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"What did you say? Marius has been captured?" Vareesa stared wide-eyed at Rhonin.

It was already evening, and as dusk fell, Falstad and Rhonin's group arrived back in Hask and encountered Vareesa, Senturus, and others.

Problems arose, and a dispute inevitably ensued. Upon seeing Rhonin, Senturus immediately tried to arrest him. However, Falstad disagreed, claiming that Rhonin was a witness and must accompany him to Aerie Peak, and that the Dwarf leader disliked Paladin more than mages because they had always considered them barbarians. Rhonin, the focus of attention, vehemently prevented a conflict and righteously told Senturus that he had nothing to do with the explosion he mentioned.

"Enough!" Vareesa shouted, silencing the incessant chatter of the crowd. All eyes turned to her.

"Shut up, all of you! Will arguing get us anywhere?" the Female Elf snapped angrily. "We need to get to the bottom of this. First..." she turned to Rhonin and demanded, "Why did you leave with Marius alone? Without even saying goodbye!"

"Say hello to you?" Upon hearing this, Rhonin's anger flared up immediately. "You've almost forgotten what your mission is! Only Nathanos remembers to deliver me to Hask. And you, you still have time to chat and laugh with some self-important fellow." The mage glared fiercely at Senturus, who returned the same look.

"Lord Senturus promised to escort us here, which will make it safer."

"Come on, they're escorting you, not me and Marius," Rhonin sneered, pointing out the fact. "I don't want to stay with these guys like a prisoner. Besides, haven't you seen the devastation at Hask Port? By the time I get here with them, my mission will probably have failed long ago!"

Vareesa was furious; this mage was utterly unreasonable. The Female Elf turned to Falstad, "And who are you, dwarf?"

"Watch your tone, Elf," Falstad roared. "Standing before you is Falstad Wildhammer, the current lord of Aerie Peak! Brother of Kurdran Wildhammer." His beard trembled, as if in a show of defiance towards Vareesa.

"Why did you take this mage to Kaz'Modan?"

"It was that young man named Marius who begged me to help this guy." He pointed at Rhonin and continued, "He told me many stories about my brother, and other things. I was moved by him, so I agreed to his request. We flew for hours, and my Gryphon was almost exhausted! We were finally almost there, but then..."

"Falstad!" Rhonin interrupted him, giving him a look. The Dwarf immediately shut his mouth.

"But something unexpected happened. Marius was captured," the mage said, taking over the conversation. He didn't specify who captured Nathanos, nor did he clarify some details.

Vareesa had some doubts about this, but Senturus preemptively said, "A very well-crafted story, demon. Do you think bringing in a Dwarf will clear your name?"

"What did you say? How dare you confuse me with this sorcerer!"

The two sides started arguing again, almost drawing their swords. Just then, a melodious horn sounded from the forest behind them. Vareesa recognized the sound very well, and the fighting stopped immediately.

"It's the horn of the Quel'Thalas Ranger," Vareesa explained. She was puzzled as to why such a sound would be heard here, which could only mean one thing: Elf were approaching.

There was a rustling in the bushes, and a light figure leaped out, landing gracefully in front of them.

"Sister!" Vareesa could hardly believe her eyes; her second sister, Sylvanas, was actually there.

"Vareesa." The newly appeared Female Elf smiled in response, but immediately composed herself; she could tell something was wrong at a glance. Mages, Paladin, Dwarf, and Gryphon. What was going on?

Sylvanas looked at them with a puzzled expression, just as they looked at themselves with a puzzled expression. No one knew how another beautiful Female Elf had suddenly appeared.

Vareesa was the first to break the silence; she ran over and hugged Sylvanas.

What are you doing here?

Sylvanas, as the elder, gave her a displeased look. "How did I end up here? Vareesa, my sister. Have you forgotten that today is your deadline for reporting the completion of your mission?"

Vareesa looked bewildered, realizing that Sylvanas had come to test her progress.

"Is this the mage?" Sylvanas glanced at Rhonin and nodded. "It seems your mission is complete; he has arrived at Hask Port."

"That's true." Rhonin stepped forward, approaching Sylvanas with trepidation. The Female Elf possessed a captivating aura, yet she also had an unapproachable quality.

"But, beautiful lady. I have just suffered a misfortune, I..."

"That's your problem," Sylvanas interrupted him coldly, then looked Vareesa over with affection, making sure she was unharmed. "My sister only needs to get you here; the rest is neither our concern nor our business."

Rhonin gritted his teeth. The Female Elf's words seemed irresponsible, but they were not wrong.

"Wait..." Sylvanas glanced around again, but apart from Vareesa, the person she most wanted to see was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Nathanos?"

