Even when facing the demon leaders of Kazzak in Mount Hyjal, Brox never backed down.
He was undoubtedly a hero. When facing the twin demon lords of Kazzak, he was ordered to lead the sniper team to intercept the demon commandos who were trying to assist their leader.
At that time, he wielded the hammer and fought bravely. When the last comrade was split in half by the gargoyle before reinforcements could arrive, he avenged his comrade and smashed the gargoyle with a hammer.
Then, there was silence all around.
When Thrall led his army to the scene, the figure of Brox, covered in scars and standing alone in a pool of blood, left a very deep impression on Thrall.
In Thrall's opinion, Brooks' name should be almost as respectable as himself, Thrall.
The early exit against Archimonde ruined what should have been a perfect glory.
But Thrall chose him not only because of his strength and rich experience, but more importantly, Thrall knew Brox's loyalty.
For a mission like this that required traveling through time and space, Thrall couldn't send out an army. He needed a strong enough confidant to complete this mission for him.
That was supposed to be the case, but a guy who gave Thrall a headache showed up.
A burly and ferocious figure rushed into Thrall's tent, picked up Nozdormu's dragon scale without saying a word, and passed the test in just 10 seconds.
Thrall's mouth was full of bitterness: "For the sake of our ancestors, please don't make things difficult for me...Grom Hellscream!"
Lord Howl panted heavily, not looking at Thrall, but at the elf-looking Krasus: "I heard Duke will go too."
When Krasus said "Yes!", Thrall got a headache.
"Then I'll go too!" Grom said firmly, with an unquestionable tone.
"The Horde needs you more," Thrall tried to explain.
"What do you need me to do? Kill those demons running around like frightened rabbits? Or kill Arthas, the target of revenge for the humans? I heard that the Alliance already cut Arthas in half last time." Grom's voice became higher.
"Grom, don't forget, you are the chieftain of the Warsong clan?"
Grom slapped his chest, making a loud "bang!" sound.
"I am a warrior first, and an old warrior at that. I have lived longer than my father and my grandfather combined. In the Horde, guys my age should have died in battle many times. Do you want me to watch Duke go on a dangerous mission, then accidentally die in the mission, and finally let me go to see my ancestors with the regret that I still owe Duke a life? I don't want to die owing a favor to a human! Even if he is a respectable hero!"
What Grom said made so much sense that Thrall was speechless.
From Draenor to Azeroth, the infant mortality rate has remained high due to wars and harsh environments. Although there are no official statistics, it is an indisputable fact that the average age of orcs rarely exceeds 30 years old.
Most of the orcs who live a long time are shamans who don't have to go to the battlefield.
Whether it's Brox or Grom, it seems that they are living fossils of the battlefield who have experienced the Draenei War, the First and Second Dark Portal Wars, Dalaran's battle against the Scourge, and the Battle of Mount Hyjal. It's simply a miracle!
Even Grom Hellscream, the Horde's first warrior, is not young anymore. He is fifty years old this year.
Fifty years old! This is an extremely exaggerated age for an orc warrior.
Thrall sighed.
"Thrall! Stop trying to persuade me! If my son were still alive, he would be in his twenties. Apart from Duke's kindness, I have no regrets in my life!"
At this moment, Brooks took a step forward, and Thrall noticed that Brooks clenched his fists tighter.
Brox's fiery eyes told Thrall that now that he had passed the test, he was willing to fight for it until his death.
What Thrall might not know is that Brooks was also suffering from a deep sense of guilt that almost devoured his soul at one point.
All his comrades died, leaving only Brooks. He didn't understand, and felt guilty, why he didn't die heroically with his comrades? To him, living was a pity, even a failure. From that moment on, he had been waiting for an opportunity to atone for his sins. Atonement, or even death.
Now, fate finally gave him this opportunity.
How could he give up such an opportunity just because Grom's status was higher?
The two orc heroes were fighting fiercely and neither of them gave an inch, which made Thrall very embarrassed because Krasus specifically pointed out that there was only one person.
