"Blinded!"
Before she could react, Wayne unleashed a Fire-school spell from Heroes of Might and Magic III on Hasana. Her vision instantly plunged into pitch-black darkness, causing her dagger thrust aimed at Chen's back to miss its mark.
Chen's hand struck Hasana's wrist, knocking the dagger to the ground. With a swift twist of her arm, he pinned her down with ease.
"I don't get it. What exactly are you doing in the middle of the night?" Wayne asked, looking at the struggling but helpless Hasana.
Hasana blinked her eyes repeatedly, clearly shocked by her sudden blindness. Her furious expression carried a trace of panic, but no matter how she thrashed, she couldn't escape Chen's iron grip.
"Petrified!"
Seeing her making a scene, Wayne cast another spell on her torso. This time, Hasana was paralyzed from the neck down.
"Now you can speak honestly," Wayne said.
Hasana's mouth produced nothing but curses. Her Troll voice was exceptionally raspy and deep, sounding quite eerie in the dead of night. Wayne didn't want to make a big deal out of this; they were in Goldshire, and if the patrolling guards or the high-ranking officers in the net cafe found out, Hasana would be in serious trouble.
He and Chen shared a look. Chen adjusted his strength and delivered a chop to the back of her neck. Hasana instantly passed out. They carried her through a secret trapdoor beneath the stables in the courtyard and down into the cellar.
As time passed, Purhart, who was upstairs, began to feel uneasy that Hasana hadn't returned. Just as she stood up to check the first floor, Tess entered the private box. Soon, both of them were also brought down to the cellar.
Looking at the magically bound Hasana, Purhart understood most of the situation.
It turned out that after Lord Maxwell Tyrosus returned to Light's Hope Chapel in the Eastern Plaguelands, he couldn't stop thinking about Wayne's net cafe. He wasn't lingering on the games themselves, but rather desired for the officers and core members of the Argent Dawn to strengthen themselves through the net cafe's training mechanisms. They needed every advantage to face the Scourge's increasingly violent expansion.
Both the Eastern and Western Plaguelands had completely fallen; only a few strongholds like Chillwind Camp and Light's Hope Chapel were still struggling to hold on. To the north, Quel'Thalas had been silent for years. Facing the endless undead legions pouring out of Stratholme—now the Scourge's headquarters—the Argent Dawn lacked the resources to send scouts past the blockades to check if the Blood Elves were even still alive.
The Scourge was terrifying enough, but the Argent Dawn also had to face the threat of the Scarlet Crusade. This powerful faction had recently become increasingly radical and fanatical. They didn't just attack the undead; they followed a policy of killing any other race on sight, including members of the Argent Dawn. Their hatred for non-human races was nearly as intense as their hatred for the undead.
Given these internal and external pressures, Lord Tyrosus and the other leaders of the Argent Dawn had no time to travel back to Goldshire. Instead, he asked Purhart, who was stationed at Chillwind Camp, to find a trustworthy Horde partner to visit the cafe and verify if races other than humans could gain strength through the games.
Coincidentally, Hasana, who was usually stationed at the Bulwark—the border between Tirisfal Glades and the Western Plaguelands—had come to Chillwind Camp with a supply caravan. She appeared right in front of Purhart and had expressed great interest in the rumors regarding the net cafe.
Chillwind Camp only had a few commanders and about twenty soldiers. Their primary task was to ensure the supply lines from Southshore and Aerie Peak remained open. Because the camp was near the territory of the "Forsaken"—the undead who had broken free from the Scourge—there was one Horde member in the camp, and he happened to be an undead...
Forget about ordinary people; it had taken Purhart a long time to accept fighting alongside an undead whose water would leak directly out of his skeletal stomach when he drank... and even with transformation potions or illusion magic, the unique, rotting stench of the undead could never truly be masked.
Thus, Hasana became the perfect candidate for the mission. She had accepted Purhart's invitation readily, leading to their appearance at the cafe that morning. However, Purhart never expected that Hasana was still secretly working for the Horde's interests.
Wayne dispelled the "Blinded" and "Petrified" effects, allowing Hasana to move again, though Chen and Tess remained on either side of her, watching closely.
The Troll was stubborn. She first apologized to Purhart but immediately resumed her verbal abuse toward Wayne and Chen.
"The Alliance doesn't deserve the title of World Champion!" she shouted, pointing at Chen. "You puny humans know you're no match for the Horde, so you lure this strange, black-and-white furred race to join you, hoping they'll help you fight us. Give up on that dream!"
Wayne chuckled. "If you're not satisfied, you can fight him right now. We promise not to interfere."
Hasana knew from the moment Chen grabbed her that she was nowhere near his level in terms of strength or technique. However, she refused to admit defeat. "I am just an ordinary member of the Horde. If our champions were here, any one of them could defeat all of you even if you fought together!"
Truly powerful and confident people are not easily swayed by a few words. Chen asked in a calm, slightly teasing tone, "I... actually hoped someone from the Horde would participate in the tournament today. I have quite a few friends in the Horde, and I am not actually in service to the Alliance."
Wayne knew Chen wasn't lying. He wasn't an Alliance citizen.
Hasana had no way of knowing this and took his words as a provocation, as if he meant even the Horde's heroes couldn't have stopped him from taking the championship. She ran through the list of Horde heroes in her mind. "Hmph! Just you? Setting aside our wise Warchief and the great Vol'jin, even the bear by the side of the hero Rexxar—who currently wanders the wilds of Kalimdor—could easily defeat you."
Chen burst out laughing upon hearing this. "Haha, Rexxar? The last time I saw him, he said I nearly cost him his life."
Hasana sneered, "Fatty with the black-and-white fur, I didn't think you could tell such a blatant lie."
Wayne had an idea. "How about this? You won't believe us anyway, and keeping you here is useless. I can release you right now, but you have to agree to one condition."
Hasana wanted to spit at Wayne, but she looked at Purhart and felt a pang of guilt for taking advantage of her companion's kindness. Wanting to avoid dragging Purhart down with her, she restrained herself and told Wayne, "Don't expect a Troll to do anything that betrays her honor."
Wayne replied, "I'll release you now and provide you with supplies. You find your own way to Stranglethorn Vale to the south, then take your zeppelin back to Orgrimmar."