Predicament

As the talks drew to a close, Terenas took over the chairmanship. Greymane, Sorath, and Proudmoore departed satisfied, while Prysto and Terenas leaned against the window, overlooking the entire city. The old King had always enjoyed this view, for from it he could see the peaceful and happy lives of his people. Even now, even during this meeting, the topics he raised concerned how to improve the people's quality of life. It was the people's loyalty that sustained his weary spirit, and he believed they would understand the decision he was about to make.

"I don't know how you did it," the old King asked his young companion in a low voice. "You eased the tension between them, making them willing to sit down and discuss the issues, and they got along well with each other! Genn and Sorath are no longer so aggressive."

"Thank you very much for your praise, but I was just doing what I could to ease their emotions."

Terenas shook his head. "You stopped the Alliance from falling apart with just your words! What did you say to them?" The King's face showed doubt and curiosity.

A dark look flashed across the young nobleman's face. He approached the old King, staring into Terenas's eyes, and said, "It's just satisfying their appetites. Promising the Admiral to continue to have naval dominance, even if that means he can send troops to control Gilneas; giving Greymane the lands on the coast of Alterac; and Sorath Thoradin getting the lands in eastern Alterac."

For a moment, Terenas was so astonished he couldn't utter a word. Only when he came to his senses did he blurt out, "Why? How could you..."

"You won't remember any details of this." Prysto leaned forward, his gaze fixed on the old King's eyes. Just then, Terenas's gaze slowly became dull and lifeless.

"No one will remember what I actually said. All you need to remember is that I will become the King of Alterac! Do you understand?"

Terenas stood still without answering, as if he hadn't heard Prysto utter these treasonous words.

The young lord gave a cold laugh; he knew Terenas understood. The meeting was over, and the astute decision had been announced. Although the enchanted spell would require several days to convince the King of the decision.

But something still stirred the old King's memories, and he mumbled, "No, Dalaran and the Kirin Tor haven't expressed their opinions yet..." He struggled to articulate his thoughts. "They are also part of the Alliance..."

"No one wants to trust a mage," Prysto reminded the old King. "Who knows their intentions? Mages are not trustworthy and must be eliminated."

"Eliminate... You're right, that's exactly what it is."

Prysto's smile widened, revealing even more teeth. "I'm never wrong."

On the other side

"I see, but I'm afraid your sister won't agree." Nathanos and Sylvanas were still chatting. The approaching twilight didn't stop their conversation. However, he hadn't forgotten the time; he would be staying at Banil's house with Arthas today.

"Don't get her consent, and don't even let her know," Sylvanas told Nathanos gently, emphasizing that the matter had to be kept secret.

The human nodded in agreement. "It sounds easy; I can accept this task. However, I still don't believe you came here just to tell me this. What other purpose do you have?"

"You are as perceptive as ever, Nathanos." The Female Elf stood up and looked up at the full moon in the sky. "I left Quel'Thalas to find my brother, Lirath."

"I see. If Alleria weren't the Ranger-General, she probably would have come with you."

Hearing this, Sylvanas smiled and said rather smugly, "She did want to come, and she really wanted to see you, but I stopped her. The reason is that she must always remember her identity and responsibilities!"

"Hmm?" Nathanos looked at her with displeasure, feeling somewhat annoyed.

"What? Are you angry?" Sylvanas moved behind Nathanos, leaned down, and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind, whispering in his ear, "You only slept with her, Nathanos. That won't change my attitude towards you." The Female Elf slyly ran her hand across Nathanos's face, teasing the human with relish. "Besides, you're not even her husband yet."

"Alright!" Nathanos stood up and broke free from her grasp. The calmness on his face disappointed Sylvanas. She wanted to see Nathanos angry, and then see him unable to vent his anger on her. "I should go back. Prince Arthas needs me."

He hadn't taken more than a few steps when Sylvanas said to him again, "Are you in such a hurry to leave?"

"Is there anything else?" He turned to look at the Female Elf. In the moonlight, Nathanos could hardly tell whether it was Alleria or Sylvanas before him. Her pale blue eyes twinkled with starlight, shining into a human's eyes.

"Are we... friends?"

"What?" This question left Nathanos somewhat bewildered. Why would she ask such a question? But what was the answer? They were supposed to be friends, but Sylvanas always treated him like a toy, leaving him utterly helpless.

Nathanos hesitated for several seconds before reacting, and then answered haltingly, "Of course... that's right, it always has been... hasn't it?"

"Then stay with me a little longer?" Sylvanas followed up. Her tone was no longer as intimidating as before; it sounded more like a casual request. Nathanos wanted to refuse her, because Arthas might need him, but how could he bring himself to say it? And to his utter astonishment, he seemed to be bewitched, blurting out, "Okay."

Was this some kind of magic? Nathanos felt his body was out of his control, and he had absurdly agreed to Sylvanas's request. He was about to correct himself, or say something, when the Female Elf smiled at him. In that instant, her sweet smile erased his thoughts; all his worries and trivial matters could no longer sway his decision. He thought of nothing more and, as before, sat back down beside her, only now the moon was high in the sky.

