As far as the eye could see, there was only a vast expanse of white ice, stretching as far as the eye could see. The temperature on the ice field was very low, the ice layer was of unknown thickness, there was not a breath of wind, and the sky was as clear as crystal, without a single cloud in sight.
Kalecgos transformed into his Blue Dragonflight form, his four claws treading on the ice and snow, feeling only an endless chill.
"Damn it, where am I?"
Kalecgos somewhat bewildered; he was too weak and knew little about magic.
He remembered that he had just been in the Blasted Lands, flying above Nethergarde Keep, and then suddenly he found himself in this hellish place, which was beyond his comprehension.
Khadgar, standing to the side, remained silent. He tightened his robes. Even the world's top Archmage was still human, and in this strange place, he needed to conserve his mana.
"I'm so cold."
Kalecgos rambled on and on, then suddenly remembered that he was a dragon. He flapped his wings and flew into the sky, looking around, but all he could see was a vast expanse of white ice.
Kalecgos, exasperated, returned to the ice and saw Khadgar writing something on the snow with his staff.
"I don't want to die here. I want to go home. I still have great ambitions to fulfill." A strange sense of loneliness welled up in Kalecgos's heart, and tears streamed down his face.
Kalecgos annoyed Khadgar, who said impatiently, "Stop crying. What's the use of crying? If you keep crying, I'll roast you into a whole dragon."
Kalecgos was too frightened to speak, and carefully hid to the side, secretly observing Khadgar.
He dared not ambush the Archmage, even though he had successfully ambushed Jaina, since Thrall and Agna had drawn Jaina's attention. With this past incident, Khadgar would certainly be wary of him.
Khadgar continued to calculate something on the ice and snow, his brow growing increasingly somber.
After a long Anjing, Kalecgos suddenly felt a pang of hunger in his stomach; in this wretched place, he needed to expend even more energy.
"I'm so hungry, I crave roasted Tauren. I could eat three of those in one sitting."
Kalecgos muttered to himself, noticing Khadgar had stopped calculating and was standing there in a daze. Curious, he asked:
Khadgar, what are you thinking?
"I'm hesitating whether to leave you here to die," Khadgar said rudely.
Kalecgos paused for a moment after hearing this, then exclaimed with delight:
"So you have a way to leave? Please don't leave me alone, I beg you."
Khadgar, staff in hand, drew a circle in the snow, marked it with symbols Kalecgos couldn't understand, and explained:
"Due to the influence of the Dark Portal, the space in the vicinity is extremely thin, and Spatial Rifts appear from time to time, making it a natural trap. Kel'Thuzad is very cunning; he used the magic recorded in the Book of Medivh to suck us into Parallel Worlds of Azeroth. We were lucky; the environment in this world is relatively safe and not fatal."
"Parallel Worlds?" Kalecgos had heard the term before, but couldn't understand it. He looked around and asked curiously, "Is this also Azeroth?"
Khadgar nodded. "This is Azeroth in a parallel universe. There are no Old Gods, no Burning Legion. There was probably life here once, but I don't know why it turned out this way. Fortunately, this trap only targets the Iron Horde, so it's no problem for a high-ranking Archmage like me. I've already found the coordinates to get back."
"Then what are we waiting for? I don't want to stay in this awful place for another second."
Kalecgos, remembering Khadgar's threat, felt uneasy and immediately put on a fawning expression, his dragon tail wagging incessantly like a docile watchdog, pleading:
"Great Khadgar, you are the Savior of Azeroth, please do not abandon me. I, Kalecgos, am willing to become your mount, and we can sign a covenant. Believe me, it is an honor for the Aspect of the Blue to be your mount."
"Mount?"
Khadgar sneered. Having a mount like Kalec, who was practically useless in combat, was simply embarrassing and had nothing to be proud of.
"I only care about one thing, Kalecgos: why did you betray your own people?"
Kalecgos hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself. In this cold, lonely, and unfamiliar world, only Khadgar was with him. Kalecgos hesitated for a long time, recalling the past, and a look of pain appeared on his face.
"Khadgar, I'm not like you. You were a genius from a young age, an outstanding individual among humans, the envy and jealousy of countless people. And me? I'm just a piece of trash."
Kalecgos took a deep breath and said resentfully, "From the moment I was born, I was weaker than other dragons my age. My scales were not strong enough, I could not feel the power of magic, and they all mocked me for being a lizard."
"That's right, I'm just a lizard mixed in with the Blue Dragonflight. We Blue Dragonflight like to build our nests at the nodes of the Ley Line to attract a bunch of worshippers, such as Kobolds, Magnataur, and so on. We just need to accept offerings every day, we have no worries about food and drink, and we sleep on piles of treasure without having to move."
I could only build my nest on the cliff, far away from those fierce birds of prey, and I had to hunt for food myself every day. Those beasts and birds of prey that my people could easily defeat were deadly to me. Every day I told myself that I had to survive.
"No one in my tribe has ever cared about me. They've all been gambling on when I'll die. They've mocked me, insulted me, and never treated me like one of their own. Why should I treat them like one of my own?"
"Dragonkin blood is cold, devoid of any warmth. I am not the only weakling; there are many Lizard Dragons like me, all already dead. If I hadn't met Medivh, I would have followed in their footsteps sooner or later. For a weakling like me, betraying my people is the only way to survive, the only hope for survival."
Khadgar looked at Kalecgos seriously, understanding the helplessness that came with such weakness. "There's nothing wrong with survival, you've successfully convinced me, Kalecgos, but you still need to pay the price."
The man and the dragon made some deals in private. Kalecgos listened attentively and nodded reluctantly.
Satisfied, Khadgar opened a Portal and left the frozen wasteland with Kalecgos.
Orgrimmar.
Cairne Bloodhoof realized that the Blood-red Threadworms within his body were weakening, and his own strength was slowly declining.
He could not sit idly by and wait for his death. He had to eliminate the Orcs, his mortal enemies, no matter what. If he failed, the Orcs' terrifying revenge would come, and the Tauren of Azeroth would surely be wiped out.
With his escape route cut off, the Tauren Chieftain, driven to madness, is terrifying.
He used all the Tauren's savings, plus the Goblin treasure seized from Ratchet, to buy more Water Elemental Scrolls from Dalaran, and even invited dozens of mages.
With the combined efforts of numerous Water Elementals and dozens of mages, the Heavenly Pool hanging above Orgrimmar quickly filled with water.
This was being done in secret, and Vol'jin was still completely unaware of it.
Orgrimmar is the Horde's capital city; Vol'jin would never give up unless they were in the most desperate situation.
It was a quiet night. After a day of fierce fighting, almost all the soldiers in Orgrimmar were fast asleep.
The Tauren's attacks were fierce during the day, Vol'jin judged that the Tauren had also lost their strength, so he peacefully went to Sleep.
A deafening roar shook the heavens and earth, and countless floods poured down from the sky.