Rhonin took a few steps forward, sizing up the Orcs Death Knight before him. This ferocious monster had scarlet eyes, a pair of sharp fangs, and was panting heavily.
This reminded Rhonin of the night two years ago when he faced Teron Gorefiend, and that's when the tragedy began.
The Death Knight is far weaker than Teron Gorefiend; if Rhonin were to deal with him, he would prefer to use Fireball.
Holy Word is of little practical use against low-level Undead due to its low success rate.
However, Rhonin guessed what Nekros wanted: the Holy Word that could kill Teron Gorefiend.
The mages of Dalaran were stubborn, believing that the Holy Word had no value for study.
Rhonin is different; he has an active mind and has been thinking about how to improve the success rate of Holy Word for the past two years.
Unfortunately, Rhonin's attempt to improve the Holy Word failed, so he tried a different approach and succeeded.
Rhonin chanted incantations, slower than a normal Holy Word spell, and then a ray of light fell upon the Death Knight.
In that brief instant, Rhonin repeated the Holy Word a hundred times, nearly draining his mana.
Since the success rate is low, we'll win by sheer numbers.
One hundred Holy Word simultaneously struck the Death Knight, instantly igniting him. Milky white Flames roared, scorching the rotting flesh from the inside out.
The Death Knight knelt on the ground in agony, letting out a horrifying scream. In his desperate plea for release, he knelt and kowtowed to Rhonin, begging for mercy.
Rhonin remained unmoved, his face expressionless.
Of course, he didn't know how to speed up this process.
After struggling for a full quarter of an hour, the Death Knight was reduced to a few white ashes. The Orcs around him looked at Rhonin differently, as if he were facing a Demons.
Nekros rushed forward to examine it, exclaiming in surprise, "This is the Holy Word?"
Rhonin nodded, and to avoid suspicion, immediately added, "Holy Word only work on Undead creatures; they are completely useless against living beings."
Nekros is a Warlock who also knows some Shaman techniques, but unfortunately he cannot learn Holy Word.
"You have proven your worth. From this day forward, you are my most honored guest."
Nekros waved his hand, and the Orcs all knelt down to pay their respects to Rhonin. One of the Orcs brought over a chair for Rhonin to sit down, which was only slightly lower than Nekros's seat.
Rhonin sat down next to Nekros without ceremony, and the latter grinned with satisfaction.
"So what do you want? I'll grant you anything except freedom."
Rhonin pointed to Vereesa's bow and arrows beside him. "How is its owner?"
Nekros looked at Rhonin meaningfully. "You mean that Elf? The knights of the Silver Hand abandoned her, and we plan to use her to train the Whelps. If you like her, she's yours. If it were me, I would choose a strong and voluptuous female Orcs. Don't you want to think this over carefully?"
"I want her!" Rhonin insisted.
At Nekros's command, two Orcs brought Vereesa forward; aside from being somewhat weak, she did not seem to be suffering.
Vereesa looked at Rhonin in surprise. Who would have thought that the situation would reverse, and Rhonin would become an Orcs guest of the orcs?
"Or perhaps Rhonin was originally a spy for the Dragonmaw Clan." At this thought, Vereesa's expression darkened.
Nekros pointed at Vereesa: "From today onwards, she is your slave, servant, property, your woman. Treat her however you like, and if necessary, she can be your food."
Rhonin sensed Vereesa's anger and, in order to clear up the misunderstanding, said neither humbly nor arrogantly:
"Thank you very much, Lord Nekros. As a prisoner, I wonder how I can help you?"
Upon hearing the word "prisoner," Vereesa's attitude clearly changed, Nekros's gaze fell upon his wooden prosthetic leg.
"As long as you're willing to cooperate, you'll always be my valued guest. I'll have you do some things within my ability. Please come with me."
Nekros stood up, clutching the Demon Soul tightly, and walked deeper into the cave. Although he was lame, he was extremely stubborn and refused to be helped.
The Dragonmaw Clan devoted a great deal of effort to developing a complex cave system.
The first thing they saw were rows of prison cells, the prisoners listless. Unfortunately, Duncan Senturus was in one of the cells. Seeing Rhonin and Vereesa pass by, he quickly grabbed the bars and cried out, "Save me! Don't let me die here! Help me!"
Rhonin was too busy taking care of himself to help him, so he pretended not to see it.
Nekros turned to look at Rhonin: "Your friend?"
Rhonin's heart skipped a beat. It would certainly be good to have something on Nekros's hands, so he nodded.
"He is my head guard, and we have a very good relationship, like brothers."
Nekros smiled broadly, "As long as you cooperate, I guarantee he'll be fine."
The further in he went, the stronger the Flame aura in the air became. This was magical element that had been condensed, purified, and branded, which Rhonin could not use.
Rhonin's heart pounded; such powerful Flames could only belong to a dragon.
Alexstrasza, the Red Dragon Queen.
Rhonin was secretly delighted at the opportunity to meet the Red Dragon Queen. If he could rescue the Queen, his mission would be over, and he could return to Dalaran, achieve fame and fortune, and reach the pinnacle of life.
It was said that the Red Dragon Woman feared the Demon Soul the most, Rhonin secretly stared at the golden disc in Nekros's hand.
With Vereesa's help, taking it wouldn't be difficult.
Rhonin was worried that the item might be branded, making it usable only by Nekros. Before figuring out the situation, Rhonin decided to wait and see.
The temperature inside the cave was rising higher and higher, Nekros stopped in front of a barrier of Flames.
"From this moment forward, you must stay close to me and never stray from the light of the Demon Soul, or you will be instantly reduced to ashes."
The Demon Soul worked its magic; Nekros held it high above his head, and golden light enveloped an area. Rhonin and Vereesa quickly moved closer and felt much cooler.
Holding the Demon Soul aloft, Nekros led the way through the barrier of Flames.
The caves inside were even more complex, and Rhonin saw many Dragon Eggs scattered haphazardly throughout them.
Everywhere you look, there is a blinding red flame, the pure Fire Elementals so concentrated it's almost overwhelming.
Rhonin had long heard that Dragon Eggs could only hatch under specific conditions, and the thought of soon meeting the Red Dragon Queen made his heart leap into his throat.
Suddenly, the view opened up before them, and they reached the largest cave at the bottom of the mountain. Rhonin heard the sound of numerous wings flapping.
In the crimson flames, a massive dragon shape could be vaguely seen, and Rhonin guessed it must be the Red Dragon Queen.
Upon closer inspection, however, it turned out to be nothing more than a tall, dragon-shaped palace constructed entirely of red Magic Crystals, clearly the work of Orcs, and crudely made.
On a large, round crystal bed lay a graceful and elegant woman, dressed in a bright red bodysuit, with two dragon horns peeking out from her thick red hair.
Around them, many Red Whelp were taking their first steps, but dared not approach the large bed.
The Red Dragon Queen in human form.
Rhonin guessed that there must be some kind of restriction on this palace, which caused the Red Dragon Queen to lose her freedom.
Something unexpected happened. Nekros, holding the Demon Soul aloft, knelt on the ground and respectfully said:
"Your Majesty, my mistress, I have fulfilled my mission; I have brought Rhonin."