Chapter 18 Chapter Eighteen

too slow.They are simply too slow. Howling, Nekros shoved a peon forward, urging the lowly orc to work.The orc peon obliged, then hurried away with the burden on his back. These lowly orcs are almost useless except as coolies.Now, Nekros felt that they were not even qualified to be coolies.So he was forced to let those orc warriors join the ranks of the coolies in order to complete all the preparations before dawn.In fact, Necrus originally planned to leave in the dark, but this is already impossible.He didn't want to delay even one more day.No doubt the intruders were closing in with each passing day, but the scouts, apparently blind, insisted that they had found no sign of any vanguard, let alone a large force.

Leaving aside the sightings of the Alliance's Griffin Riders, a mage has gone deep into the mountain, and the most terrifying of all dragons is now serving that army.Just because the scouts haven't spotted the enemy doesn't mean the humans and their allies aren't near Grim Batol yet. He was still busy making the peons understand the urgency of the moving work, so he didn't notice that his chief dragon trainer had come behind him.He turned around after hearing an uncomfortable coughing sound. "Speak up, Porgs! Why are you cowering like these bitches?" The beefy young orc grimaced.His tusks were always bent to the sides, which made his otherwise unattractive face even more gloomy. "That male, Nekros, I think he is dying!"

Bad news again!Still the worst kind! "Take me to see!" They rushed past as fast as they could, all the while Porgs keeping his pace carefully, trying not to make his officer's disability seem any more obvious.Necrus was worried about another thing.To continue taming the red dragon, he needs a male dragon and a female dragon, without either, he will have nothing... and Zuluhed will definitely not be happy. They ended up in a cave that held Alexstrasza's eldest and only surviving consort.Compared to other dragons, Tyrannstrasz is truly a visual stunner.Nekros had even heard that the old red dragon was at one point rivaling Deathwing in size and strength, though that may only be legend.In any case, the dragon filled the huge cave to the brim, and the orc leader couldn't believe that he could get sick too.

However, when he heard the dragon's erratic breathing, he knew it was true.Taylan—as everyone called him—had had several seizures over the past year.The orc once believed that dragons were immortal and could only be killed in battle; however, he gradually discovered that they also have many limitations, for example, they are also plagued by diseases.Something inside the old dragon was slowly but deadly attacking his body. "How long has he been like this?" Boggs swallowed. "It was like that last night, ups and downs...but he looked better a few hours ago!" Nekros turned to his dragon trainer. "Idiot! Report this kind of thing as soon as possible!"

He almost wanted to beat the orc up, but then it occurred to him that there was no point in doing so.In fact, he had long suspected that this old dragon would not last long, but he had been unwilling to face this fact. "What shall we do, Nekros? The Zuluhed will be furious! Our heads will be displayed on sticks!" Nekros frowned.He also had that horrific scene in his mind... and it was certainly not what he wanted to see. "We have no choice! Get ready to move him too! Take him dead or alive! Let Zuluhed do with him!" "But, Nekros—" This time the crippled orc couldn't resist beating his men. "Idiot! Do as I say!"

Yielding to the majesty of the officer, Poggs nodded and ran away, no doubt thinking about how he would beat his men while they were at work.That's right, Tayran was to be transported away with the other dragons, dead or alive.At least he can still be used as bait... Nekros took another step closer and carefully observed the male dragon.Mottled scales, intermittent breathing, immobile body... No, Alexstrasza's spouse is really running out of time in this world—— "Nekros..." The voice of the Red Dragon Queen suddenly sounded. "Nekros...I smell...you are here..."

Nekros didn't want to think about the bad luck that Tyran's death would bring him, so the tall orc turned and walked towards the female dragon's cell.As usual, he reached into his fanny pack, grabbing the Demon Soul just in case. Through narrow eyes, Alexstrasza watched him enter the cell.She's been looking a little sick lately, but Nekros refuses to think he's ever going to lose the female dragon.Probably because she already knew that her last spouse was about to die.Nekros had hoped that one of the other two male dragons would survive; both were much younger and more vigorous than Tylan.

"What do you want me to do, old Queen?" "Nekros...why are you still obsessed with it?" He let out a grunt of displeasure. "That's why you asked me here, bitch? I have too many important things to do to answer your stupid questions!" The dragon snorted. "What you've done will make you die an ugly death. You had a chance to save yourself and your people, but you didn't want to take that chance!" "We are not cowardly and despicable scum like Orgrim Doomhammer! The Dragonmaw clan will fight to the end, even if it means our end!"

