Countering the Traitor

"Wake him up!" a beastly voice roared.

Several strong hands roughly grabbed the dazed Nathanos and lifted him to his feet. Cold water was splashed on his face, waking the human.

Nathanos snapped his eyes open and found himself staring at a ferocious-looking old Orcs. Years of fighting had left his face covered in scars.

"Human." The words sounded like a curse. "Looks like you're having a good time in prison!" Ner'zhul punched Nathanos in the stomach.

Nathanos coughed, feeling the excruciating pain.

"Who let you out? Who is your inside man?"

"A... lousy prison... thinks it can hold me? That's ridiculous. Do I need anyone's help?"

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Ner'zhul scoffed. "How many more punches can you take?"

He struck the human several more times. The human's face turned deathly pale, and he coughed up spit-out gastric juices.

Suppressing the pain, Nathanos's mind raced. He had already told the Orcs he had escaped alone, but the Orcs was clearly unsatisfied. What he wanted to know was who Nathanos's accomplice was.

"Yes, this will definitely satisfy him." Nathanos's face was grim, but he was secretly smiling. Thankfully, Deathwing wasn't here! And he had already dealt with those two Orcs when he got out of prison.

"No! Stop! I'll tell you, I'll tell you!"

Nathanos said as Ner'zhul was about to deliver another punch.

"Tell me quickly, who is it?"

"It's Deathwing."

"What?" Ner'zhul's pupils dilated. What happened? How could this be? How could this happen? Three questions flashed through his mind simultaneously. "Bullshit! You think I'd believe you?" Ner'zhul spat in Nathanos's face.

Despite the insult, Nathanos was secretly laughing to himself, sensing that Ner'zhul was starting to get nervous.

"I...I came here for...her." Nathanos stared at the entrance to the hall before him, where the Queen of Dragons was imprisoned. "It was Deathwing ...who brought me here."

Ner'zhul broke out in a cold sweat. Yes, the human was right. It was indeed Deathwing who brought him here. At the time, Ner'zhul had been a little puzzled as to why the incarnation of death would bring a human to Grim Batol, and he had even asked him about it out of curiosity. A cold glare from the other silenced him, and he was told the human had to live. The lame Warlock was unwilling, but he was worried about the number of Red Dragon, and coincidentally, Nathanos had been captured and brought here. Ner'zhul then arranged for him to mate with the Queen of Dragons to see if they could create new Red Dragon. Fortunately, Alexstrasza was indeed pregnant. The old Orcs, momentarily overjoyed, completely forgot to consider Deathwing's intentions.

"Why did he do this? Answer me! I need to know the whole story!" Ner'zhul leaned forward, his breath nearly knocking Nathanos unconscious.

"How would I know? Perhaps he wants to possess the Queen of Dragons, but he's worried about the Demon Soul within you, so... so..."

So he sent a spy? Ner'zhul believed it now. Indeed, logically speaking, Deathwing's terrifying power could easily have forcibly taken everything from the Dragonmaw Clan. However, Ner'zhul possessed the Demon Soul, and he could easily command the Dragonmaw Clan to resist. If Deathwing killed Ner'zhul directly, then no one here would be able to use the Demon Soul. As far as he knew, Deathwing couldn't manipulate the power within the golden disc.

"Ner'zhul! Ner'zhul!" An Orcs rushed over from the other side of the tunnel.

"What's wrong?"

The Orcs glanced at Nathanos, walked over to the Warlock, and muttered something.

"What!" Ner'zhul roared in fury, as if he had just heard something. Then he slapped Nathanos across the face, leaving a bloody gash near the human's mouth. This was followed by punches and kicks, all the while cursing, "You! You! Useless! Trash!"

The Orcs unleashed their fury with all their might. Nathanos, covered in wounds, lay trembling on the ground.

"Lock him up, torture him! Humiliate him! Starve him to death!"

Several Orcs dragged the wounded human away.

After a long while, Ner'zhul finally calmed down a bit. "Where is Zuluhed?"

"The chief has gone to deal with the invaders."

