"Don't look at me like that, outsider. I'm not interested in fighting you again now. ”

"Then don't call me that."

"The elemental spirits tell me that you didn't originally belong to this world."

"But I live in a world that is no different from here, and I will do whatever it takes to protect her. You're the outsiders, orcs. ”

At this time, Drektar and Dineen were walking on a ridge one after the other. They climbed up the gentle slope to a place where the snow and ice were still covered. The camp of the Frostwolf Clan was left far behind, and from above it could only be seen in vague shapes.

"Our race does have a disgraceful history." The old shaman said calmly, "To me, the remorse and pain it brings are no different from what you have experienced. ”

"Oh? It seems that those nosy elements tell you quite a bit. ”

"No, elemental spirits won't tell me that. But I can feel it in your soul. The scar makes you restless, like a beast stuck in the throat by a bone, and can only vent its pain by constantly running. ”

Dinen frowned, but this time he wasn't immediately angry. Perhaps it was the silence of the mountains and the mighty winds that soothed his irritability, or perhaps it was a part of his heart, albeit reluctantly, that knew that the old orc was right.

After regaining his life, he was so agitated by the ethereal hope that he lost his composure. But the price of that calmness is too high to be known only when the heart is dead. In contrast, he would rather choose the present moment, at least what he does is out of expectation rather than obligation.

"So, that's why you're eager to change your fate." Drektar continued, with a hint of condemnation in his voice, "Even though you don't know what you're going to bring to the world. ”

“…… You don't know what I've been through, shaman. Dineen was silent for a moment, "Anyone who knows all about it will not be indifferent. ”

He stared at the old orc's back: "Tell me, if you could go back twenty years and prevent your chieftain from leaving the clan to avoid being killed, would you stand idly by?" ”

Drektar didn't answer him right away, but thought in silence for a moment.

"It was a noble dedication that Durotan and his companion died to expose Gul'dan's conspiracy."

"But they still died, their sons were raised by humans, and the tribe was still torn apart by Gul'dan's ambitions." "Wouldn't it be better if you could choose something else—like a letter or something?" ”

This time Drektar was silent for a longer period of time, and finally let out a long sigh.

"I don't know." He said, "Maybe you're right, stranger. But I believe all souls have their own arrangements. ”

Dineen shook her head, but didn't ask any further.

They remained silent and walked the rest of the way.

Before reaching the top of the mountain, Dineen sensed that there was someone else at their destination. He gripped the hilt of his sword, but let go of it when he saw the other man—a young orc, who looked like he had been waiting for a long time, holding in his arms a small pile of what was supposed to be a ritual, staring at him warily and curiously. When Dinen looked at him, the child did not flinch at all, but made a vicious grimace at him.

"This is my assistant, Packa." Drektar introduced as if he was completely unaware, "Even though he is young, he is not lacking in courage - in one way or another. ”

Dineen smiled briefly.

"Unweaned wolf cubs bite," he said, "but I won't do anything to a child unless he holds a dagger to my throat." You'd better start the ritual, shaman. ”

Drektar waved his hand, and the snow on the ground quietly receded, revealing a stone platform.

"Sit down on it."

Dineng sat down in the center of the stone platform and placed the long sword poking at his waist beside him. At first he sat with one leg bent so that he could get up at any moment, but after thinking about it, he changed his posture and crossed his legs. This is a common sitting position used by the warrior monks of Pandaria, and it is said to have a calming effect on the mind, but he did not feel any effect other than a slight pain in his legs.

"What's next?" He looked at Drektar.

The old shaman sprinkled a pinch of powder into a stone bowl and picked up a handful of snow from the ground, which melted quickly as it fell into the bowl, and washed the powder into a bowl of gray potion.

"Drink it and relax as much as you can. Don't think about anything. ”

"It's not that easy." Dineen looked down at the suspiciously colored liquid in the bowl, "You might as well let me fall asleep." ”

With a teaser, he raised the bowl. Although I was already prepared, I was still shaken by the strange taste of bitterness and spiciness. It took him some effort to swallow them all, but the smell lingered in his mouth for a long time.

Thankfully, I only had to drink this once. Dinen thought.

