Chapter 11 chapter Ten

Antonidas, Archmage of Dalaran and leader of the Kirin Tor, was sitting in his study studying a newly arrived scroll.The problems written in the scrolls are serious: According to Admiral Proudmoore's report, a group of orcs has stolen several ships from Menethil Harbor, and worse, when he went to give chase, Proudmoore De Moore's fleet was driven back by... dragons.black dragon. Antonidas felt the veins throbbing in his temple, and he reached out and rubbed it. During the Second War, the Horde of Orcs was aided by the Red Dragon, and now, after repairing the Dark Portal, they seem to have allied themselves with the Black Dragon as well.It's just unbelievable.Two dragons?How could the alliance defeat them?

Someone tapped lightly on his door. "Come in, Crassus," cried Antonidas.His magic had already told him who would still come to him at this late hour. "You left a message saying you want to see me?" said the mage.He walked into the study and closed the door behind him, deliberately looking very poised.Antonidas thought it was to keep him from getting angry, but his approach failed. "Yes, I left a message." Antonidas replied, almost spitting out every word from between his long gray beard. "A few months ago! Where have you been?" "I have other things to do." Krasus said lightly.He stepped forward and leaned against the edge of Antonidas' desk.Between his silver hair, the lamplight shone a few stars of red and black, making his hair look like fire and gleaming metal.

"Anything else? You serve the Kirin Tor, Krasus, and I shouldn't have reminded you of that." Antonidas pointed out, frowning. "If you can't make time for your duties, maybe I will Get someone else to take your place." To his surprise, the emaciated mage in front of him lowered his head. "If that's what you really want, I will resign." Krasus said quietly. "But I'd prefer to stay here, and I assure you, I've been paying attention, whether it's Dalaran or the Kirin Tor." Antonidas studied him for a while, then finally nodded.He didn't want to lose Krasus—the enigmatic mage with seemingly inexhaustible powers and knowledge, and despite the man's sometimes evasive nature, Antonidas thought his colleagues were just as full of souls as they were. concerned.

"Take a look at this." He said, putting the scroll in Krasus's hand.Krasus read the content above, his face gradually filled with fear and shock. "The Black Dragon Clan!" Krasus called softly when he finished reading.The mage rewound the scroll and carefully placed it on the table, as if the scroll would attack him. "From my research on red dragons, they're not interested in war or bloodshed, they're just forced to serve the Horde. But this is a black dragon! Their alliance with the orcs seems more logical and thoughtful— Of course, it's also more dangerous."

"I agree," said Antonidas. "Krasus, you are our expert on dragons. Do you think there is any way to stop them, or at least suppress their effectiveness?" "I..." A sharp mourning pierced the originally silent sky.The two mages looked at each other for a while.They knew what the sound meant - a Dalaran siren.Krasus remained silent while Antonidas tried to identify its source.Where did the spell come from?Is that one, or— "Mystery Vault!" said Antonidas at last, his eyes widening. "Someone broke into the treasure room!" The expression on Krasus's face at the moment was as frightened as his mood.In the heart of Violet Castle lies the Mysterious Vault, which is protected by the most powerful magic ever devised by mages.There are many artifacts hidden there, and items that the mage cannot use himself, but cannot risk falling into the wrong hands.

Krasus held out his hand.Antonidas grabbed each other's hand, and the two teleported to the mysterious treasure room without a word. The world around them began to blur, and Antonidas' cozy room with walls lined with books disappeared, replaced by a large stone chamber.Its floors and walls are roughly hewn from the earth, and its ceiling is vaulted.This room has no windows and only one door.Except for the open space near the exit, the rest of the room was made up of partitions, boxes, and bookcases, all of which were filled with things. Amidst the dust and those objects, several persons stood.At least they should be human, Antonidas thought.Then his senses picked up on those black auras that surrounded them.But before they turned and revealed the glowing eyes beneath the hoods, Antonidas knew the true identities of the creatures that had passed through the mage's barrier.He knew it, and he panicked about it.

Death knight. Dead warlocks use human corpses to reanimate themselves.The dark power possessed by these death knights was enough to make Antonidas turn pale with panic, enough to break through the sentry barriers that had already been placed here, and they came to this highly protected place—for what? The Mysterious Vault houses a wealth of weapons at the Death Knights' disposal, allowing them to win the war once and for all.But even so, they did not touch those priceless treasures.They stood around a figure, the one in the middle was holding something in his hand.Antonidas focused on the object.It's powerful, and its magic feels familiar.The death knight who led the team began to shift, gently lifting the object in his hand, and the light reflected purple-red light on its facets, illuminating the entire room.Antonidas understood what kind of treasures would cause death knights to ignore other treasures around them.

"He took the Eye of Dalaran!" Antonidas yelled.With one hand raised, he cast a mystical magical arrow, and with the other he summoned the rest of the Kirin Tor.There wasn't room for many people in the mysterious treasure room, but at least they could call in some helpers so that they wouldn't be isolated and helpless due to the exhaustion that would inevitably occur in a mage duel. However, this is not a formal duel.Antonidas thought.The archmage's magical arrow caught one of the death knights in the torso, slamming him into the far wall, smoking from the hole in his chest.Another death knight raised the scepter in his hand, and the gems inlaid on it gleamed under the candlelight.Antonidas suddenly felt as if a pair of icy hands grabbed and began to squeeze his heart.He clutched his chest tightly with both hands, trying to overcome the sharp pain that ran through his body.The archmage was finally able to cast a spell, and a purple-red light danced around him, dispelling the chill.Antonidas discovered the attack spell with his spell perception, it was like a big hand made of smoke, he pushed the hand forward, and let it attack his master.Then, that death knight was also knocked down.