"Then flee to the north? Did you fight to the end like this?" Nekros pulled out the Demon Soul. "There are many things in this world that even you don't know about, old man! Haven't you heard of this called strategic shift?" Alexstrasza sighed. "So you will never give up, Nekros?" "You finally understand this." "Then tell me. What were you doing in Tyran's room just now? What is tormenting him?" While speaking, the dragon's eyes and tone were full of concern for her spouse . "There's nothing for you to worry about, old Queen! You'd better worry about yourself. We're going to be moving you out soon, so cooperate and you'll suffer less..."

After saying these words, he put the Demon Soul back into the bag and left.The Red Dragon Queen called him again, apparently still trying to get her mate's health out of him, but Nekros had no time for the dragons—at least the red ones. While the convoy likely left Grim Batol before the Alliance forces arrived, the orc commander was certain that an enemy would arrive in time to wreak havoc.Deathwing is definitely coming.At daybreak the black dragon will descend—and he has only one goal. Alexstrasza... he came only for this opponent. "Come on, all!" growled the orc himself. "All! I just need to get rid of that black dragon first..." He patted the bag containing the Demon Soul before continuing, "...and then he will help me get rid of everyone else!"

Finally, Ronin regained a little bit of consciousness.Although he felt extremely weak, the mage immediately stopped himself, recalling what happened before he fell asleep.He didn't want the puppet to stun him again - he was afraid he might never wake up this time. When he regained some of his strength, the mage cautiously opened his eyes. There was no trace of the fire puppet. Ronin was a little surprised.He lifted his head and opened his eyes fully. At the same time, the air in front of him suddenly emitted a dazzling flash, and thousands of small fireballs erupted from it in an instant.These fireballs spun rapidly and merged with each other, finally forming a vague human shape, and the outline quickly became clear. The gigantic puppet finally completed its reorganization.Luo Ning thought of the worst situation, so he immediately lowered his head and closed his eyes.He waited for the terrifying touch of this magical being... he waited a long time.At last, when curiosity finally outweighed his fear, the wary mage slowly and carefully narrowed one eye to observe the situation. The puppet was gone again. I see.Although he couldn't see the puppet, Rhonin knew that he was still under its close surveillance.Neklus was obviously trying to play a trick on him, but this last time it might have been Krell's trick.Once again, the hope of escape dimmed. Maybe it's better that way.After all, didn't he also think that his death would be a good thing for those companions who died because of him?Wouldn't that just atone for his sins? Rhonin hung there, unable to do anything, neither conscious of the passage of time nor of the sounds of the endless orcs packing up.Nekros will come back here at any moment, and either the mage will be taken elsewhere, or he will be interrogated again, and then he will be executed... And Ronin couldn't do anything about it. After a while, Ronin closed his eyes again.A wave of tiredness hit him and brought him into a deep sleep.Rhonin dreamed of many things—dragons, ghouls, dwarves... and Vereesa.The elf's dream soothed Rhonin's troubled thoughts.He had only known her for a short time, but the face of the elf came to his mind more and more often.If the acquaintance was in another time and space, maybe he would be able to understand her more deeply. The elf began to become the protagonist in his dreams, and Ronin could even hear her voice in his dreams.She called his name repeatedly, hopeful at first, then urgent after he didn't respond— "Ronin!" Her voice seemed far away, as soft as a whisper, but somehow it sounded more real. "Ronin!" The call interrupted his sweet dreams and pulled him out of his deep sleep.Ronin struggled at first, because he didn't want to go back to the reality of being imprisoned and about to be executed at any time. "He didn't respond at all..." said another, clearly not Vereesa's soft, sweet voice.The mage vaguely remembered the voice, and the awareness brought him closer to a waking state. "Perhaps that is why they chained him but did not chain him to the bars, and he could not escape at all," said the Elf. "It seems that you are telling the truth..." "I won't lie to you, lady! I won't lie!" Finally this shrill voice does what neither of the other two voices can.Rhonin shook off the last trace of sleepiness in his head... and just managed not to let himself cry out. "Then let's untie these things," said Falstad.The sound of footsteps that followed immediately made the mage aware that they were walking towards him. He opened his eyes. Sure enough, Vereesa and Falstad had already entered, and there was a concerned look on the elf's charming face.The ranger had drawn her sword, and around her neck was a pendant much like the one Deathwing gave Ronin.The difference was that the center of her pendant was set with a red gemstone, while Rhonin's was as black as Deathwing's heart. The dwarf next to her had a