The eastern sky was just beginning to lighten, and the beaches outside Theramore were shrouded in a damp mist.
Six figures silently landed on the soft sand, the scales of the Black Dragon siblings gleaming with a dull luster in the morning light. Onyxia stretched her long neck, her bones making a slight cracking sound, and her dragon form quickly contracted, transforming into human form. She tossed her long, black hair, and a few grains of sand fell from her hair.
"Finally back." Nefarian yawned and stretched his shoulders. "These orcs' air defenses are practically nonexistent."
"Tch, who was scared out of their wits by the orcs' magic last time?" His sister mercilessly exposed his embarrassing moment.
"That's because I had a mission last time and had to avoid it," the chuunibyou dragon argued. He was met with a murderous glare from Aegwynn and then obediently shut his mouth.
The former Guardian's gaze swept over the group. "Well done. This is the most interesting operation I can remember. No brute force, no direct assault. Efficient, direct, and covert. I like this style."
Praised by their teacher, Jaina and Anveena lowered their heads in embarrassment. Only Nefarian, in his human form, stood tall and proud, looking like he was about to receive praise. Then his sister slapped him on the back of the head, and he obediently lowered his head.
Deren patted the dew that had condensed on his leather armor and whispered, "Teleport back directly, without alerting the city defenses. I'm afraid there are orc spies inside the city." His voice was a little hoarse; the tense operations of the past few days had left the commander looking tired.
Jaina's sun-like golden hair fluttered gently in the morning breeze. She reached out to straighten her wind-blown robes, her azure eyes flashing with complex emotions. Aegwynn, already impatient, stamped her foot, her grey robes covered in the dust of the night. With a wave of her hand, a flash of dark blue Arcane Light appeared, and the six of them instantly appeared in the living room of the Deren Manor.
The warm fire dispelled the chill of dawn, and the flickering flames cast everyone's shadows on the oak floor. Jaina poked her head out of the kitchen, carrying a steaming frying pan.
"Just in time for breakfast," she said with a smile, her gaze sweeping over everyone's faces as if to make sure they were all alright. When she saw Anveena's tired yet excited expression, she visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
Aegwynn grabbed Nefarian's sleeve. "Come on, let's go back to the Mage Tower. Let's examine the process of this magical attack together." Her tone left no room for argument, and the hem of her grey robe drew a sharp arc as she turned. She knew that the Deren family had too many secrets, and it wasn't appropriate for her, a foolish disciple of the Black Dragon, to get involved.
Nefarian pouted, "Can't you have breakfast first? Dragons get hungry too." The immature dragon, oblivious to the teacher's meaning, was still craving the delicious food at his sister's house.
"I'll buy you some barbecue later." Aegwynn didn't look back and dragged the Black Dragon away via teleportation.
Jaina suddenly grabbed Onyxia's wrist, and the two walked to the French windows in the corner and spoke in hushed tones. Deren noticed that Jaina's fingertips were trembling slightly, while the Black Dragon's expression changed from surprise and anger to a knowing smile.
Finally Onyxia patted Jaina on the shoulder and said something that made the mage's ears turn a faint pink.
Before leaving, Anveena gazed longingly at Deren, like a little animal awaiting praise. Deren ruffled her soft blonde hair and said gently, "Well done, Anveena. I'm so proud of you! Without your precise positioning, this operation wouldn't have succeeded."
The girl's face flushed instantly, but her eyes shone brightly. After finishing breakfast, she happily returned to her room to rest.
Deren soon went back to catch up on his sleep. He slept soundly for a long time. When he finally struggled to open his eyes, the afternoon sun was already casting golden spots of light on the floor through the gaps in the curtains. He stretched, his bones making a pleasant cracking sound.
Faint laughter and conversation drifted from outside the bedroom door, interspersed with Onyxia's distinctive low chuckle and... the voices of the Windrunner Sisters?
He hastily threw on a shirt, slipped on his slippers, and pushed open the door. The sight in the living room instantly snapped him out of his daze— Sylvanas Windrunner was elegantly leaning against the sofa armrest, her sharp gaze sweeping over him like a knife;
Vereesa sat in a rocking chair by the window, toying with a feathered arrow in her hand. Onyxia leaned lazily against the fireplace, her black leather armor gleaming with a dark red luster in the firelight.
"Sleeping Beauty has finally woken up." Sylvanas curled her lips into a smirk, her voice laced with her usual sarcasm. "We almost thought you were going to sleep until the next dawn."
Deren scratched his messy hair, walked to the coffee table, and poured himself a glass of water. "Do you Windrunner never knock on the door?"
Vereesa chuckled. "We knocked, but your Black Dragon let us in." She winked mischievously. "She said you 'overexerted yourself' last night."
Deren nearly choked on the water, while Onyxia let out a pleasant chuckle. Sylvanas impatiently tapped the table. "Get to the point. How's the situation over there?" She knew some of the inside story of Deren's scheme.
Deren sat down on the armchair and rubbed his temples. "They won't have time to worry about us for the time being. Based on the last observed energy fluctuations, at least a third of the city has been destroyed, and the central area is completely gone. Reconstruction will take time, not to mention they lost that artifact, and there's the even more devastating loss of manpower."
"Where is Garrosh?" Sylvanas pressed, her fingers unconsciously tracing the bowstring.
"He should still be alive," Onyxia continued, a dangerous smile playing on her lips. "After all, villains live a thousand years. It's a pity I didn't get to see his expression. But now there's a huge mess for him to clean up, which is enough of a headache. On one hand, he has to be wary of others using his head as a scapegoat. On the other hand, he has to deal with this chaotic situation."
Vereesa whistled. "That's going to be amazing."
Sylvanas didn't laugh; her sharp gaze swept back and forth between Deren and Onyxia: "Don't relax too much. Orcs never give up easily, especially Garrosh. This blow will only drive him even crazier."
"Of course." Deren nodded, his expression turning serious. "But this at least buys us some breathing room. Theramore's defenses need reinforcement, and..."
His words were interrupted by Onyxia's sudden movement. The Black Dragon silently walked behind him, placed her long fingers on his shoulder, and leaned down to whisper in his ear, "There's a reward tonight, look forward to it." Her warm breath brushed against his ear, and Deren's ears instantly burned.
Sylvanas raised an eyebrow, while Vereesa feigned a cough to hide her amusement. Deren cleared his throat, forcefully steer the conversation back to the main topic. "And we can be more proactive, instigating internal strife among the orcs."
"I love it when they fight like dogs. We don't have to fire a single arrow, and the enemy's blood is spilled everywhere," Sylvanas laughed.
" Deren's so naughty!" Vereesa chuckled softly, then suddenly seemed to recall some inappropriate scene, her ears turning a bright pink as she lowered her head and said, "But I love it!"
Deren:...
This is my first bonus chapter today! We've reached 500 monthly votes, I'm so happy! There will be another bonus chapter later.