Another member of the Kirin Tor teleported to his side, an elf woman with long black hair.A long, pale hand wandered across Antonidas' chest, while the other pointed at the ghastly intruders.Antonidas vaguely felt the figures that were beginning to materialize in the room.He tried to gulp for air, and eventually his lungs began to expand, his heart began to beat again, and the warmth returned to him.He saw the two death knights writhe in pain.Flames licked at their limbs, torsos and heads.Antonidas' eyes widened, realizing they were trying to escape.The light of the flames reflected the distorted shadows of the two.Suddenly, the flame seemed to have life, and it began to devour the two death knights until finally, the two would become memories of the past.

Though they did not survive—if that statement could be applied to them—the two defeated death knights were not content to be the only beings embraced by death. Because of the battle just now, Antonidas is very weak now. He can only helplessly watch the two death knights turn around and attack the woman who just saved Antonidas, but their bodies are still burning. flame. Sahira's pale face contorted, her head fell backward, her black hair wrapped around her like a shroud.The air in her body was forced out.There was a crackling sound as Antonidas watched as the increasing force crushed her breastbone.

"Sahira! No!" Antonidas turned to look at Prince Kael'thas. He watched his friends and colleagues die, his handsome face contorted with anger.The elf prince raised and parted his hands, and one of the death knights in the room screamed in pain, his limbs were torn off one by one, separated from his own torso.The astonishing sight brought Antonidas back to sensory awareness. "Kael'thas!" he yelled at the commotion, struggling to stand up. "Kael'thas!" Just as Antonidas tried to stand up for the second time, the elf prince turned around and looked at Antonidas with his captivating eyes. "Don't let them complete the teleportation!" Antonidas shouted, spreading the magic shield with one hand, blocking a death arrow coming towards him.The elf shook his head trying to sort things out, then nodded.He looked at the intruders with angry eyes, moving his hands to cast spells. The leader roared, "Death knights, come to me!" He held up the Eye of Dalaran in his hand.The few remaining men obeyed his orders and formed a circle with their backs to the leader to protect him and their prize.Just as Kael'thas was about to finish chanting the spell, the shadow above the invader rolled again, this time tinged with purple from the glow from the Eye of Dalaran.The shapes of the death knights began to blur.They escaped with this little time alone.Kael'thas cursed in Elvish. The prey is gone - but they will be stalked and trapped the second they appear.Antonidas cast a teleportation spell, which he altered slightly so that he could teleport to the same location as the death knights.In an instant, Antonidas found himself standing on a wide terrace.He remembered that this was one of the upper floors of Violet Castle.The death knights were all gathered together, their leader standing proudly in the midst, clutching the Violet Eye in his mailed hand.Krasus, Kael'thas, and several others followed. This time, Kael'thas and Antonidas were prepared.Their hearts and lips were ready for the spell, and they succeeded.The death knight turned to Antonidas and looked at him sternly.The archmage smiled softly. "In the treasure room, your speed is faster, but here we are even faster. This terrace can block your teleportation spell, and you have nowhere to escape." Antonidas shouted, looking straight at the leader of the death knight .Now they can capture these death knights, or kill them, leaving only one for interrogation, so that they can better understand the new leader of the tribe and their new plans. "Perhaps so," said the leader softly. "But why run if we can fly away?" As he said this, a gust of wind blew up behind him, across the entire terrace, making Antonidas unsteady.A rustling sound followed, and the sound gradually became louder, and then darkness descended to the side of the terrace.The black figure then became several long, limp shapes that hovered over the balcony railing, their eyes staring straight ahead in their black-lit faces.Antonidas could almost feel his own heartbeat, and his clothes were soon drenched with sweat. "Stupid human beings, do you really think we came here alone?" the leader of the death knight said with a big laugh.The largest dragon Antonidas had ever seen in his life was now flying towards the terrace until its spiky face rested on the railing. Antonidas saw that Krasus's face gradually turned pale, and he softly said the name of the black dragon: "Deathwing." When his name was called, the mighty black dragon turned his head, finally gazing at Krasus.The mage didn't flinch from the black dragon's scrutiny, but Antonidas swayed, looking very disturbed. Deathwing?it's here? The death knight stepped onto the railing and sat on Deathwing's back. "I've got what I want. Let's go!" Antonidas suddenly regained his strength, and he threw a lightning bolt towards the death knights, but was protected by them.Teleporting won't do the trick - they're moving too fast, and they're very close to each other.Kael'thas and the other mages shook their heads.They can't guarantee that they won't hit those dragons while hitting those death knights.If these black dragons are enraged, they are likely to set the entire Violet Castle on fire. As if to end the threat, the two black dragons flanking Deathwing suddenly flew close and opened their jaws.The mages had to deploy the flame shield.At that moment, red and gold lava spewed from their gaping mouths, igniting the curtains and scrolls on the patio and in the rooms behind.Cursing, Antonidas watched as the other death knights mounted the dragon's back and soared away, out of their sight.He knew that those powerful creatures could directly break through the protective barriers he set up-he had never built these barriers to protect dragons. Antonidas was filled with disappointment.He and the rest of the Kirin Tor were tasked with protecting the city and its people, but tonight he had failed.In the past, he always said that every mage should know his limit, but tonight, Antonidas finally knew his limit.He gazed at the starry sky, searching for traces of the invaders, but they had all left long ago, taking with them the Eye of Dalaran, one of the most powerful artifacts in the Mage City. I got what I wanted.That's what the death knight said. Antonidas knew.But the question is, why?