"What's this?" Ragnaros crouched down and examined it closely, his brow deeply furrowed. "Cow hoofprints? They're very fresh, from within the last day or two. My brother is a Tauren?"
An incredulous expression appeared on his face. His mouth fell wide open as he stared at the hoofprints, utterly shaken.
Deren understood at once. Even when Ebyssian moved about in Tauren form, he was still a dragon at heart. The tracks he left behind would naturally be extraordinary. This "brother" of his had indeed already arrived.
"Pick up the pace!" Ragnaros rose to his feet, his expression turning even gloomier. "We have to find the old man's laboratory before these mysterious visitors do! We absolutely cannot let them get there first!"
"Yes!" The few remaining Ravenholdt assassins answered in unison, their bearing becoming even more vigilant.
Ragnaros resumed his journey to find his brother.
Deren could only helplessly quicken his pace. Now was definitely not the time to turn hostile or flee. He could only take things one step at a time and wait for a better opportunity.
This newly awakened island likely harbored more "uninvited guests" than they had expected.
Everyone in the group was highly capable, and even on the rugged, slippery mountain paths, they maintained a considerable pace.
However, after they struggled over a particularly dense ridge, the strange cow hoofprints Ragnaros had been tracking suddenly vanished before a relatively open clearing littered with gravel and broken vegetation.
"Something's wrong." Ragnaros raised a hand, signaling everyone to stop, his sharp gaze sweeping the surroundings.
Several enormous ferns in the clearing had been severed at the waist or scorched black. Fresh cracks and flaking marks, as if caused by tremendous impacts, covered the exposed rocks.
Aside from the fresh scent of plants, the air still carried an extremely