Suddenly, the voice of Nozdormu rang out from that scale of Nozdormu.
"Then send one more orc."
"Ugh! Nozdormu... Your Majesty!?" Thrall was startled.
"It's okay. With my strength, sending one more person back is not a big problem. At most, I'll just give Duke some trouble. Hehe! Who asked him to give me so much trouble..."
At the same moment, back in front of the old site of Karazhan in Deadwind Pass, Duke sneezed loudly.
"Hahaha——"
"Caught a cold?" The two queens turned around at the same time and looked at Duke strangely.
"No, I seem to feel a sense of malice from a certain dragon. Please don't mind it."
The scene in front of him was desolate. After the Karazhan explosion fifteen years ago, this place was a scorched earth with no grass growing. After the Second Dark Gate War, Duke was busy opening up various black technology talents and had no time to care about the natural environment here.
Now that he has finally established contact with the night elves, Duke is thinking about whether, after returning to Karazhan, he should kidnap a druid or trick Alexstrasza into doing him a favor and turn this place into a place of green mountains and clear waters.
After all, if Karazhan becomes Duke's lair again, the surroundings will be too ugly, and at least the three Windrunner sisters will not like to come here.
At this time, it seemed that the orcs had reached an agreement.
Suddenly, a large piece of scorched earth in front of Duke began to change color, and in the blink of an eye it turned into yellow quicksand. After a sound like wind blowing sand, a very miniature sand dragon appeared.
That's a smaller version of Nozdormu.
"Give me the spatial coordinates." A divine thought went straight into Duke's sea of consciousness, and Duke gave it to him straightforwardly.
Then, a desert storm suddenly appeared out of nowhere and covered half of the valley.
Even Sylvanas, who didn't know magic, could feel the space shaking violently. It was as if a small hole had opened up in the tightly sealed sky. In the sandstorm, as the sand blew, a clearer outline appeared: the huge tower, the covered bridge, the spire...
That's right!
It's Karazhan!
When the huge wizard tower returned to its original color in the sight of Duke and others, the tall iron gate of the main entrance was suddenly pulled up, and a silver-haired figure shot out like an arrow.
The next moment, Duke was hugged by a slim female figure!
"Duke--" With a long tail sound, she rushed over and buried her head in Duke's arms.
When I looked up, I saw a beautiful and delicate oval face and a pair of clear blue eyes; a small, slightly upturned nose, and a mouth that was always filled with a happy smile; and silver-white hair that fell to her waist when she stood up.
If it weren't for her pointed ears and slightly long eyebrows, others would mistake her for a human.
Without any regard for others, Vereesa leaned over and gave him a passionate kiss.
"Hmm…hmm…ah…"
Their mouths and tongues were intertwined, and their noses were close together, causing their breaths to mix together, forming a small turbulence.
The passion of reunion after a long separation was so unbearable, if there weren't so many people watching, Duke might have pushed her down on the spot... ahem!
Behind Vereesa, a noble, gorgeous and dignified female figure appeared.
The one who came was naturally Alleria.
Instead of joining in the fun, Alleria gave Sylvanas a warm hug.
"sister--"
"Oh, my Sylvanas, you're the queen now." Alleria saw her second sister's crown.
"It just so happens..."
The two sisters overlapped, and then Alleria sniffed hard and whispered in Sylvanas' ear: "Wow! I didn't expect that my ambitious second sister would also fall for her."
"Sister...what are you talking about?" Sylvanas was rarely panicked and subconsciously wanted to deny it.
"Who are you kidding! You smell like Duke. I've been with Duke for more than ten years, how could I not recognize him?" Alleria said with a wicked smile.
"Impossible, I washed it thoroughly..." The next second, Sylvanas realized that she had been tricked by her elder sister. She blushed and widened her eyes: "Sister, you tricked me!"
Alleria's smile was like a brilliant blooming dahlia, and the natural intimacy that was unique to an eldest sister and almost like a mother easily infected Sylvanas.
