Mountaintop

"My God!" Fastad exclaimed from the side. "Finally out of that hellhole. I swear I'll never set foot in Grim Batol again! Nor will I ever crawl into any tunnel! The sky is my home."

Despite the pain in his body, Rhonin felt a wave of relief upon hearing Falstad's voice and sat up. The biting cold wind jolted him awake from his dazed state. He looked towards the direction of the Dwarf. The others had also regained their senses.

"Looks like we're safe." Rhonin stood up and checked on the Queen of Dragons. She appeared to have fainted, and there were faint red welts on her body. The mage was surprised to find that, in addition to being teleported away by magic, her shackles had also been removed. This scene reminded him of Alexstrasza being captured by the Orcs, although he had never witnessed Red Dragon being tamed by mortals.

"That couldn't be better, human! A rock almost hit me!" Falstad exclaimed excitedly, but found himself the only one among those present who seemed genuinely pleased. Alleria was clearly still worried about Nathanos. Sylvanas stood beside her sister, watching her thoughtfully. And the youngest, Vareesa, was still reeling from the near-miss and was panting heavily to the side.

A look of anxiety bordering on madness flickered in Rhonin's eyes, a madness unrelated to the battle or his narrow escape. His face was deathly pale; the Dwarf had never imagined such an expression could be seen on a mage known for his calm and composure.

The Dwarf was about to continue speaking when a heavy groan caught his attention. At first, he thought the groan was just a hallucination, since the Queen of Dragons looked lifeless, but then Alexstrasza groaned again.

"My God, she's still alive?"

"Yes, you heard her voice. Of course she's alive; she's the Lifebinder."

"We have to help her." Alleria, having recovered, brushed past the mage and Dwarf, cautiously approaching Alexstrasza. She examined her face, head, and body. She had several abrasions and bloodstains on her arms—mostly from friction between her wrists and shackles—but other than that, she didn't appear to have any fatal injuries.

Alleria was about to check her wings when Alexstrasza suddenly opened her eyes. "You..."

"We are here, Your Majesty. Relax, we are all around you."

"I remember... I remember—" The Red Dragon briefly closed its eyes, then suddenly opened them wide, its voice filled with urgency. "Up there! The top is going to collapse! Be careful."

"No!" Alleria pressed closer to the colossal beast before her and cried out again, "No, Queen of Dragons. We're safe! We're safe..."

"But that cave..." Her eyes glanced at it, then her expression relaxed slightly. "We're not in the cave anymore...where are we?"

"Outside, we've escaped."

"Escape?" Alexstrasza's voice was filled with frustration and bitterness. "So much time has passed, I never thought I would escape again. I... Although the chains baptized by the Demon Soul still bind me, the air here, every blade of grass and every tree I see, feels incredibly familiar. Thank you, mortals."

Just then, the Dwarf came into her view. "This mage saved us all. But he also brought us to this unknown, gloomy place!"

Rhonin blinked. Some unknown, godforsaken place? He looked around. Snow-capped mountains, a biting wind, and large clouds floating overhead... Though it was late, the mage knew exactly where they were. "It's not some godforsaken place, Falstad. I've taken everyone to the top of this mountain. Orcs, and everything else, are at our feet."

"The mountaintop?" the Dwarf repeated. "Uh, that seems to make sense."

"It's probably almost dawn now." Alexstrasza's eyes turned cold again. "That means Ner'zhul and his men could leave this fortress at any moment. They'll take everything with them, including the Dragon Egg."

The three Female Elf and the Dwarf all looked at her simultaneously. "Why would he do something so foolish?" Falstad exclaimed in surprise. "Why abandon such a reliable base?"

"I don't know for sure, but I think it's related to Deathwing. Since the Horde's defeat, Deathwing has controlled this place. And now, Ner'zhul might not want to fight off the slaves anymore. Faced with the Black Dragon's immense power, Ner'zhul has no chance of holding this fortress..." As she spoke, her eyes began to look straight ahead, "If the Orcs commander knew the true potential of the Demon Soul, the situation might be different. But clearly Ner'zhul didn't realize that, otherwise he wouldn't have fled and chosen to head north."

Falstad was still not entirely convinced. "If that's the case, why did he defy Deathwing? There's no way to deal with that black dragon using ordinary methods."

"I don't know what gave him the audacity to challenge Deathwing. Ner'zhul is a fool. I'm out of his control, and my offspring will surely rise up in rebellion if I'm not here!" Alexstrasza glanced at her injured wrist.

"So, our mission isn't over yet." Rhonin stepped forward and knelt on one knee in front of the massive shackles. "Falstad, try and see if your Storm Hammer can break this thing."

Falstad looked as if he had been insulted. "Don't compare my warhammer to the inferior stuff in the hands of those Orcs."

"Then let's give it a try, quickly!"

"That's all?" Falstad weighed his warhammer in his hand. "Step back, mage!" He walked over to Rhonin.

"Too easy..." The Dwarf raised his warhammer high, took a deep breath, and then slammed it down. He used so much force that Rhonin could see the bulging veins on his arm.

The hammer struck its target precisely, sending metal fragments flying everywhere.

"My God! My darling!"

A huge dent in the hammer testified to the shackles' incredible sturdiness, showing no sign of damage. Falstad stared in frustration, cursing the man who had forged this weapon for him, then remembered that man was himself.

Alexstrasza knew it wasn't the hammer's fault. "This is the power of the Demon Soul. Only the Demon Soul can undo the magic on it."