Naga and murlocs cannot stray far from the water for too long or too far. The Naga might be able to last awhile on land with spells, but who needs to waste mana when there are natural ways, like just staying in the water?
When Arthas and his men arrived, they found a magical circle by the sea, with several Naga casting spells. The arcane runes were spinning, and exquisite symbols were etched on the ground. Nearby, rune stones were embedded in the ground, seemingly providing energy and stabilizing the arcane fluctuations. This scene felt familiar, but what was it really?
"Ding, mission triggered. Threat from the Naga."
"Naga Threat: Evil Naga are brewing an arcane storm to destroy the entire Solliden Farmstead. Prevent this arcane catastrophe. Objective: Destroy arcane magic circles, 0/3. Reward: Level up one level and unlock subsequent chain tasks."
Soon, Arthas's eyes spotted three magic circles in different positions: one on the left, one on the right, and one above. The three magic circles formed a standard triangle, with almost equal distances between them, one hundred meters apart from each other.
"Bridget, you take the dwarven sharpshooters and some guards over there to attract the Naga's attention. The rest follow me to destroy the magic circles; they plan to use the magic circles to summon storms and tides to flood the farm. We must stop them!" Arthas instructed quickly. This wasn't a game; the enemy wouldn't just stand still and wait while watching their allies being attacked. Once the battle began, they would face relentless assaults.
"Yes, Your Highness," Bridget said, taking part of the soldiers to the other side; this kind of defensive battle suited her tastes. Once in position, gunfire sounded from a distance as several patrolling murlocs were shot down. At the same time, the engineers buried landmines to prevent enemy charges.
The mines Arthas brought proved to be exceptionally effective in the war, and he had already dispatched someone to have the royal engineers also develop and manufacture them. These goblin goods were bought from the goblins, but their greed was notorious. Weren't the infamous pirates at sea also established by goblins? The difference between merchants and pirates was just one had a taste for blood and violence.
Boom!
With a cacophony, murlocs rushed in, stepping on the landmines, sending them and others within five meters flying. The dwarves began shooting, and Bridget took out her bow and aimed, targeting the murloc shamans and Naga spellcasters; those ranged threats were the deadliest. Arthas did not charge out immediately but waited until most of the Naga and murlocs were drawn away before rushing out with his men.
"Stop him!" a female Naga yelled in a high-pitched voice.
"Don't shoot, we are allies!" Arthas maliciously yelled in Naga dialect. This moment stunned the approaching murlocs, and even the Naga guards were confused; was this really a human?
The Naga language sounded so pure that they doubted whether he was one of their own! With a powerful shield bash, Arthas knocked a guard aside, and a massive heavy weapon smashed into the shield, causing him to be knocked back. He slashed and destroyed the rune stone, charging straight toward the second magic circle without looking back.
"Stop him, that's the enemy, you idiots!" the gray-scaled chieftain anxiously shouted; how could such a despicable human exist?
"Attack me with full force!" Arthas shouted in Naga again, right in front of the Naga guards. Combined with the Chieftain's words, these guards showed no hesitation and attacked Arthas with all their strength. Bang! The result was them being repelled repeatedly, their own strikes wounding them fatally as they retreated backward to their deaths.
He slashed again and broke the rune stone; in less than two minutes, two rune stones had shattered. Just as Arthas was about to continue his assault, an icy arrow shot towards him with incredible speed, leaving him no time to react.
However, a sanctified light shield appeared, blocking the arrow completely, a 100% block chance not a joke. Arthas felt a slight shiver from the cold; this chill was somewhat deadly. Although he blocked it, he still felt slowed down.
"Ugh!" Vashj also let out a muffled sound, even her writhing hair seemed to calm slightly, appearing weak and drooping, possibly from injury. Her narrow eyes shot a venomous glance at Arthas, "Go all out, kill him!"
Arthas recognized the ambusher; it was Vashj! What was this woman doing here now? More and more Naga began to rush over. His captain charged, knocking a Naga guard flying and quickly slashing down some charging murlocs. "Your Highness, I will protect you."
"Cover me; we must destroy the rune stones!" Arthas unleashed the light, cleansing the negative effects from his body, charging forward again, utilizing the shield's counterattack effect to cut through. The rebound damage became increasingly effective, the more he endured. As long as he could hold on, even Sargeras would have to kneel and cry 'surrender'!
"Hailey, if you can't stop him, then the Gray Scale tribe will vanish." Vashj's tone was devoid of any emotion; these Naga were just the descendants of countless generations; they could breed as well. The true core Naga served the queen in the deep sea; only the weaker, marginal Naga would be driven nearshore.
That was exile; useful when needed, otherwise left to survive on their own, such was the harsh reality.
"Yes, my Lady, I will do my utmost." Hailey panted; she was preparing to charge! In an instant, the gray-scaled chieftain Hailey teleported in front of Arthas; she was not only a mage but also a warrior.
"Mortal, you shall perish!" Just before Arthas, he saw specific information.
"Hailey Gray Scale. Chieftain of the Gray Scale tribe, third-generation Naga. Can use two essences of life to dispel the Old God curse, reverting it to a high elf. Using five essences can grant dual identities of high elf and Naga; using Old God powers can temporarily lift the Old God curse."
"Want to a stronger backer? I will make you stronger. Azshara is just a fallen queen, haha, she doesn't care about your lives at all." Arthas pointed at the present Naga chieftain, a cryptic power spreading out.
Buzz! The next second, Hailey's body changed, transforming from a tall, slender female Naga into a high elf form, her body completely naked with even her lower body clearly visible!