"Really? After Duke returned to Azeroth, it's always easy for a woman who waits in loneliness to have wild thoughts. We've been discussing... If you are still single after ten years, how can you continue to resist his charm if Duke is fine but will shock the world if he is in trouble?"
"I...I...I..." After saying the word 'I' three times in a row, Sylvanas was unable to continue.
The two sisters' similar soft and smooth faces rubbed against each other gently. Alleria hugged her sister and continued softly: "You are so stupid. You always think that if you don't want to find a man, you should find a hero greater than Duke... But, there is no hero greater than Duke in this world!"
It sounds extremely exaggerated, but from the first and second battles at the Dark Portal, to Ner'zhul's counterattack, to Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas' fight against the Scourge, and finally to the magnificent Battle of Mount Hyjal, Duke has become the real sun, and his light has firmly overwhelmed all other heroes.
If it were ten years ago, Sylvanas would have probably refuted a few times stubbornly, but now she has lost all her temper.
Thinking back on every little detail since they met, thinking back to herself pulling the bowstring in despair on the steps of the Court of the Sun and the heroic figure arriving at the last moment, Sylvanas suddenly felt a little intoxicated.
"Sister..." I don't know whether she felt wronged or sad that she had taken such a long detour in the past ten years and could not escape Duke's 'clutches' in the end. Anyway, Sylvanas burst into tears.
"Alright, alright! Be good! It's okay - although it's a little confusing for three sisters to fall in love with the same man, but is it okay? It seems like we never have to separate again."
Sylvanas was in a trance, and she saw the image of her deceased mother in her elder sister. After years of separation, the pressure she had suppressed burst out all at once, and she couldn't stop crying.
While crying and expressing her longing for him, she also "accused" Du of his "crimes" as if she was telling tales.
Over there, Duke and Vereesa finished their passionate kiss, and then looked at the two sisters with a smile on their faces.
After Sylvanas finally finished crying, Alleria came over, holding one of her sisters in each hand, smiling like a flower: "Duke! It seems that you can't help but attack the second sister."
"Hehe!" Duke laughed dryly, a little embarrassed.
"And..." Alleria's beautiful eyes moved and she caught a glimpse of Jaina, who was standing unconsciously in the outer circle next to them, neither coming closer nor moving away, with her head down playing with her ten tender fingers, but secretly glancing over here from time to time.
Alleria suddenly sighed: "It's been more than a decade in the blink of an eye!"
"Yes!" It was Sylvanas who answered hurriedly.
Then Jaina nodded awkwardly, not knowing what expression to use to face Alleria.
Alleria seemed to be sighing, but Duke on the side felt that there seemed to be too much information!
Those bright eyes were just as they were when I first saw them fifteen years ago, full of wisdom, kindness, and a hint of playfulness.
The eldest sister of the Windrunner family walked up to Duke slowly, her affectionate eyes filled with inexpressible love and tolerance like the sea.
Holding Duke's face gently, she gazed at this little man whom she both loved and hated. The sweet memories of the past came to her mind one by one and flashed through her pupils.
"Jaina, please come here." Alleria pulled Jaina over and smiled brightly: "Duke, no matter what happens in the future, you must promise to treat each of our 'sisters' equally."
"clear!"
"Remember to ask sister Ilucia to come to our family dinner later."
"Of course!"
Duke kissed the eldest sister, the third sister, and then Jaina, who automatically took the last place. Duke knew he had passed the test by looking at the blushing girls.
Then, Duke saw Tirion Fordring and Gavinrad the Dire, who were in very good spirits. After Rhonin quickly explained the current situation to them, the two paladins became active.
"I'm finally back! Since there is still evil in the borders of Lordaeron, I should leave as soon as possible." Tirion saluted Duke.
Duke knew that this Paladin, who was often called "Old Buddha" by players, had the purest soul. The last accident caused him to be blown into the void with him and stayed there for ten years, which was already a great injustice for him. Now, his homeland was ravaged by natural disasters, how could he sit still?
But Duke couldn't care less, he had a 'reunion' with Alleria.