"Unbelievable! Orcs, who inherently glorify violence, traveled thousands of miles to Northrend and snatched a magical artifact from the Blue Dragon." Onyxia sighed helplessly, "Even the worst goblin screenwriter couldn't write a script like this."
Deren scoffed, "And the Bronze Dragon! They just stood by and watched, doing nothing. They even controlled Chromie's abilities, preventing her from observing the Timeline, afraid we'd ruin this whole thing."
Jaina asked, puzzled, "Aren't Blue Dragon and Bronze Dragon both part of the Aspect Dragons? The Blue Dragon lost its artifact and is in a hurry to find it; wouldn't it ask the Bronze Dragon for help?"
"Have you forgotten about Dalaran? Didn't the Bronze Dragon know the Undead were going to summon Archimonde? They still kept quiet. So-called Timeline maintenance," Deren said dismissively.
Jaina swallowed hard before saying with a bitter expression, "So this time, the Dragon Race are still actors in the story, cooperating with Garrosh to put on a good show. And Alexstrasza's detention of Chromie and taking away the three red Dragon Maid was an indirect warning to us?"
"Yes, she's done everything within her power, at least she has something to say if her superiors hold her accountable. Chromie came to us of her own accord, so we detained her as well. As for the three Dragon Maid, they're still our children, we can't just watch them die in Theramore. And the Bronze Dragon didn't call Chromie away, which means they've given up on her in a way," Deren analyzed. (A certain Nohorn Dragon King: I didn't! I knew my sister would detain her.)
"So what do we do now?" Aegwynn listened for a while and knew the situation was urgent.
Deren thought for a moment and said, " Jaina, you work with Onyxia to continue modifying the Dragon Egg Rapid Transport Device. It requires a large amount of Arcane Crystal to be fitted with penetrating warheads. I've already given the blueprints to Oni. You two discuss and implement it. As for Lady Aegwynn, you need to continue training Anveena's abilities, ideally finding an uninhabited underground cave for practical training. Once everything is confirmed to be in order, we'll continue exploring Orgrimmar and finally detonate the artifact."
"What kind of cave? I can help you find one," Jaina asked. After all, she had spent several years in the Theramore area and was quite familiar with the surroundings.
Deren explained, "Professor Aegwynn explored Orgrimmar last night and discovered that the Eye of the Storm might be being modified underground in Flame Ridge. However, the geological strata are an obstacle, and there are mage-type enemies guarding it, making it difficult to pinpoint. So, I thought of using Anveena's Sunwell energy to spread through the strata and utilize the reflection or resonance of magical fluctuations to allow Professor Aegwynn to accurately locate the shape of the underground cave and the position of the Eye of the Storm. Ultimately, we'll use the modified Dragon Egg Rapid Transport Device to complete the strike."
Jaina said, "There's a Wailing Caverns in the Barrens, mostly deserted at night, a deep underground labyrinth. Perhaps it could serve as a testing ground."
Then she told the teacher the coordinates of the location and warned, "There might be Horde patrols nearby during the day, but just be careful to avoid them. Nobody goes to that ghostly place at night."
"Alright, Deren, are you coming with us?" Aegwynn pointed to Anveena, who was staring at him expectantly.
Deren said, "I can't go with you this time. I still need to ask the Night Elf for some benefits. If Elune hadn't been involved behind the scenes with the Eye of the Storm, I could also ask her for some benefits. Her Night Elf have been in conflict with the Horde for a long time. Isn't she afraid that if Theramore doesn't hold out this time, it'll be her Night Elf' turn next?"
Aegwynn gave him a thumbs-up. "Kid, you never miss an opportunity to take advantage of anyone. But I like it!" Then, pulling Anveena along, he said, "Your brother's incredibly busy right now, so don't be a burden to him. Stick with me, you're practically my disciple now. Don't be afraid, your teacher will protect you!"
Anveena was extremely unwilling, but she had no choice but to follow Aegwynn's teleportation. As the two disappeared, Deren sensed that Aegwynn was secretly delighted, as if she had discovered a gem. As the Sunwell Incarnation, Anveena possessed a natural affinity for magic.
Wailing Caverns is located in a desolate the Barrens, near Horde outpost, but few people venture into this wretched place. Wailing Caverns is a failed experiment by the Druid. There aren't many people there even during the day; Aegwynn simply avoided a distant Horde patrol and didn't see anything else.
The entrance to the Wailing Caverns resembled a gaping maw, from which steam sometimes billowed, carrying a strange stench of humus mixed with some kind of herb. Anveena gripped Aegwynn's sleeve tightly, her large, terrified eyes filled with unease.
"There's something bad here," she whispered, "More terrifying than that astrolabe in Karazhan."
Aegwynn lit a magical torch and then led Anveena inside. The blue-white flames illuminated the slippery cave walls. "Perfect for testing your early warning abilities. Begin scanning."
Anveena began casting a magical wave, Aegwynn, while receiving the reflected waves, reminded her to adjust the intensity and range.
Anveena took a deep breath and, within her Arcane vision, cupped a ball of golden light in her hands. The sphere of light slowly rose, splitting into dozens of slender golden threads that stretched into the depths of the cave as if they were alive. Each golden thread left a faint trace of light in the air, outlining the three-dimensional structure of the cave.
"That's fantastic," Aegwynn said with a rare smile. "Now try sensing magical fluctuations."
The golden wire mesh trembled slightly, and some segments began to shimmer with different colors—the blue of Water Elemental, the green of natural energy, and a few eerie purplish-black spots flickering in the depths.
"There!" Anveena pointed to a fork in the road. "There's something moving where the purple is the darkest!"
Aegwynn immediately extinguished the torch and drew several isolation runes in the darkness. "Is that Nightmare Aberration?"
Anveena's gold hair suddenly trembled violently, and her eyes widened in terror. "It's found us! It's—"
A deafening roar of rocks cracking echoed from deep within the cave, followed by the sound of something viscous wriggling. The ground began to tremble slightly, and fine sand and gravel fell from the cave ceiling.
"Quickly change the frequency. I told you, once the enemy is alerted, immediately switch to the new frequency. Like your brother said, make it look like the wind is blowing and the light is shining."
"Okay, okay!" Anveena replied, gritting her teeth as she awkwardly manipulated the magical fluctuations to change the situation. A moment later, the commotion below disappeared!
"Alright, at this frequency, expand the search area. I can clearly sense the structure of the underground cave, excellent. A little deeper. Oh, I can sense a lot, evil auras, destroyers of nature. Products of nightmares. What on earth have these Druid done?" Aegwynn directed Anveena's magical fluctuations while simultaneously sensing the returning fluctuations, as if she were witnessing the situation deep underground herself.
This is my second bonus chapter, bringing my daily update to 10,000 words. Thank you all for your support! Next time, if I reach 500 monthly votes, I'll continue with 10,000 words daily. A certain author commented that this is like an otherworldly "Babylonian Operation," a very apt summary.