At this point the shaman has already begun his own part. Dinen tried not to stare at him as much as possible, but to keep his brain empty. But when Drektar drew a long arc around him with ashes, and then raised his hand to chant a plea to the elementals, he still couldn't help but feel like a sacrifice that had been washed and placed on the fire.

He gritted his teeth unhappily at this association, but by this time the bowl of decoction he had drunk had already worked. Dineen felt her consciousness drift a little. A gentle but irresistible force tugged at him. Everything around him began to blur, and at first he could see clearly, but soon only large chunks of color remained, and then even the boundaries of the colors became chaotic, and although he tried to maintain some balance, he inevitably fell into the darkness.

***

He couldn't feel himself anymore.

In other words, he loses his familiar way of perceiving and perceives the world through a new sense. In this case, Dineen vaguely felt like a floating mist. Even his mind is floating, the walls of his will no longer exist, his emotions and thoughts are so wild that it is even difficult to think. Dineen struggled to concentrate, but he immediately felt the repulsion.

I'm going to be ostracized. He realized this and could only relax unwillingly.

He's not alone. Dinen could sense something other than himself, not far from him. One, two, three, four, five. He counted, discerning the nature of the astrays they exuded, but equally incredibly strong. As he became more familiar with this state, his perception became more and more detailed. It made him feel as if he heard something.

[He's not ......]

[Repressed]

[Achieved...... Fulfillment ......]

[Permissions...... Strength]

These broken words left Dinen confused. His intuition told him that he was the center of these being's exchanges, but he himself knew nothing about it. This made him very irritable. He tried to get closer, but didn't know what effect his actions were doing.

The only thing that can be confirmed is that they noticed him.

Dineen knew who they were—elemental spirits, of course. What else could it be? Gods of the Ancients? Hey, that's going to be fun.

I don't know if it's an illusion, but when he thought like this, the elemental spirit stirred a little.

Not an illusion. A deep voice rang out in his consciousness. It's been a long time since anyone has spoken of the evil that originated from eternity. But we still remember what they did.

They are the embodiment of chaos, the shadows of darkness, the root of all evil. Another brisk voice spoke.

It was their machinations that cost us that powerful ally. The burst voice interjected eagerly. He's turned against him, and now an even bigger disaster is brewing!

The time is coming. We have to be vigilant, and we are ready. He said in a voice that was not in a hurry.

We've been waiting for you to come back. Contractor. The most sonorous and powerful voice summed it up.

Dineen was dazed by such a statement. He tried to think, but in this situation he had a hard time concentrating. His mind jumped at random, and he couldn't find any clue.

The root of all evil should be the Burning Legion, is the Elemental's ally a shaman? And that title... Why do you call me that? What is the contract? Whose contract? Are you really not looking for the wrong person?

The jumbled questions popped up, and then Dineen realized that he had let his mind go. He restrained himself a little awkwardly, and then gathered his chaotic thoughts as much as he could.

I don't know what you're talking about...... I don't remember any contracts, I'm not even a shaman! He emphasized. Maybe you're looking for the wrong person - or maybe the orc is wrong.

No. A sonorous voice said. We will not admit mistakes, outsiders.

Such a determined tone gave Dineen a headache, even though he couldn't feel his head at all now. But he really didn't know anything about it - he couldn't even communicate with the elemental spirits without the shaman's help. What's more, he couldn't think of any need for this inexplicable contract.

Dineen doesn't believe in anything. There was a time when he had faith, but it turned out to be nothing more than a consolation for the weak. He foolishly put his hopes on it, and then lost all the time. Since then, he has only trusted his own hands. Everything else is unreliable.

Shamans pray for elementals rather than control them, and if their choice is deviated, they will be vetoed. This kind of power that is not working from time to time is not even as good as chicken ribs for Dineh. He hated relying on others for strength and refused to grovel to any faith. His actions are often extreme and chaotic, and are clearly impossible to tolerate by elemental spirits. In contrast, if you want to seek the power of a spellcaster, you might as well become a mage. It's just as bad, but at least Arcane won't abandon you because of your hatred, it just explodes. If you're lucky, you can take out the enemy, and if you're lucky, you might be able to be whole.

- Wait, what exactly is the content of the contract?