Insects, the Alliance Brings Warmth

The Alliance's advance at the entrance to the An'qiraj Ruins was steady, efficient, yet slow.

The mages' Blizzards and Flame Storms could indeed wipe out swarms of emerging insects by the hundreds, but the ruins' structure was intricate and convoluted, with countless caves and tunnels seemingly concealing an endless supply of enemies.

Whenever one area was cleared, more insects would crawl out from deeper, darker crevices to fill the void.

Varian's brow furrowed deeper and deeper. At this rate, the Alliance's mana and morale would both be dragged down by this endless war of attrition.

"Looks just as we estimated." Jaina wiped the fine sweat from her brow. The repeated spellcasting had left even her mana in turmoil. "There must be a core breeding mother or command node deep in their lair. Unless we destroy it, we'll never clear them all out."

Deren watched the seemingly endless tide of insects before him, then glanced up at the sky. After calculating the timing, he said to Jaina, "We're not in a hurry. The Horde is still fighting fiercely over there. If we finish too quickly, we'll just have to go support them. Better to wait a little longer and let them play with the insects and the Old God some more. Contact Teacher Aegwynn. She and Oni should be arriving soon, right?"

A thousand meters above Silithus, the sun still shone bright as snow, but the temperature had dropped considerably.

Aegwynn sat atop Onyxia, with the desert and mountains below spread out beneath her like the detailed illustrations of a children's storybook.

"Fly south. About a dozen miles more. We're passing over Cenarion Hold now." Aegwynn communicated with the Black Dragon through magic.

"Got it!" the Black Dragon called in a deep voice.

With a beat of her wings, she made