After departing from Theramore and flying for nearly three hours, the group arrived in Orgrimmar late at night. The city was shrouded in a dark red moonlight and slept soundly, with only a few scattered campfires flickering between the city walls and watchtowers.
The two Dragon were only about two hundred meters apart. Their enormous figures silently swept across the tall and menacing city wall. Thanks to Elune's Blessing, their scales did not reflect a single ray of light, as if they had blended into the night sky.
After circling several times, they quickly found the entrance to Flame Ridge. Nefarian and Onyxia had scouted Orgrimmar at night several days prior and were quite familiar with the city's layout. Furthermore, the entrance to Flame Ridge was heavily guarded, with Kor'kron Guards appearing and disappearing in the firelight.
Nefarian slowly descended under Aegwynn's command, his large wing membranes trembling slightly in the airflow. Aegwynn stood on his back, her long hair dancing in the wind, her eyes gleaming with Arcane light.
Beside her, Anveena clasped her hands together, the energy of the Sunwell flowing through her fingertips, and invisible magical fluctuations spread like ripples, scanning the underground structure below.
"Found it," Aegwynn whispered. In his Arcane Vision, a three-dimensional model of Flame Ridge was faintly reflected—the intricate tunnels, the massive mechanical structures, and the unstable energy source at its deepest point— the Eye of the Storm. But these were like scenes seen through a mist, existing yet unclear.
"Stop scanning," she commanded first, Anveena immediately withdrew her magic. Then Nefarian continued his silent descent until he was almost touching the tallest spire in Orgrimmar.
Higher up, Jaina and Onyxia were still circling, waiting for a signal.
The sweltering air of Flame Ridge was thick with the scent of sulfur and lava. Garrosh Hell scream stood on a high platform, his crimson eyes fixed on the busy goblin technicians and Twilight Mage below. The Eye of the Storm hovered in the central Magic Array, its surface flowing with azure energy like a restrained storm.
"How much longer?" Garrosh's voice was like rolling thunder, causing the flames of the surrounding torches to flicker.
A high-ranking Twilight Mage stood arrogantly to one side, saying coldly, " The Eye of the Storm's charging will be completed today, Great Chieftain, please rest assured!"
A goblin wearing goggles wiped the sweat from his brow and stammered, "Great- Great Chieftain, the energy guiding device still needs final calibration testing. It will take at least a few more days to complete, otherwise it may cause unforeseen accidents—"
"A few days?" Garrosh's fangs trembled with rage. He grabbed the goblin by the collar and lifted him into the air. "I'm giving you three days: all the work must be done by tomorrow! The walls of Theramore must be destroyed the day after tomorrow!"
"But... but energy stability--"
"No buts!" Garrosh tossed the goblin back to the ground, who stumbled a few steps, nearly falling into the lava pool. "I'm ordering everyone to work overtime! If it's not finished by sunset tomorrow, I'll throw you all into the lava for a bath!"
"Yes, yes, sir!" The goblin dared not object. Faced with the volatile orc Great Chieftain, he knew any explanation would be useless. If all else failed, he would have the goblin engineer and the Eye of the Storm board the airship and detonate it manually.
How can those goblin engineers escape? At most, they're considered disposable supplies. Those forced to work here are all burdened with debts of thousands or tens of thousands of gold coins, accumulating interest.
Seeing the cunning glint in the goblins' eyes, Garrosh didn't care what method they used to break the energy channeling; as long as Theramore was destroyed, he would have accomplished his mission.
After he became Great Chieftain, these Twilight Cultists contacted him and plotted to seize the Eye of the Storm. Their only request was that Theramore be destroyed first. They also hired goblin engineers at a high price to build an energy guiding device based on some existing blueprints, ensuring that the Eye of the Storm's energy was concentrated and directed to Theramore.
Garrosh's task was to provide a site modification artifact and send the Kor'kron Guard to ensure the safety of the modification process.
Although Garrosh believed in brute force, he was well aware of the Twilight Cultists's strange behavior. While he didn't know why they hated Theramore so much, he was willing to cooperate with these cultists as long as it could harm the Alliance and pull the orcs back from the brink of corruption to a traditional life.
He turned and headed towards the exit, his heavy armor scraping against the Stone Tablet with a harsh sound.
As he reached the doorway, he suddenly stopped, turning back to look at the Eye of the Storm, a savage glint of pleasure in his eyes. "If I could, those long-eared creatures in Ashenvale would be more of a nuisance; I'd rather deal with them first... But it doesn't matter, after Theramore, it'll be their turn."
Nefarian's wings skimmed almost the hills of Valley of Wisdom as Aegwynn placed her hand on Anveena's shoulder and whispered, "Scan with full power, hold nothing back."
Anveena took a deep breath, the energy of the Sunwell surging within her. In her Arcane Vision, golden light burst forth from her body, like a miniature sun. The structure of Flame Ridge quickly became clear to Aegwynn —layers of rock, passages, magical barriers, and at its deepest point, the raging Arcane Energy: the Eye of the Storm.
However, just five seconds into her scan, several magical lights suddenly illuminated the night sky Orgrimmar. Elune's Blessing receded like a tide, and the silhouette of Black Dragon appeared and disappeared in the moonlight.
"We've been discovered!" Anveena exclaimed.
Aegwynn remained unfazed, his fingers tracing complex runes in the air as he continued to lock onto the Eye of the Storm's location. "Stay calm, keep scanning. Ignore the bugs below."
The Kor'kron Guard on the ground were in complete chaos, with some pointing to the sky and shouting, "There's something up there!"
The outer Shaman raised their totems, attempting to strike down the rapidly flying enemy with lightning.
At the ninth second, Aegwynn abruptly stopped. "Enough!" Nefarian immediately flapped his wings and ascended, dragging the heavy bomb, slowly disappearing into the night sky. As long as he wasn't exposed to the firelight, Elune's Blessing would return.
Garrosh had just stepped out of the forge when he heard an alarm. A scout came running. " Great Chieftain! Intruders spotted from the air! Soldiers are searching!"
Garrosh squinted, gazing at the dark night sky. "Strengthen vigilance, but don't panic. They're at most scouts— Gryphon or other flying creatures. Have the Troll increase aerial surveillance; if any unidentified flying creatures are spotted, shoot them down immediately. You absolutely must not leave your posts; be careful not to fall into the enemy's trap and ruin my plans."
After saying this, Garrosh realized that the matter of the Eye of the Storm could no longer be kept secret, but it didn't matter. After tomorrow, the whole world would know the power of the Horde! With that, he slowly walked away with his guards.
Second update