Vaelastrasz the Red Dragon

"Chieftain, that red dragon has a terrible temper. The brothers can't handle him at all—he breathes fire the moment anyone gets close, and there's no way to communicate with him. I've let you down, Chieftain." Malkorok, Rend's most trusted and capable subordinate, had been assigned to assist the young red dragon Vaelastrasz. Unexpectedly, this was where a problem had arisen.

A riot alone was not enough to ensure that Rend could lead his men safely out of Blackrock Mountain. He had to prevent the Black Dragonflight and Nefarian from pursuing them. He had already devised a way to tie down the Black Dragonflight, but Nefarian and the adult black dragons under his command were a force Rend could not ignore. Adult black dragons would certainly fly faster than they could run, not to mention the women and children. While Nefarian could not wipe out the fleeing hundreds of thousands of Blackrock clan members, forest trolls, and ogres, he could inflict immense casualties. It was no exaggeration to say that Nefarian could slaughter half the Blackrock clan on the journey from the Burning Steppes to the Wetlands. That was not what Rend wanted. The only ones who could stop Nefarian were Ragnaros below and the young red dragon Vaelastrasz, who could at least hold him back for a while.

The dragon eggs and supplies could be abandoned, but Nefarian had to be stopped. At the very least, he could not be allowed to hunt down the Blackrock clan without restraint.

"It's all right, Malkorok. This was my oversight. I forgot how hostile red dragons are toward us. Even under control, he still wants to attack us. Leave it to me." Rend comforted Malkorok. Some things had to be handled personally. His subordinates were excellent fighters, but they were useless at anything else. Delicate work like this required someone more professional.

After sending away the dragonkin guards, Rend was finally able to face the controlled young red dragon Vaelastrasz alone.

"Get lost, you filthy orc!" The young red dragon sprang to his feet the moment he saw Rend approach and spewed a blast of dragonfire at him. He was clearly deeply hostile toward orcs.

Having prepared beforehand, Rend easily dodged the young red dragon's breath. In his weakened state, the young red dragon was not enough to kill him without Nefarian's control.

"Calm down, Vaelastrasz. I'm not your enemy. I'm here to help you." Rend tried to persuade the young red dragon to calm down, but the hotheaded fool who had chased after Nefarian did not listen at all. He continued trying to swat Rend to death with his claws.

"Are you an idiot? I'm here to work with you. Can't you at least hear me out first?" A sweeping tail strike cut Rend off.

"Damned orc! I won't be deceived by you. You dared enslave the great Red Dragon Queen Alexstrasza. Every last one of you deserves to die!" The enraged young red dragon had clearly not heard a single word Rend said.

And so, one attacked while the other dodged, until the young red dragon ran out of strength from being controlled.

"You hotheaded fool, you deserved to get captured by Nefarian." Rend was panting hard from all the dodging. Furious, he began cursing the young red dragon. Though the young red dragon lacked stamina, a dragon's physique and a red dragon's recovery abilities still left Rend, who could only dodge and not fight back, somewhat exhausted.

"Damned orc, just you wait. One day, I'll avenge the Red Dragon Queen." The young red dragon lay on the floor, too exhausted to move, yet he still did not forget to make threats.

"All right, all right. Rest for now and listen to me. Yes, we imprisoned the Red Dragon Queen. I apologize to you for that first. I know an apology alone is useless. We owe her far too much. But you have to give us a chance to make amends. This is my chance. The Black Dragonflight is your mortal enemy, and they have also imprisoned my clan. I'll help you escape, and we'll resist Nefarian together. I'll return every red dragon egg and red dragon hatchling he has to the Red Dragonflight to make up for our mistakes." Red dragons had originally only been a means to an end, but it seemed that to win over the young red dragon and undo the Red Dragonflight's hostility, he would have to place red dragons at the heart of his plans as well. Although the Red Dragon Queen would not take out her anger on the Horde, he still had to win them over. The red dragons had originally been the largest flight. In the future, the Black Dragonflight would nearly be destroyed, the blue dragons would be reduced to barely a handful, the Green Dragon Queen Ysera would die, the bronze and infinite dragons would endlessly weaken each other through infighting, and Nozdormu would eventually fall and become Murozond. The Red Dragonflight was the most intact flight, and Alexstrasza was the only original Dragon Aspect currently known to still be alive.

"Cunning orc, don't even think about deceiving a noble red dragon warrior." The young red dragon studied Rend's face and could tell from his single eye that he did not seem to be lying.

"Even if you truly intend to overthrow Nefarian, how can you help me? Nefarian's magic is not something a stupid orc like you can break. And even if you do break it, I couldn't defeat Nefarian even at my peak, let alone now, when I've been imprisoned by him and haven't recovered my strength." What the young red dragon said was true. Though both were second-generation dragons, Nefarian was far too powerful. Only the five Dragon Aspects surpassed him. He was among the strongest beneath the Dragon Aspects.

"What if he's seriously wounded, Vaelastrasz? Are you confident you can stop him?" Rend had never even considered killing Nefarian. The gap in their strength was simply too great. Nefarian was not Kairoz. Even Rend Blackhand, a puppet Nefarian trusted completely, could not kill that powerful black dragon prince in a single strike. Even a gravely wounded Nefarian was not someone the young red dragon Vaelastrasz could rival. The gap was too great. Vaelastrasz might be able to make Nefarian look somewhat disheveled, but he had absolutely no chance of killing Nefarian in dragon form.

"Seriously wounded? If his injuries are severe enough and I'm given enough time to recover, I could even kill Nefarian. I think I can work with you, ugly orc. You have a little cleverness after all." The young red dragon was brimming with confidence. Red dragons possessed the strongest recovery abilities. Given only a few days, he could return to his peak. He could chase the wounded Nefarian until he had fully recovered, then fight him claw to claw, trading injuries and relying on his recovery and condition to kill that great enemy and avenge both himself and the Red Dragonflight.

The agreement was made. Rend returned in satisfaction to make preparations. Several key parts of the plan had already fallen into place. Nefarian, prepare for the surprise I have in store for you. This is your reward for treating us as servants. Hellscream once said, "Orcs will never be slaves!" You may provide food and shelter, but my ambitions lie among the stars and the sea. You and that father of yours who is destined to be killed are not worth the enormous risk of my loyalty. The Horde is my home. Whether it was in the past, when I was a die-hard Horde player, or now, when I occupied Rend Blackhand's body, I was destined to belong to the Horde. Nefarian, this is only the beginning. In the future, the Horde will face enemies on your father's level. Since I am here, I will make up for those regrets and make the Horde I love stronger. For the Horde! Lok'tar ogar!