hammer slung over her back and a short sword in her hand as a weapon—the blade was pointed at the throat of the trembling Krell. The appearance of the first two people, especially Vereesa, brought hope to Ronin—— At this time, behind them, the fire puppet reappeared soundlessly. "Beware!" the mage yelled.Due to the many screams before, Luo Ning's voice was already very hoarse. Vereesa and Falstad both rolled away in opposite directions just as the gigantic creature was lunging at them.Creel was thrown out by the dwarves and slid until the wall that locked Rhonin before stopping.The goblin slammed into the wall, cursing indistinctly. Falstad stood up first, and threw the dagger at the fire puppet.The latter obviously completely ignored the dagger that seemed to be smashed on a stone, and Falstad quickly untied his storm hammer when he saw it.Just as he swung his hammer at the fire golem, Vereesa also bounced back, ready to join the fight. Ronin was still very weak at this time, so he couldn't do anything except watch the battle.The ranger and dwarf attacked the enemy from two directions, trying to force the fire golem into a deadly opening. Unfortunately, Rhonin even suspected that the creature was not something a sword could kill at all. Falstad's first blow forced the monster back a step, but just as he was about to strike the second blow, the hammer handle was grabbed by the fire golem.So the Griffin Knight started a thrilling tug of war with the fire puppet, but he was being pulled closer to the fire puppet step by step. "Its hands!" gasped the mage, "beware of its hands!" As he was slowly drawn closer, long, flaming fingers grabbed Falstad.The helpless dwarf had no choice but to let go of his precious storm hammer, and fell back, narrowly avoiding the enemy's grasping hand. At this moment, Vereesa rushed forward and thrust forward.However, the elf's sword had almost no damage to the monster's armor, and was easily bounced off.The fire golem immediately turned to Vereesa, throwing the storm hammer he had just caught at her. The ranger jumped away nimbly, but she soon found that she was the only one left who could defend herself.Vereesa then stabbed twice more, and the saber almost dropped her hand during the second stab.However, this puppet was obviously not afraid of swords, and tried to wrest the sword from Vereesa. His companions were on the verge of defeat...but there was nothing Rhonin could do to help. Things got worse.Although Falstad had already stood firm at this time, just as he was about to retrieve the Storm Hammer, the monster suddenly opened its brazier mouth—— A horrific black flame nearly engulfed Falstad.At the last moment before the flames engulfed him, Falstad rolled out, all the clothes on his body were reduced to ashes. So Vereesa became the last target of the puppet. Ronin was almost desperate.If he didn't strike, Vereesa would surely die.If he doesn't make a move, everyone will be finished. He had to untie himself.The mage gathered all his strength and recited a spell.Now that the fire golem was being stalked by Vereesa, this gave Ronin a chance to focus.All he needs is some time... It worked!All the shackles on the mage's hands and feet burst and hit the stone wall, making a rattling sound.Luo Ning only took a breath, then stretched out his arms again, and then focused on the fire puppet—— At this moment, something suddenly hit Luo Ning's back heavily, and immediately after, his neck was choked up by a pair of hands. "You mischievous mage! Do you know that you are destined to die!" Creel's hands were tightly wrapped around Rhonin's neck, almost strangling the mage unconscious.He'd known before that goblins were stronger than they looked, but Creel was stronger than he'd imagined. "That's right... Submit, human... Get down on your knees..." Ronin almost fell to his knees.The suffocation made him feel dizzy, and coupled with the torment he had suffered from the fire golem before, Luo Ning almost gave up.But if he goes down, so will Vereesa and Falstad... He concentrated and stretched out a hand to the goblin behind him. With a scream, Creel finally let go of his hand and fell to the ground.Ronin fell by the wall panting heavily, praying that Creel would not attack him when he was weak. In fact, he didn't need to worry about this.The goblin, with a burnt arm, hopped away, cursing. "Stupid mage! Die with your rotten spells! You stay here and enjoy the gentle touch of my 'friend'!" Creel jumped and ran to the entrance of the cave, still laughing at the fate these invaders were about to face. At this time, the fire puppet suddenly stopped attacking Vereesa and the dwarves, and its death gaze was fixed on Creel who was about to leave.He opened his mouth again— A jet of black fire spurted from the monster's mouth, enveloping the unsuspecting goblin completely. After a brief cry, Creel was reduced to ashes in a magical flame... All that remained in the ashes was the gem set in the pendant that Creel had taken. "It killed that little bastard!" Even Falstad was surprised. "It must be us next!" the elf reminded. "Although I can't feel any heat, most of my blade has been burnt to slag. I doubt if I can block his next blow!" "Yeah, if I could get that hammer back, maybe—careful!" At this point the fire golem spits