Speculation

"You've come just in time, Alleria." Sylvanas excitedly grasped her sister's hand, but was somewhat surprised and reluctant to see Vareesa there.

"We found traces of your camp along the way." Alleria smiled at her sister, relieved that she was alright. "How is the situation? Nathanos ...?"

"I'm sorry, I don't have any definite information to confirm whether Nathanos is still alive."

Alleria's face gradually turned pale as she looked at the corpses scattered on the ground, regretting that she should have left one alive to gather information.

"We will rescue him." Sylvanas gestured to Alleria with her eyes, expressing the other woman's wish and offering her sister some comfort.

"Yes, definitely."

"Let me introduce you." Seeing that Alleria's brow had relaxed somewhat, Sylvanas turned to face the other two people. "This is Falstad Wildhammer, lord of Aerie Peak. This is Rhonin from Dalaran." Then she said, "This is my sister, Alleria Windrunner, Ranger-General of Silvermoon City."

"It's an honor to meet you, beautiful lady," Falstad said with a bow and a smile.

"Me too, Lord Falstad. Aerie Peak played an indispensable role in the Alliance's assistance during the Second War. Although the Alliance members now have little contact with each other, the heroic deeds of the Wildhammer Dwarf are widely known. Especially your brother, Kurdran Wildhammer, he was a true hero."

"Thank you." Falstad smiled, almost beaming. This Female Elf, whose beauty rivaled Sylvanas's, was clearly easier to talk to.

"Wait! What are you doing?" Rhonin, who had been silent all along, suddenly shouted. After Falstad finished speaking, he was about to go over and talk to Alleria. If she was willing to talk to him, he would explain the current situation. But suddenly he noticed Vareesa drawing her bow and aiming at the Red Dragon sitting on the ground, looking dazed. The Female Elf had been aiming for a long time, seemingly pondering how much power to use and where to hit to kill the monster with a single arrow.

"Vareesa!" Alleria acted faster than Rhonin, stopping her sister from letting go and forcefully pressing her weapon down. "Don't do this!"

"Yes! Yes, don't do that." The mage quickly seized the opportunity to stand in front of the Red Dragon, not at all worried that the big guy behind him would suddenly attack him.

"Elder sister!"

"Alleria!"

Sylvanas and Vareesa shouted at the same time, but the older Windrunner had the right to speak. "They should pay the price."

"Yes, but that... won't bring our parents back to life, nor will it bring Lirath back."

At that moment, the two younger Windrunner fell silent. Alleria hugged them tightly, so close they could hear each other's distinct breathing. Vareesa finally sheathed her weapon and nodded to her sister.

"It seems Nathanos has changed you quite a bit, sister," Sylvanas teased. The atmosphere instantly lightened. To her surprise, Alleria readily admitted it and explained, "He's helped me many times, especially in this respect; he almost lost his life. So, both for his own sake and for my own, I have to rescue him."

"We're all the same, sister."

Rhonin breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at the Red Dragon behind him. The dragon had completely collapsed, as if preparing to sleep. The insignia was still in its mouth, but it quickly and gently placed it on the ground under the mage's watchful eye, then looked at Rhonin, seemingly waiting for him to retrieve it.

There's no other way.

As the mage approached, the dragon continued to stare at him with its head lowered. Dragons have excellent eyesight and are extremely agile. At such close range, if it were to suddenly attack, Rhonin would have no chance of escape.

The mage wrapped the insignia in Dalaran silk and picked it up. Having been inside the dragon's mouth for so long, the insignia was still covered in dragon saliva. With a hint of disgust, Rhonin wiped the insignia as clean as possible.

The gem at the center of the emblem suddenly shone again.

' Grim Batol is on the high mountain ahead, but going there leads directly to the main gate of the fortress, which is heavily guarded.'

Krasus's monotonous voice reached their ears. "I will now guide you through these complex tunnels to the lower levels of Grim Batol."

"What did you do to this dragon?" Rhonin asked hurriedly.

'I said something to him, and now he understands. Hurry up and leave; the other Orcs will come sooner or later.'

A few words? Rhonin was skeptical. Could a few words really render a terrifying Red Dragon powerless?

"Can you tell me what you said? Maybe if we meet again...! Krasus? Krasus! Damn it!"

The call had ended, and Rhonin cursed under his breath. Unbeknownst to him, the others had already turned their attention to him. Sylvanas, noticing the insignia was back in his hand, stepped forward and asked, "Did that guy say something to you again?"

The mage took a deep breath, wanting to savor the fresh air one last time before setting off. "Get ready, we're about to... enter Grim Batol!"

On the way to his imprisonment, Nathanos fainted again. Undeniably, this was largely due to Ner'zhul. Nekrull's inexplicable beating and verbal abuse left Nathanos bewildered. Compared to the pain of his fractures all over his body, the abdominal wound was child's play. After being chained even tighter, the two Orcs escorting him left. The shock of being thrown into the prison roused him; Nathanos vaguely felt that he could still move his hands.

"You should have cut off my hand, you foolish Orcs," the human muttered, opening his eyes. Everything was pitch black. He couldn't see anything, but no one could see him. Nathanos twisted his hand, laboriously pulling a copper wire from between his shoes, and pried open the keyhole of the shackles. After five minutes of work, the shackles were unlocked. The human winced as he touched the wounds all over his body. Gritting his teeth, he reset the broken bones, then lay motionless on the ground, drenched in sweat. He needed rest now, and to think about what had caused Ner'zhul to treat him this way; without a doubt, it was related to him.

You! You're useless! You're trash!

The words flashed through Nathanos's mind like a curse, yet also like a clue. The Orcs's tone betrayed far more disappointment than anger. Why didn't he punish the others, but only the Orcs who had enraged him with a few words?

'Could it be... that I... did something... that disappointed him...?' Nathanos pondered, struggling to recall. He remembered the Orcs who had whispered with Ner'zhul. He had assumed the Orcs had some important news to share with Ner'zhul, but because Nathanos was present, he had only told Ner'zhul. Perhaps there was another possibility: the news he reported was also related to Nathanos.

What news could it be? Had Grot been captured? Impossible. He'd already separated from him a long time ago, unless Grot had lost his mind and was yelling at everyone that he was a spy. Besides, to be honest, Nathanos knew perfectly well that he had no other allies, and he'd already told Ner'zhul about his dealings with Deathwing. So what else could it be?

"A dragon!" Nathanos exclaimed, a realization striking him. It was a bold and terrifying thought. The Queen of Dragons! Indeed, besides Deathwing and Grot, if he were connected to a third person here, it would undoubtedly be Alexstrasza. The human remembered Grot saying that the Queen of Dragons was pregnant, so she should have laid Dragon Egg. Logically, Ner'zhul should be thanking him. Yet, instead, he had brutally beaten him...

"Could it be that the Queen of Dragons didn't lay Dragon Egg? Or perhaps, the newborn Dragon Egg... is problematic?"