Under the same moon, after Rhonin patted Nathanos on the shoulder, reminding him to rest, he pulled himself out of his thoughts, silently wishing Windrunner would find his missing family soon. At that moment, the mage and he had already quietly left Senturus's camp, but Rhonin had praised Nathanos's actions repeatedly along the way. To leave the Paladin's camp, Nathanos had knocked out all the guards who might stand in their way. Let those Paladin see how incompetent they were! Nathanos had done it. Rhonin believed that Senturus still hadn't realized they were gone.

"Nathanos, are we really sure we can leave Vareesa behind?"

"If we don't hurry, she'll likely catch up with us, and then... you can imagine."

"I dare not think about it."

Nathanos smiled and pushed aside the branches blocking his way.

Meanwhile, the soldiers Senturus sent to Lordaeron returned.

"What's the situation? Are you sure it's a fake?"

"No! Sir." The soldier stared at Senturus with a grim expression, already imagining Senturus's angry face. "It's true, and Uther also said some things..."

The Paladin took a breath, closed his eyes, and asked, "What did you say?"

The soldier leaned close to his ear and reported everything in detail. Senturus opened his eyes, unable to believe what he was hearing, and grabbed the soldier by the collar.

"Impossible, how could that be?"

"It's true, sir, that's what Lord Uther said."

"How could someone like that care about a mage? He should..."

Suddenly, a deafening explosion rang out. Senturus nearly lost his footing. But the soldier wasn't so lucky; he leaned back, his head hitting the wall, and he fell to the ground.

The explosion had subsided, but the destruction it caused was still fresh in everyone's mind. The city walls had collapsed, and several Paladin duty had died in the ruins.

Grim Batol

Ner'zhul carefully examined the golden disc in his hand, wondering how someone with such immense power could be assigned to guard and care for a female prisoner whose sole purpose was to produce offspring. Of course, she was no ordinary woman; she was the Dragon Queen.

The shimmering light of the golden disc seemed to mock him, saying that no matter how powerful he was, he was crippled and could never become the chieftain of the Dragonmaw Clan. But the lame old Orcs never considered throwing it away. It was because of this disc that Ner'zhul had earned his place in the clan.

In the later stages of the war, the Dragonmaw Clan gradually disappeared from the battlefield. This wasn't because they were unwilling to help the Horde, but because two dragons from Grim Batol, both consorts of the Queen of Dragons, escaped during the Horde's attack on Quel'Thalas. Zuluhed ordered their capture, but one dragon, severely wounded, chose to flee across the ocean, only to die from exhaustion. The other died in battle. Now, the Dragonmaw Clan only has one dragon still capable of mating with Alexstrasza, but that dragon is extremely ancient, and more importantly, it was severely wounded by a younger dragon during the Battle of Quel'Thalas. Although it eventually shot down its opponent, it has yet to fully recover.

Ner'zhul slowly straightened up. It was time to visit the guest of the Dragonmaw Clan and let her know that some things had to proceed as planned. Zuluhed and the other surviving clan chieftains dreamed of reviving the Horde, hoping to regroup the remnants left by the Doomhammer and rise again. Ner'zhul was highly skeptical, but as a loyal Orcs, he would resolutely carry out his chieftain's orders to the end.

Ner'zhul clutched the Demon Soul tightly as he slowly walked through the dark cave passages. The Dragonmaw Clan had painstakingly expanded this network of caves that crisscrossed Blackrock Mountain. The intricate structure of the passageways made the crucial task of hatching and training dragons much more efficient. Many places were already crammed with hatched dragons, and more space had to be dug to make room.

Of course, recently many people, including those in Zuluhed, have mentioned that the production of Dragon Egg has dropped significantly.

"How can I get her to lay more eggs?" Ner'zhul couldn't help but ask himself.

The old Orcs staggered for a while, gradually recognizing the Queen of Dragons not far away. Her labored breathing echoed through the area, as if rising from a massive steam vent underground. Ner'zhul understood what this meant; he had arrived just in time.

Ner'zhul stepped into the cell, he heard a voice say, "I knew you'd come."

The Queen of Dragons, though a prisoner, remained as arrogant as ever, but the old Orcs didn't mind. Over the years, he had heard the Red Dragon say many worse things. Ner'zhul, clutching the Demon Soul tightly, approached the Red Dragon's head.

Logically, chains and hoops shouldn't be able to subdue such a behemoth, but with the terrifying power of the Demon Soul, Alexstrasza's struggles were futile, despite her numerous desperate attempts to break free.

"Do you need any help?" Ner'zhul asked not out of concern, but simply to protect the Red Dragon for the benefit of the Horde.