out another burst of fire, but this time it targets the ceiling of the cave.The fire not only melted the stone, but also blasted the roof of the cave into pieces, and the huge stone smashed towards the three people directly below. One of them hit Vereesa's arm with such force that the ranger was knocked to the ground.The falling rubble prevented Falstad from approaching her, and Ronin found it difficult to take a step in the direction of the ranger. The fire puppet aimed at the fallen elf, and the upper jaw opened again—— "No!" Luo Ning condensed his instinctive willpower and threw out an extremely powerful protective force field.The black flame hit the invisible force field... and then bounced back towards the puppet. Rhonin hadn't expected the monster's weapons to have any effect on itself, but the flames not only surrounded their master, they hungrily pierced through the golem.A roar burst from the fire golem's throat, an unbearable, violent roar. The hideous golem trembled—then exploded violently, unleashing a hurricane of magical power into every corner of the small cavern. The top of the cave couldn't bear the violent impact any longer, and it completely collapsed. Under the night, the black dragon Deathwing was flying east over the sea.He was flying faster than the wind, and he was heading towards Khaz Modan, Grim Batol to be exact.In fact, the black dragon was already smiling to himself, and any creature who saw this smile would turn and run away in fear. Everything is working according to his wishes.His plans for those humans are also progressing smoothly.A few hours ago, he had received a letter from Terenas, which said, "One week after Sir Prestor's coronation, it will be announced that the new king of Alterac will be in Lordaeron. The joyful news that the young princess married her the day she came of age".Those short years of waiting were but a blink of an eye in the life of a giant dragon.And at that time, he can start to destroy human civilization.After that, the elves and dwarves, whose history is older than humans but have lost their vitality, will slowly wither away like leaves on an old tree. He would have had a great time in those days, but now, Deathwing had something more urgent and satisfying to attend to.The orcs are ready to leave their stronghold.Before dawn, they will drive all the cars outside and head towards Dun Algaz, the last stronghold of the orcs. Those dragons will also walk with them. The orcs thought there would be Alliance troops coming from the west.At least, they thought there would be a gryphon rider and a mage...and a black dragon.Deathwing will not disappoint Nekros Skullcrusher.From Creel, he knew that the crippled orc seemed to have a plan in mind.The black dragon really wanted to know what stupid things this fool was planning.He doubted he had guessed his plan, but it would be interesting if the orc came up with something more creative. Already the vague silhouette of Khaz Modan's coast rose from the horizon.Deathwing also has excellent vision in the dark.So, he adjusted slightly and flew in a slightly northerly direction.There were still several hours before sunrise, enough time for him to fly to the peak.There, the black dragon can better observe the situation and make a move at the most appropriate time... Reverse the course of the future. Another dragon is also flying.He has not flown in the sky for many years.Flying without restraint thrilled him, but it also reminded him how new he was to it.What should be innate and natural, now seems too inappropriate. The red dragon Kryostrasz has been Krasus for far too long. If it were daylight, those lucky enough to see him fly by would have noticed the huge red dragon.He is larger than most dragons, and only slightly inferior to the five Aspects.He has blood red and smooth skin.In his youth, he was once considered a handsome dragon.The queen must have favored him from then on.In battle, he has flexible movements, deadly attack power, and sharp thinking.As one of the queen's most powerful defenders, he has been defending the honor of the red dragonflight, and later became the queen's most important envoy to those new races. Even before his dear Alexstrasza was captured, he spent most of his time in the form of Krasus, generally only reverting to his true self when visiting the queen secretly.As a relatively young consort of the Queen, he does not yet have the status and prestige of Tyrana Strasz, but Cleostrasz knows that he has a special place in the Queen's heart.That's why he volunteered to be the first envoy in the first place.He was sent among the most hopeful and malleable race of all, the human race, to lead them to maturity. Alexstrasza undoubtedly thought he was dead.After she was captured and the entire Red Dragon Army succumbed, he thought that playing dead and escaping was the only way to continue the struggle.Restore Krasus' disguise and do everything possible to help the Alliance win the war against the orcs.It hurts him to help others kill their own kind, but the young dragons raised by the tribe know little about their race's glorious past, and few of them grow up to get rid of their bloodthirsty nature. , and began to learn the traditional wisdom that truly belongs to the dragon kind.While helping the elves and