are exactly on target, but close enough." She repeated. They watched as another rock was launched across the long field to land near the circle marked on the ground.

"You wouldn't have any other ideas for other weapons, would you?" She grinned.

"I would, but we're working with some time constraints. My other ideas would need a lot more work to bring into reality." Basic cannons and mortars could be quite effective, but she knew even less about the exact science behind them than the simple laws of motion behind ballistae and trebuchets. Yes, her old race used projectile weapons, and she'd even made them herself, but their shuriken cannons had very little in common with gunpowder-based weaponry.

And with no access to Wraithbone, none of her knowledge was really applicable. A true warrior knew their enemy's weapons as well to exploit them, and the Mon'keigh had gunpowder-based weaponry, but those were so far removed from the production capacity of this world that they didn't really count. Something like a bolter had very little in common with basic cannons. The man hummed.

"Well, I suppose these are already plenty good for our first forays into siege warfare." They went over some of the details of the design, and as they talked, she realized this had all gone way beyond her abilities already, even with her Perks helping. She might be the brains behind the initial idea, but the artificers were now the ones running with those ideas.

She didn't have the expertise to talk about the advantages of different materials or the merits of different enchantments, beyond reminding them that they were fighting trolls. She did provide some ideas about nasty surprises they could use to throw over the walls instead of at the walls. It was the job of the alchemists to make those ideas into reality, though.

She could give them the formula for something like white phosphorus, and warn them of the results, but the alchemists had to be the ones to actually create it and find suitable replacements for materials they didn't have access to. They were already creating something similar but different. She was just about done when one of the Spellbreakers rode in on a hawkstrider. She'd always wondered about the favored mount choice of the Quel'dorei.

Sure, the large flightless birds were fast and looked elegant, but they didn't exactly make for great heavy cavalry mounts. They lacked the size and mass for a proper charge. On the other hand, the birds did have rather wicked claws on their powerful legs, so the birdies were far from defenseless, and they were much better at lateral movement. As she looked on, the Spellbreaker's eyes searched for a while before settling on her. The man leapt off the mount and came straight towards her.

"Princess Selessa. The King requires your presence in the palace." She pursed her lips a bit. She was not dressed for a palace visit, but at least she wasn't in training clothes either.

"You're my ride, I assume?" She asked, just in case.

"Yes, your highness." The professional mage killer said with a small nod.

"I was instructed to bring you in all haste." She wasn't surprised they'd known where she was. She was always either at the Sunwell, the Sunstrider Isle, or here.

"Alright. I'm underdressed, but if the king calls…" She joked a bit. One advantage of the hawkstriders became apparent as the bird lay down on the ground to let her mount in front of the Spellbreaker. Unguligrade legs allowed the bird to effectively lie on the ground and easily get up without any trouble. And once the mount shot off with surprising speed, she got to see another advantage of the birds. They might not have the mass of something larger, but they were quite fast.

Not as fast as a jetbike, but far from a slow ride. Many, many times faster than running herself. She patted the bird's neck.

"How long can she keep up this speed?" She asked curiously. The man behind her laughed.

"Quite long. The hawkstriders can go on for most of the day at full speed. They're really hardy animals. Smart too. Why?"

"I'm just internally evaluating them as mounts in war. Wondering if it might be useful to add lances and a bit of armor so that you could use them to run down trolls on foot." She explained. The concept of a cavalry lance was not entirely unknown.

"I see. That's something we've tested, and it works. You should see them when their master is attacked. You'll see them in a whole new light. They're not really optimal for massed charges, but for mounted archery, they're beyond even the nightsabers the Kaldorei use. I've heard the humans use some kind of four-legged hooved mount, which lacks speed and grace." The man sniffed judgmentally. Yeah, the Quel'dorei did seem more suited for light cavalry than heavy knights anyway.

As the mount made quick speed, the resplendent palace at the heart of the city started to dominate the view. The architecture was still the same, and there were no really poor areas in Silvermoon, but as they got closer, there were subtle signs of opulence everywhere. More frivolous magic. More jewelry. Even fancier clothes. Statues and other art everywhere. Golden wings on top of every spire.

The majestic palace of Sunfury Spire was a marvel of organic elven architecture, with everything seamlessly flowing together into a greater whole. Graceful spires, tallest in the entire city, were connected by thin bridges. Red carpets lined every path, and no nook was left undecorated by some sort of artwork. It was the favored display place for all the artistic tendencies of their race, and their finest craftsmen had spent thousands of years creating the finest masterpieces to be immortalized within the palace.