This was the second time in the past few days that Nathanos had finally awoke. No one was there to greet him; only a headache and a general feeling of weakness throughout his body. Before him lay a dark sky and utter silence.

There was no wind around, and Nathanos realized he was trapped indoors, and he could feel a faint warmth emanating from the stone floor. An ominous feeling crept over him. Slowly and cautiously, he raised his head and looked around.

"Ah, you're finally awake...?"

Who?

Rhonin turned his head to look to the left. In fact, he had already checked it, but now he was surprised to see a dark shadow gradually emerge, and then form an image wearing a hood.

"Who is it?" Nathanos muttered to himself. The dark figure before him exuded arrogance and confidence.

A face emerged from the hood—a deep, handsome, and confident man. A noble face...at least on the surface. "Are you alright?"

Prysto? Nathanos almost exclaimed in surprise, but he held back! Why was Prysto here, and why was he...?

Deathwing's thin lips curled into a barely perceptible smile, as if he could see right through Nathanos. "So, you know who I am, human?"

"It seems like we've never met before."

The black dragon laughed loudly. His voice, and the shadowy figure looming behind him, made Nathanos feel threatened for the first time. The air reeked of tar, a very unpleasant smell.

Who exactly are you?

The surrounding shadows began to shift, dimming slightly. The human face became clearer. "I have many names, one of which you've surely heard of: Deathwing!"

"The legendary Worldbreaker of the world?" Nathanos scrutinized him, as if trying to find a dragon scale in his exposed skin to make sure he wasn't lying.

Black Dragon laughed and turned his head to one side, then continued, "I know I chose the right person. You don't seem too surprised by my appearance."

"Because I've seen you before," Nathanos thought, but didn't say it aloud. "A human skin, what's there to be surprised about?"

"My mortal friend, you are indeed smarter than most. I think we can have a good talk." Deathwing leaned against Nathanos, fiddling with his chin, not wanting the newly awakened human to see his barely suppressed excitement.

"What do you want with me, bringing me here?"

"I don't need you to do anything for me, human. On the contrary, I want to help you complete your mission."

"My mission?"

"Oh, yes, your mission." Deathwing's smile stretched to an inhuman length, revealing sharp teeth. "Release the great Dragon Queen, the extraordinary Alexstrasza!"

This was Rhonin's mission? Nathanos understood; it seemed Deathwing had misunderstood. But he was puzzled as to why only Rhonin was assigned to a mission like this.

Nathanos deliberately reacted instinctively, showing Deathwing a surprised expression as to why he knew his true mission. If the black dragon knew that he was just a guard, he would definitely kill him.

Fortunately, the black dragon did not notice this and instead laughed with some self-satisfaction.

Do you know where this place is?

Nathanos shook his head, but roughly guessed that it must be a place like a volcano.

"This is Grim Batol."

"Grim Batol? You just said you'd help me complete the mission, so..."

"So the Queen of Dragons is imprisoned here." Deathwing moved forward, his figure becoming more solid.

Nathanos was deeply troubled by Deathwing's ability to transform into human form. Who knew what a monster like him might do among mortal races? Moreover, he knew Deathwing had already begun using this method to spread evil. The noble Prysto, Terenas, and the King of the Alliance seemed to be his first targets.

"Then there must be a lot of Orcs around," Nathanos said with a self-deprecating laugh. "I simply can't do that."

"So you need my help," Deathwing said once again.

Nathanos didn't dare ask why he was doing this; he knew Nathanos had no good intentions and he was just a pawn in Nathanos's game.

"How can you help me?" he tried asking.

Black Dragon replied, "You'll find out soon enough, but for now you have to play a role, the role of a prisoner."

He had barely finished speaking when he clapped his hands, and a bright rectangle appeared in the darkness—it was a door. Two burly figures walked in; their gait revealed them to be Orcs.

"I'll leave it to you." Deathwing said to one of the Orcs, then retreated to where he had appeared, his figure fading until he disappeared.

The Orcs watched for a long time. Nathanos was certain he was waiting for Deathwing to disappear. Finally, the white-haired Orcs turned to give instructions to another Orcs.

Nathanos was roughly pulled to his feet. The human had intended to resist; if Deathwing hadn't been there, he could have easily dealt with one or two Orcs. However, Nathanos found himself utterly powerless, only vaguely sensing his strength returning—something had drained him of all his power.

The old Orcs patted Nathanos on the shoulder, sizing him up, which drew a wave of disgust from the human. Finally, the Orcs revealed a satisfied smile.

"I took him to Ner'zhul immediately. He should have already prepared that big reptile."

"No, no." The old Orcs looked at Nathanos with a half-smile. "We need to prepare this human first."...