Encounter

Krasus Red Dragon, flew to Kalimdor. Like Nathanos, he heard Nozdormu's roar, a cry for help. Rhonin followed, riding on his back as they soared through the sky. The closer they got to their destination, the faster Krasus flew. He hadn't yet told Rhonin that he was actually looking for Nozdormu, and that he had already tried, but failed. But it didn't matter; soon they would know the true reason for the Time Dragon's torment.

"There! There's magical activity in that place!" Rhonin screamed, pointing at a mountain peak, not caring whether the Red Dragon could hear him or not.

Krasus nodded. When the two of them finally saw their destination, they didn't notice that another pair of eyes were watching them.

"A Red Dragon, with a person riding on it." Broxigar snorted. Orcs used to ride on dragons, but now, if you wanted a dragon to carry an Orcs around, the Orcs would have to stay inside the dragon's belly.

The Orcs shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. He was the proud Orcs warrior type, muscular, with rough skin that gleamed with a greenish sheen. He wore a thick leather overcoat for warmth. Although Orcs were highly resilient, even they needed to be mindful of staying warm at such high altitudes.

Broxigar picked up his battle-hardened battle axe and trudged through the snow.

"They went to the same place as me?"

The thought of their mission made Broxigar feel extremely uneasy. He wasn't afraid of danger itself; he was just afraid that if something happened to him, he wouldn't be able to send a message to the Great Chief in time.

When he reached the mountain peak, he focused intently on preparing for battle, but strangely, he saw neither the human nor the dragon, though he was certain they had arrived before him.

"Where are they?" he complained. "Where are they at all?"

The Orcs wondered how one person could hide a dragon. The marks on the ground were clear, but there was only one person's footprint, or perhaps two people's footprints mixed together.

Perhaps the dragon has flown away!

Broxigar shook his head, dismissing the idea, because the Orcs was very close at the time. If a dragon had taken to the skies, he would have seen it, but he hadn't seen anything unusual, leaving only one possibility—the enormous creature was nearby.

Broxigar took a breath; the dragon's scent was almost completely masked by the human smell. The Orcs knelt down and examined the footprints carefully again. The dragon's tracks had disappeared, but if the Orcs encountered the other human, the dragon would naturally reappear.

He didn't intend to make a fuss, but continued walking, soon entering a narrow path. Broxigar looked around and sniffed the air. This path was too narrow; it couldn't even accommodate a young dragon, let alone a giant. Where was he?

They hadn't gone far when they heard the roar of a dragon ahead. Broxigar grinned, but didn't stop. A true warrior doesn't turn back at the first sign of danger.

He walked on for a while longer. It was all the shadows that were acting strangely; something seemed to be lurking all around him.

A scream—a human scream—came from very close range.

In that instant, the Orcs were filled with a terrifying sight, one that no one had ever seen before.

Tentacles swayed and danced on the rock, with a purple vortex in the middle that looked like a mouth.

Orcs weren't easily harmed. But the horrific sight stunned him. Broxigar stood there, frozen, unable to move even his weapon. He had always longed for a heroic death. But certainly not this. This kind of death was utterly dishonorable. That terrifying monster could easily swallow him whole.

So he decided: Run!

But even he himself wouldn't obey him. He turned and ran, but slipped and fell in the snow like a child. His large body collapsed to the ground.

'The dragon and the human must have been devoured!'

He tried to stand up, but he could feel something tangled around his feet, and he knew what it was without even thinking.

The Orcs immediately attacked the tentacle with his weapon, but it was easier to deal with than he had imagined, and was easily cut in half like a vine.

Once freed from his restraints, Broxigar instinctively grabbed his axe and began to run. He felt no shame whatsoever, for no Orcs was a match for this monster, as evidenced by Gaskal's death.

But no matter how fast he ran, the monster was faster. The surrounding noise was incessant, driving Broxigar almost mad. But he gritted his teeth; he knew he couldn't defeat the monster, but he was trying his best...

He only took two steps before the whirlpool grabbed him and swallowed him whole.

Every bone, every muscle, every nerve in Nathanos's body ached. He felt the pain. What had happened? He wasn't quite sure. Just a minute ago. He was still in Karazhan. But somehow, he wasn't actually that close. He felt something was wrong. Those images flashed through his mind again. Landscapes, creatures, man-made things. In an instant, Nathanos witnessed the very end of time.

Dragons? The word reminded him of Grim Batol. Fortunately, that was all in the past. But that dragon's roar still made Nathanos wary. Where had Medivh's staff led him?

He opened his eyes.

He gazed at the trees. The tall, lush trees almost completely blocked out the sky. Birds sang, shadows danced, sunlight was soft, and white clouds drifted by. The life here astonished Nathanos; Nathanos was certain this was no Karazhan.

Is it just another fantasy? No!! Everything feels so real.

What a peaceful scene! Nathanos even wondered if he was dead, truly dead, and that everything he was seeing was a vision of paradise. Then, a discordant sound caught his attention, and he instinctively looked to his left.

The Orcs was rubbing the back of his head as he struggled to his feet. He was not far from Nathanos, brushing the dust and weeds off his clothes. After blinking, he looked in Nathanos's direction.

"What?"

These were the words the Undead wanted to say, but its voice was so hoarse that it could not utter a single word.

Why are there Orcs in this place?

Why are there Undead in this place?

I don't know, but anyway! The two seemed to be on the same wavelength; they both thought of the same thing—to kill each other!

Nathanos's instinctive reaction was to reach for his weapons, but he suddenly remembered that they were all missing, even Atiesh, which he had touched, was gone. But the Orcs had weapons in his hand.

"I didn't expect there to be dead people here? Did you set that strange trap earlier?" Broxigar suddenly felt dizzy. He collapsed weakly, still roaring angrily.

In contrast, Nathanos, seeing the Orcs fall, tried to subdue him, but unexpectedly felt utterly powerless himself. He couldn't understand why, after breaking free from the Lich King's control, he had gradually regained his senses but never felt fatigued. Yet, he couldn't forget that long-lost feeling now.