Theoretically, as a member of the royal family, she also had a room in the spire, but she'd never seen it. In fact, she'd visited the building only once before at her mother's insistence. Her mother had spent hours fussing over her appearance back then, and personally, she thought she had looked ridiculous, but it had made her mother happy, so she'd allowed it. At least the court wasn't in session today by the looks of it.

Most of the hallways seemed empty at a glance, only a few courtiers and magisters wandering around on their own business. The Spellbreaker rode to a smaller side entrance instead of the grand staircase leading up to the more glamorous part of the palace. They both hopped off the hawkstrider and walked through the smaller passages to a side wing inside the palace. They'd passed plenty of heavily armed guards on the way, but a particular door was guarded by a pair of warriors that Selessa could sense were different.

She could sense these two were dangerous and a lot more skilled with their heavily enchanted weaponry than the others. She almost itched to try her luck against them in a spar. These were not the standard Spellbreaker guards. These two were something else. It seemed she was not the only one to notice something as the two guards, who'd been stone-faced before, suddenly paid a lot of attention to her presence. Not the Spellbreaker escorting her, but her specifically. They watched her as if she were an actual danger.

Something, or in this case someone, they had to be on guard against. Their eyes quickly evaluated her for weapons and other danger, and their eyes never left her, even as the Spellbreaker pushed past them and into the chambers behind. Inside, Anasterian stared at a large and detailed map of Quel'thalas and the land just outside Thalassian Pass. The region known as the Eastweald. A stupid name in her opinion, but what could you expect since it had been named by the Mon'keigh of this world and not the elves.

The trolls doubtlessly had their own name for it, but they hadn't asked, nor did they care.

"Ah, good. Selessa. Come take a look." He gestured towards the map with a large number of small figurines placed on it. Most of them depicted troll forces that were more numerous than their own. The number of human figures was obviously just guesswork as they only had a few handfuls of rangers that far out, and even those were there mostly to stir up trouble between the humans and the trolls. Something immediately stood out to her.

The largest concentration of troll figures was, of course, around Zul'Aman, but they were a fair bit fewer than she'd expected. Much more could be found on the edges of the map.

"The trolls are moving out?" She asked, surprised.

"Apparently, our operations have borne fruit. We've been prodding them in the direction of the humans for a while now, and it seems to have worked. The trolls aren't at full war with the humans yet, but the southern and western tribes are becoming a lot more hostile, and the rest are just following along.

The humans are not unified like us, but one of them, a warlord of one of their more southern tribes called Thoradin, seems to have noted the danger and has started to make some moves to unify the separate human tribes. He's a long way from completing the job, but the sudden pressure from the trolls is making his job much easier. An unexpected boon, I'd say." Anasterian smiled.

"They'll be a lot more useful against the trolls if they're a unified force, that's for sure. However, we'll have to come to some sort of agreement with them to deal with the trolls once and for all. Luckily, a common enemy should smooth that path significantly." She nodded in agreement.

"A common threat also does wonders to warm up relations between us. If we join hands to destroy the trolls…well, that sort of thing is a great base for a more lasting relationship. Still, we might need to make some concessions, seeing as the humans are a lot more numerous than we are, almost matching the trolls. Not an idea I'm awfully fond of. Although, if we'll be responsible for taking out the Amani capital and the Loa, the humans can't exactly complain about our participation." Anasterian said thoughtfully.

"More importantly though, the main thrust of the trolls is elsewhere for the moment. If they do fully engage the humans, that would be our opportunity to strike against Zul'Aman." She nodded.

"Just be careful. The trolls are also getting closer to unifying, and they hate us more than they hate the humans no matter how much we stir up trouble between them. We have to pick our moment carefully. This will be all about timing. The more complicated the operation, the larger the chances that something goes wrong."

"Agreed, which is why I wanted to go over some of our initial attack plans. For instance, once the engineering corps starts to really churn out those trebuchets, we'll move them closer to Zul'Aman in preparation, as moving them in a rush will be too slow." He started pulling out some documents detailing more specific plans.

"Just remember to hide their purpose. If the trolls realize what they're for…" She started going through the documents and giving practical advice. Misdirection had been the bread and butter of fighting as an Aeldari.

"Dis be bad, mon." A troll wearing a ceremonial rush-kah mask said with clear worry and frustration while reading the omens.

"Dis be really bad." And not for the first time.

