Several deep holes had been gouged into the surrounding icebergs. The ice around their mouths was smooth, clearly pierced in an instant by supernatural power.
Bruce used a Raising Spell to descend into the pits and found nothing unusual inside. They had dug these tunnels solely to mine ore and stone.
Bruce found a few fragments of ore deep inside the pits, answering his teammates' questions.
Outside the deep mine shafts, Abney cleared a large patch of snow.
Sure enough, clear wheel tracks marked the thick ice beneath it.
"So there really are living creatures building things deep inside the glacier?" Martin asked incredulously.
Creatures were actually working together in this godforsaken place. Didn't they need to eat?
The iron ore bore distinct cutting marks, proving that the creatures mining it had sharp tools. At the very least, their intelligence rivaled that of Azeroth's sentient races.
But intelligent creatures needed food too. Wasn't that a contradiction?
Bruce said nothing. By now, it was beyond doubt that an enormous race lay hidden deep within Icecrown Glacier.
After marking the mines as a temporary checkpoint, Eileen's mage squad continued onward.
At noon, the squad reached the foot of a towering mountain range. According to their makeshift map, reaching these mountains meant they had officially entered Icecrown Glacier.
During their rest, Bruce sought out Eileen.
It was the first time Bruce had approached Eileen for a conversation in three days.
Ever since Bruce had confessed his feelings to Eileen, the warmth between them had faded considerably.
Eileen still wore her usual gentle smile. Bruce had no intention of trying to salvage what had happened a few days earlier. He went straight to the point, taking an iron pickaxe that radiated a cold aura from his pack.
"This is...?" Eileen sensed the pickaxe's unusual