Retreat
"Who goes there?" Broxigar and Nathanos turned around simultaneously. The voice that stopped them wasn't from Deathwing, nor was Goblins as a goblin's, but their first reaction was that they had been exposed.
But when they turned around, they still saw an empty tunnel. Broxigar thought he was hallucinating, but it was impossible for both of them to be experiencing this at the same time.
"Who is it? Show yourself."
'Speak, Orcs! Only you can hear my voice. I am Krasus.' The other party did not appear, and Nathanos quickly realized that the other party might not even be here, but was communicating with them through some kind of magic, just like the Lich King.
"Krasus, I remember you. You were with that Rhonin. Why are you here, Malfurion?" The Orcs spoke cautiously, unsure if he could communicate telepathically, but certain that the other could hear him if he spoke.
'He's right beside me, we're safe, but I never expected Cenarius to send you to assist us.'
"I need an explanation for this!" Nathanos said in a low voice. "Are we assisting you, or are you assisting us? So far, not a single one of you has shown up, while we are already so close to the Dragon Soul. I can't help but wonder who is really carrying out the task of stealing it. Have Broxigar and I 'turned the tables'?"
The Undead's mockery instantly dampened the atmosphere, but perhaps remembering their presence deep within Neltharion's dangerous lair, Krasus's voice quickly returned. "I'm sorry, we're just observing. The black dragon is too vigilant. If I enter his territory, he'll definitely discover me. That's why I can't let Malfurion act alone."
"Alright, explaining all this is useless. Now, can you tell us why you stopped me from touching that rock behind me? Is there some kind of trap inside?"
"That's not the case. It's just that Malfurion entered the Emerald Dream, and he saw you there. That's why we were able to contact you. But he saw more than that; he discovered something else hidden in this chamber—something extremely evil."
Brox's ears twitched, and he quickly turned around to assume a defensive stance. "What is that?"
"I cannot tell you this for now, but if you activate the mechanism, you will not only anger the enemy but also Deathwing, so please do not act rashly!"
"You mean... we should get away from here?"
"But the Dragon Soul is inside!"
Nathanos and Broxigar's attitude was clear: they had to try no matter what. If they could obtain the Dragon Soul now, they could turn back ahead of schedule.
Krasus continued his incessant persuasion, but he could no longer stop these two reckless mortals in his eyes.
"Let me do it!" Nathanos nodded to Broxigar; if he encountered any trouble, the Orcs would come to his aid immediately.
The Undead leaned forward, and his hand touched the stone that Neltharion had disguised.
Suddenly, a wild roar assaulted his eardrums.
Nathanos felt unsteady on his feet and quickly knelt down, covering his ears with his hands. He didn't make a sound, but his face contorted in pain, telling the Orcs that he was in agony!
"What's wrong?" Broxigar asked, placing his hand on Nathanos's shoulder.
The roaring stopped quickly, but Broxigar stood there unharmed. Nathanos stood up, shocked and confused.
"Didn't you hear me?" the Undead asked.
"What did you hear?"
"A voice, a savage voice, trying to tear my body apart, I feel... very bad."
Broxigar noticed that Nathanos's eyes were glazed over; he had clearly gone through something. The Orcs became even more wary of the stone.
"What are you saying? I didn't hear anything."
Nathanos nodded. "Yes, if you heard it all, then Deathwing must have heard it too."
"So what exactly did you hear?"
'Please don't tell him!!' Krasus's voice suddenly invaded Nathanos's mind. He was very unhappy. Why could someone always talk to him like this? Although the other party could not control him, it always gave him the feeling of being monitored.
"I can't describe it, Broxigar, but Krasus is right, this chamber hides something very dangerous, and we must not go near it."
"So, we're going to back out?"
Nathanos nodded; he had just sensed a powerful, malevolent force driving away the uninvited guest from within the stone. Although the force hadn't touched Nathanos, the Undead were still shaken, and he was certain that its source wasn't Neltharion, but something far more terrifying than the black dragon.
The first attempt to find the Dragon Soul failed, but Neltharion did not find them.
But Nathanos dared not take the risk again. He already knew the location of the disk, and although the Earth-Warder might still have doubts, he was unaware that someone was actually nearby.
"Let's get out of here!"
The Undead and Orcs left the cave. They then set off to rendezvous with Krasus and Malfurion. Entering the vast mountain range, Nathanos admired Krasus; this fellow had hidden himself in such a remote place to escape the black dragon. Only here did he feel safe.
They met at a mountain pass, and like Krasus in Nathanos's memory, he chose to disguise himself as a race that did not exist in this era: the High Elf.
If Nathanos were still alive and a fully-fledged human, this scene would be strikingly similar to the gathering at the foot of Mount Hyjal during the Third World War.
"How could you be so Recklessness? If Neltharion finds you, you will not only be doomed, but he will also be much more cautious, and we will never be able to touch the Dragon Soul again."
"It seems the latter is more important than the former! That's not how you were before," Nathanos said sarcastically, which drew a different look from Broxigar, who, of course, was looking at Krasus.
"Maybe, maybe not," Krasus replied angrily, "But at least you've found the hiding place of the Dragon Soul."
"We might not be able to touch it." Nathanos's voice was low, as if he had heard that voice again, making him feel guilty. "I'm just worried that we might not be able to take that thing."
"But we have no choice," Krasus nodded, agreeing with Nathanos's concerns. "We truly have no choice...we must do whatever it takes. Before that, I want to speak with you alone, Undead!"