"Da omens be being clear for many moons. We be trying again and again. Dere be no change. Dat we not like da result not be changing it." Another troll wearing a similar mask said with a hushed tone, getting nods from the two dozen other trolls gathered in the wooden hut. All of them were hunched over the entrails of a frog, while a pair of warriors kept close watch at the door.

"Da chiefs not be liking this mon." A third one, the youngest, complained.

"If we be telling them." The oldest, the one who had spoken first corrected.

"Dey not be understanding. Dey be saying this be just passing or da omens be wrong. Dey believe dey be changing da result if dey fight harder. Dey believe dey be conquerors and da elves be weak." Another witch doctor nodded.

"I be thinking dat too if the omens not be dis bad for years. Da omens never be this bad. Never seen dis. Even da Loa be worried. Frightened. Scared. Akil'zon already leave for Zandalar. Jan'alai not be far behind now."

"Da omens be clear." The second troll stated firmly.

"Dere be war coming. War we be making. Da elves be winning da war, and dey not be feeling merciful after. Destroy us all. Da Great Huntress be walking with dem. Bringing blood and fire and killing. Da pink-skins crushing us on da side. We be hunted, killed, wiped out. Da Amani be no more." All of the gathered trolls made a vexed sound at the title Great Huntress. The omens had been telling of the arrival of a great warrior that would hunt the Loa, and that would just be the start.

They had another name for the arriving doom, but that one was not spoken of. The witch doctors knew, but they didn't speak of it. What they did all know was that this great warrior would hunt them all down to a troll if given the chance.

"We must be preparing." Another troll said, seemingly coming to a decision.

"If da chiefs not be listening, too blinded by war and glory, den we be forced to act."

"And you be planning what?" The eldest troll asked.

"We must be leaving. Taking as many with us as we can. Maybe safety we be finding elsewhere. Not all da warriors be blind. Some of dem come as well. Da hunters as well." The resolute troll explained.

"Da chiefs not be tolerating this. Prepare and leave in secret we must." The oldest troll nodded.

"Another reason for leaving we be giving."

"Where we be going? Da pink-skins be to south and west. Gurubashi to da far south not be liking us much either." The youngest asked.

"We must be sneaking past da humans. I be seeking da omens after accepting we must go. Jintha'alor being our only option." The resolute troll whispered.

"Da Vilebranch ruling over Jintha'alor not be liking us much either." The youngest scoffed.

"Yes. But dey also be needing more help if da war not going our way. More blood. Dey not be liking us, but dey do be needing us." The oldest one realized.

"We be preparing in da shadows. We must be leaving but preparations for da trip we be needing. Da trek be full of danger and we be saving as many as we can. Supplies, arms, people. It be taking time to gather all dese, but we must be patient and we be doing it right. We be moving small groups at a time. The chiefs be noticing if all go at once."

"We're just going to allow this to happen?" A female voice asked with a voice filled with desperation.

"The timeways are collapsing all around us! We can't maintain them any longer."

"It's not a matter of allowing it to happen. It has already happened. The changes have already taken root. The timeline is warped beyond all recognition and destiny has already been altered. There's no going back, and even my memories of the previous true timeline are growing dim. Another future awaits us now. In some ways a better one." An impossibly deep male voice replied.

"In some other ways…I can't say. I can no longer see ahead very far, and the details are evaporating from my mind as we speak."

"You know, we're losing our ability to move through time. Soon it will be gone permanently. If we want to stop this, it needs to happen now." The female tried one last time.

"After this, there are no second chances. We'll lose what makes us what we are!"

"I know. But the same applies to everyone else. The past is locked, and the future uncertain. The Infinites have grown silent, as if gone for good. We'll need to keep an eye out just in case, but we are at the precipice of a new future. For good or ill." The male voice lamented a bit.

"Recall everyone. Since we can't maintain the timeways anyway, we better not waste our brothers and sisters in a futile attempt to do the impossible."

"And what will come of us? We exist to guard the timeline. It is our sacred duty. It's what makes us special. With that timeline no longer existing, and no guarding of the new timeline possible, what will happen to us?" The female's voice seemed to be genuinely lost.

"I do not know. I've always said that the present moment is all that matters, and now that has become truer than ever. Perhaps we've been lost in our obsession with the past and the future." The male admitted.

"We'll have to find a new purpose. Perhaps we should start by aiding our brothers and sisters. They are all being pushed hard in their own ways, and if any of my old visions of the future still hold true, things are not going to get easier for them. Perhaps they would appreciate a bit of help until we find ourselves again. Perhaps the mortal races could benefit from a bit of guidance. We shall see." In a flash of bronze scales, the large male figure was gone.