dwarves into the mountain city, he was lucky enough to communicate with a young dragon, whom he managed to calm and tell him what to do.He was relieved that the dragon had obeyed his orders: at least it could be saved. But he still had so much to accomplish that he had to leave those mortals once again to fend for themselves.When he saw the wagons through the pendant and heard the orc commander's call, he knew that what he had been working so hard for was close to success.The orcs had fallen for him, and were preparing to leave Grim Batol.They'd move his dear Alexstrasza outside - then he'd be able to save her. Even if things go his way, it won't be easy.What he needs is cunning, timing and, pure luck. Deathwing was still alive, and apparently still plotting to destroy the alliance of Lordaeron, and this newfound horrific fact threatened to undo everything Kryostrasz had planned.However, according to his observations, Deathwing seemed to be busy with the affairs of the Alliance, and had no time to talk to the orcs and red dragonflight in Khaz Modan.Well, Deathwing is still playing a game of chess, and those kingdoms are his pawns.If left to his own devices, he is sure to cause war and destruction among these nations.Fortunately, this game of chess may have to be played for a few more years, so now Kleostrasz does not focus on those humans in Lordaeron.Let's deal with them after he rescues his beloved queen. And yet, even if he could ignore the threats to the land he once guarded, there was one thing that stuck in his throat.Ronin, and those two people who insisted on looking for him, they all believed in the mage named Krasus. They didn't know that for the red dragon Kleostrasz, saving his queen was far more important than His own life matters.The lives of three mortals seemed insignificant by comparison—until recently, he had thought so. Now the dragon's heart was filled with guilt.Not only because he "betrayed" Rhonin, but also because he ruthlessly abandoned the elves and dwarves after agreeing to be their guide. Rhonin may well have been slain, but it might not be too late to save the elves and dwarves.The red dragon knew that he could not focus on saving until he did his last for those mortals. On the southwestern border of Khaz Modan, in the mountains only a few hours away from Ironforge, Kryostrasz chose a hidden mountain and landed on it.It took him a moment to orient himself, then he closed his eyes and focused his attention on the pendant he had asked Rom to give the ranger. Although she might have thought that the jewel set in the center of the pendant was a gem, in fact, it was part of the dragon's body.Through magic, he transformed one of his scales into what it is now.That enchanted scale has properties that would amaze any mage - if they know how to wield dragon magic.Fortunately, there are very few such people in the world, otherwise he would not have taken the huge risk to create the pendant.Rom and the elf obviously thought that the gem was only for communication, and the red dragon didn't want to correct their wrong view. The cold wind brought snowflakes and fluttered on his body. In order to concentrate his attention, Cleostrasz had to fold his wings and protect the back of his head.Based on what he had seen through the pendant, he pictured the elf in his mind.For an elf, she's certainly good looking, and she clearly cares for Ronin.She's still a decent fighter.Well, she may be alive, and so may the dwarf from Aerie Hill. "Vereesa Windrunner..." he called softly. "Vereesa Windrunner!" Cleostrasz closed his eyes, trying to gather his spiritual perception.Oddly enough, he couldn't see anything.No matter where the elf pointed the pendant, he should be able to see something.Had she hidden the pendant? "Vereesa Windrunner...make even the slightest noise so I know you can hear me." Still no response. "Elf!" For the first time, the red dragon almost lost his composure. "Elf!" No answer and can't see anything.Kryostrasz focused all his senses on the pendant, hoping to hear something, even the curse of the orcs. nothing. Too late... His conscience came too late.Because of his negligence, two more people died. While he was Krasus, he took advantage of Rhonin's guilt and his terrible memories of his dead companions.Therefore, Luo Ning obeyed him.But now, he finally began to understand Luo Ning's feelings.When Alexstrasza talked about those new races, he always spoke with love and concern, as if they were his own children.This love also infected her spouse, and when playing Krasus, he has been working hard to guide humans to grow up.However, the fact that his queen was captured by the orcs even changed his principles of thinking, and eventually caused him to forget the queen's teachings for many years... Until now, he has not come to his senses. However, for those three mortals, this awakening still came too late. "But it's not too late for you, my queen," the red dragon whispered.If he can survive this turmoil, he will definitely use the rest of his life to make up for the mistakes he made to Luo Ning and others.But at this moment, the most important thing is to save his favorite.I hope she can understand... The dragon spread its wings again, jumped into the air, and flew towards the north. Destination: Grim Batol.