The dragon's crimson body, once gleaming with a magnificent metallic sheen, now, though still filling the entire cave from head to toe, has grown increasingly thin. Her ribs, clinging to her skin, are barely visible, and her voice is weak and feeble. Despite her dire situation, the hatred in the dragon's golden eyes remains undiminished. Ner'zhul knows that if Alexstrasza escapes, he will be the first to be burned to ashes or torn to pieces by the enraged dragon.

"Kill me."

Ner'zhul scoffed, unimpressed. During her long imprisonment, the Queen of Dragons had attempted starvation, but Alexstrasza always submitted obediently if a Dragon Egg was destroyed in her presence. Destroying her egg was tantamount to destroying her hope; each lost egg meant one less free-flying Red Dragon.

As usual, Ner'zhul went to count the newly laid nest of Dragon Egg. There were only five, fewer than before. This gave him a headache. After careful inspection, he noticed that the eggs weren't as heavy as before, which meant the hatchlings wouldn't be as robust.

As Ner'zhul put the Dragon Egg back, the Red Dragon whispered, "It's no use, Orcs. Your insignificant war is over."

"Perhaps you're right," the old Orcs muttered, his frankness surprising Alexstrasza. "But we will hold out to the end, Reptile."

"By then, you will no longer receive Red Dragon's help. My last companion is critically injured and dying." Red Dragon's voice was very low, so low that it could only be barely heard. She was breathing heavily, as if saying these few words had already strained her already weakened body.

"Then let's find another one."

The Queen wanted to mock him, but her voice was as low as a whisper. "How... how could you do that?"

"We will find it." He truly couldn't answer; a mixture of defeat and anger erupted within him. The old Orcs staggered closer to the dragon's head. "As for you, you great reptile..."

The golden disc dangled before the Red Dragon's eyes. "The chieftain ordered me to keep you alive as much as possible, but he also allowed me to teach you a lesson if necessary." Ner'zhul gripped the disc tightly, and it began to flash. "Now..."

"Ner'zhul!"

The shock nearly caused Demon Soul to slip from his grasp. Ner'zhul braced himself with his intact leg, instinctively wanting to rage, but the voice calling his name belonged to his chieftain Zuluhed.

"Ner'zhul!" the Dragonmaw Clan Chieftain's voice grew increasingly impatient as he repeated it.

"I'm here!" the lame Orcs shouted as he ran out.

"How is it?" Zuluhed asked. He was clearly asking about the Dragon Egg.

Ner'zhul replied timidly, "They're smaller and there are fewer of them."

"Tell me something I don't know," Zuluhed said, barely containing his anger. Months ago, he had warned Ner'zhul that they needed to find a way to improve the situation immediately. The Orcs's response then was to try and find a younger dragon. But so much time had passed, and they had found nothing. Gradually, Zuluhed was losing patience.

"I'm thinking of other ways to increase the production of Dragon Egg."

"That's an excuse, Ner'zhul!" Zuluhed said, pointing at his nose. "But I'll give you some more time, Warlock. You'd better watch out for that big worm and don't forget the lesson the dragon that escaped taught you."

Before? Ner'zhul looked at Zuluhed in surprise, his mind racing for a moment. Then he immediately burst into excited laughter.

"What are you laughing at? Are you crazy?"

"No? Chief, you just reminded me. I suddenly have a bold idea that might solve the problem of the Dragon Egg."

"What? Tell me." Zuluhed stared at him, thinking that he had better not be joking, but Ner'zhul probably didn't have the guts.

"Excuse me for disturbing you, esteemed sirs..." A shrill voice came from the depths of the cave, "But there is important news that you must hear."

Wherever the two Orcs looked, they saw a small figure with pointed bat ears and a mouthful of sharp teeth.

"How dare you come here!" Zuluhed was furious that he had interrupted Ner'zhul's next words. He grabbed the Goblins the throat and lifted the little guy up.

Despite Zuluhed's rage, the little Goblins tried his best to smile, "I... I just arrived, Your... Your Excellency! I just arrived!"

Goblins are cunning, but Zuluhed knows this guy.

He threw the Goblins down and asked, "What are you doing here? Do you have any important news?"

The little guy cleared his throat. "I promise, it's definitely the most important. I've never let you down, have I, sir!"

Despite Goblins lack of honor, it's undeniable that this guy has never messed up anything. Goblins aren't reliable allies and often resort to tricks, but they always manage to complete the tasks assigned to them.

"Speak, hurry up!"

"Yes, Lord Zuluhed, yes! I have come to tell you that a terrible plan is being brewed, and it concerns that Red Dragon."

An ominous premonition surged through Zuluhed, and a chill ran down his spine. "What does this mean?"

The Goblins glanced again toward the Red Dragon's cell. "Someone is trying to rescue the Queen of Dragons. That lord asked me to warn you."

Zuluhed stared at him for a long time, wanting him to explain in more detail.

Suddenly, Ner'zhul had been listening nearby, burst into laughter again. Unlike normal people, his laughter was low and suppressed.

"Great..." he repeated to the astonished Zuluhed, a triumphant expression on his face. "Great!"