既然都翻譯了，不貼出來我手就是會癢癢der。
(繪圖：指針)
【01】
Within the depths of the Undercity, at theApothecarium, Grand Apothecary Putress and his Forsaken understudies eagerlylined up at the entrance, anticipating the arrival of the Dark Lady. Thetension was palpable, as if the very darkness that populated the halls wasalive; soon after, a grim yet gentle draft streamed through the halls and thedenizens there shuddered.
"She's here!" whispered a nearby understudy.Everyone present quickly straightened up and lowered their heads, preparing topay their utmost respects. Just beyond the gentle howl of the breeze travelingdown the hall, sharp footsteps could be heard, followed by a heavy thud.Remarkably, this mixture of sounds was both deft and quiet. Those assembledexpected the Dark Lady to bring along with her a full escort of guards, yetonly a lone Dreadlord accompanied her. Boldly standing before the Apothecarium,Sylvanas appeared defenseless, and inconceivably fearless.
Eagerly, the Grand Apothecarymoved to greet the Dark Lady. Standingbefore her was a hooded figure resembling a twisted strawman, complete with along draping robe still glistening with the spatter of fluorescent greenalchemic solutions from numerous experiments, his fanaticism toward his work onfull display. From underneath this hood, behind a horrifying bird-like woodenmask a gravelly voice sprang to life, “My dearest Queen, m’Lord, it is an honorto report to you our latest advancement.”
"Show me." Sylvanasspared no attention to Putress, her unwavering gaze fixated forward, toward thelaboratory.
"Of course, of course!"Putress stole a glance toward the looming Dreadlord as he escorted the DarkLady into the laboratory.
"I hear the Northrend teamhas encountered some complications with the new formula…” Sylvanas’ icy inquiry hung in the air for amoment. Paying Putress no mind she scanned the busy dimly lit lab, noting thenumerous understudies and apothecaries who were hard at work, fashioning newmixtures or documenting results from others. Putress let forth an unpleasantsnicker.
“I must say, with the limited resources provided tous in a region that is less than suitable for concocting the New Plague, thesesetbacks--especially those in the Dragonblight--are unavoidable.” Shaking his head, he continued, “Be that asit may, there are many places where progress is being made.” Fumbling through some nearby reports, hiscrooked finger draws attention to one particular page. “For instance, here and…here. As you can see,my Lady, regardless of where the specimen came from -- be it Scourge orAlliance -- these results are quite promising and I daresay better thanexpected.”
The listless Dreadlordstirred. "Yet, I only see four reportshere.”
“Correct, we’re missing one fromVenomspite. I’m uncertain what became of it, and the reports I’ve been gettingdetail correlations between drunken Scarlet Onslaught members and diarrhea…”
“Grand Apothecary.” The BansheeQueen’s voice took a commanding, sharp and icy tone. “Am I to understand thatyou’ve been given a batch of useless field reports and somehow you remainclueless to the whereabouts of a lone report?"
“I am but a humble researcher andsometimes there are things outside of my control. This is wherein the problemlies…” As Putress trailed off, he sighed and lowered his voice further. “YourMajesty, you and I both know there are numerous…unmanageable obstacles beforeus. Our apothecaries have given their best and without question Venomspite isessential to our experiments, but if we cannot maintain our foothold over thelocal area our progress will be--” The Dreadlord angrily cut off Putress’pleading.
“Mind yourself, Grand Apothecary,you are overstepping your bounds on this matter. This discourse does not suitan alchemist.”
“That goes for you too,Varimathras.” Sylvanas quipped. Intending to dismiss this insubordination, shecast her icy glare toward her Nathrezim companion, pressing further. “Unlessyou intend to imply I am incapable of making my own judgements?” Putress musedat the heavy air between the two and after a moment, nervously broke thetension, “So…?”
“I desire results, Putress. Iintend to fulfill my revenge against the Scourge and I will achieve that nomatter what and no matter the cost.” Sylvanas’ words rang clearly anddecisively, her declaration doubling as an ominous warning to everyone in thelab. “I’m placing you in charge of developing the New Plague in Northrend. Seeto it that these results make their way to the frontlines so that no Scourgewill be without the suffering and regret they long deserve.”
Paying his respects, Putressbowed, took a knee and humbly reassured the Banshee Queen, “I am at yourservice, my dearest and wise Queen. I swear upon my life that the Scourge willforever tremble before the name of the Forsaken.”
“See that they do.” Giving asatisfactory nod, she departed. Putress held his posture for a moment beforeslowly rising to his feet once more. Underneath his hood, behind his mask, hisexpression exuded confidence.
As Sylvanas made her way to the exit, she stopped andwithout looking back, turned her head over her shoulder and remarked “When thattime arrives, I intend to witness your efforts firsthand from thefrontlines.” Putress faltered at thissurprising remark and paused for longer than a moment. Collecting himself, hequickly replied, “As you wish, Your Majesty.”
As deftly as she arrived,Sylvanas wasted no more time and left the Apothecarium like the wind. TheDreadlord spread his wings to catch up and shadowed her to the secretpassageway leading to the throne room.
“Your Majesty, I don’t recalldiscussing that decision with you,” he questioned.
“I’m not required to reporteverything to you. Besides, is it so unthinkable that I would personally go tothe war front, if not to witness Arthas wail before his demise?” While hervoice was calm and devoid of any hesitation, Varimathras felt a deeply heldsimmering wrath. “In any event, in the near future I intend to depart for theNorth and entrust you with watching over the Undercity in my absence.”
He nodded and replied, “Then Iwill make arrangements for some men to ensure your safety.” Reflecting on it,he had no reason to stop Sylvanas. The other respective leaders of the Hordehad all made plans to sail north for the coming war. Surely the Undercity wouldstand out among them if they took no action.
“That reminds me… you mentionedthat Aeron Bloodblade was in Dragonblight?” Her inquiry brought a smirk to herface.
“In Venomspite, yes. Hopefully itwon’t drive him insane.” He cackled at the tantalizing thought.
"I’ll start paying you asalary on the spot if I see his despondent face.” Surprisingly, the BansheeQueen let slip an unexpectedly cheerful laugh. “That’s impossible, Varimathras. If you knew him well enough, you’dunderstand why you’d lose that bet outright…”
“Is that right? But of course,yes…” he nodded in agreement. “No doubt he’ll be having the time of his lifethere, assuredly.” She opted to let his mocking reply slide and privatelycaught herself grinning at the very thought.
There was no question in her mindwhere the first stop in Northrend ought to be.
Written by: Ms.Ursus thibetanus formosanus
Translated by: Vicky Cheng