"Quick! Go find him and bring him back!"

"Did you hear that!" Sylvanas whispered. "Something is getting closer."

The humans and Dwarf quickly became alert and looked up at the sky, for the Female Elf who had sounded the alarm was also looking up. A terrifying figure swooped down, hissing incessantly. The Ranger saw that it was a dragon! Its blood-red eyes glowed faintly.

"Ah, it's not safe on the ground either!" Falstad spat.

The dragon slowly landed on the ground. Sylvanas saw an ugly Orcs behind the dragon. At the same time, more than a dozen fully armed green-skinned monsters appeared around them!

The Elf didn't waste time reminding her companions to prepare for battle. She drew her sword and gripped its hilt, watching the laughing Orcs. There was no doubt this man was a leader.

The Red Dragon guarded its deformed wings. Sylvanas's eyes flashed with murderous intent and rage.

"Look at this! Fresh meat." Zuluhed looked at the Elf, Dwarf, and human mages with amusement, inwardly mocking Ner'zhul. Was this the threat he spoke of?

Just then, the insignia in Rhonin's hand began to glow; it was a message from Krasus.

'Grasp this emblem tightly, and prepare to throw it at the dragon.'

"What? But..."

Do as instructed!

Rhonin quickly raised his hand and gripped the insignia firmly in his grasp.

'Remember, make sure to throw it near the Red Dragon's mouth!'

The mage nodded, glanced at the Orcs, and then, with astonishing accuracy, tossed the emblem below the dragon's mouth. His strange actions puzzled everyone.

The command was so strange that Rhonin initially doubted whether he had misheard. He thought Krasus might cast a spell through the insignia, perhaps to deal with the dragon, but nothing happened.

The dragon stretched its neck and took the emblem from the ground into its mouth.

"Do you think he's hungry and you want to feed him this so he won't eat us?" Falstad said.

Sylvanas cursed, "These two fools still have time to joke around."

However, at that moment, something strange happened, leaving all three of them stunned. The dragon neither swallowed the emblem nor rejected it because it found it unpalatable; instead, it remained motionless, its head tilted to the side. A red halo emanated from its mouth, but the light seemed to have no negative effect on the dragon.

Then, to everyone's bewilderment, the dragon actually sat down.

Zuluhed frowned, puzzled by the Red Dragon's behavior, and roared at it. However, the dragon seemed not to hear the Orcs's shouts, instead staring intently, as if listening to a sound coming from afar.

"Your mount has found its toy, Orcs!" Fastad mocked him.

"Enough! I don't need this reptile. Dragonmaw Clan warriors, shred them to pieces!"

Sylvanas had already sheathed her sword at some point, and with lightning speed, nocked an arrow and took down the three Orcs charging at her head. While Falstad wasn't using his Gryphon, his Storm Hammer was still quite effective. He and Rhonin quickly dispatched two Orcs charging from the left and right.

The Elf glanced at the dragon again. Its head was still tilted to one side. Its eyes were open, but they seemed to be looking elsewhere.

Sylvanas finally made up her mind. She shifted her attention from the dragon to deal with Zuluhed. If the dragon decided to attack suddenly, so be it.

The Orcs sensed her approach and, seizing the moment she charged with her sword, conjured a fireball in his hand. The flames flew past her face, leaving her breathless. However, her attack still overwhelmed Zuluhed. He was a Shaman, but he had never gained the approval of the native elementals of Azeroth. Because of the presence of Warlock in the Horde, the elementals were reluctant to help the Orcs.

A series of screams rang out, almost drowning out the sound of bones shattering. Several Orcs had been pierced through the shoulders, elbows, legs, and heads by arrows that seemed to have come from nowhere. Zuluhed and Sylvanas were both taken aback by the sudden turn of events.

From the rainforest, Alleria and Vareesa leaped out, drawing Zuluhed's attention. Taking advantage of his momentary daze, Sylvanas thrust her sword forward. The Orcs, startled, had no chance to dodge. The blade pierced his chest, Zuluhed collapsed before he could even utter a painful groan.