Assembling the Armor

Malfurion watched as Nathanos emerged from the portal first. Although he understood Krasus was willing to cooperate with the Undead, who exuded an aura of death, for the greater good, he was still unsettled. Krasus repeatedly explained that he was also extremely reluctant to do so, but this did little to alleviate the Night Elf's unease.

But the Night Elf didn't reveal his true feelings; he simply kept his distance from the Undead. Strangely, Nathanos moved with incredible speed, as if he were truly alive.

To the Druids's surprise, Nathanos didn't look at him, but walked directly to Broxigar, while Krasus stepped out of the portal at that moment and nodded to Malfurion.

Everything seems to be going well!

Nathanos and the Orcs exchanged a few words, and it seemed they had reached a consensus.

"Shouldn't you explain what happened after I touched that rock?"

Krasus suddenly bent over, seemingly in response; however, the thoughtful look on Krasus's face seemed to imply something else.

"The crisis facing Azeroth is not just the Burning Legion. Demons are merely the surface enemy. A greater threat lurks behind. You all know about Neltharion, but you don't know why he is like this. Beneath the surface of this world lies an extremely evil darkness. Its whispers can drive dragons mad. It is a hundred times more powerful than the Lich King."

Broxigar glanced at Nathanos, Undead fists were already clenched.

What is it called?

"Old Gods!"

Gods? Upon hearing this word, Broxigar snorted, and Krasus nodded.

"This is truly unbelievable." The Undead lowered its head. "You mean to say that the Old Gods are behind this?"

"In fact, Rhonin and I went back ten thousand years to investigate Nozdormu, the Time Lord, and I received his distress message. I strongly suspect that it was the Old Gods who caused Nozdormu such suffering."

"A message?" Nathanos's eyes lit up. "Could it be that dragon roar!"

Krasus was shocked, his face stiffened, and he pressed, "You heard it too? But how is that possible?"

"Yes, I heard it, and I also felt a surge of chaotic power. It was the power of time, and I saw many things from the past of this era," Nathanos explained, but he was careful with his words, not revealing that he had experienced all of this in Karazhan.

Sure enough, Krasus then asked him where he had heard it, but Nathanos evaded the question with vague language.

"Cenarius once said that to destroy the portal built by Azshara, a powerful artifact is needed: the Dragon Soul. Since you are so interested in the Time Lord, why are you involved in the war against the Burning Legion?"

The Red Dragon Mage questioned, "Do you believe that the Red Dragon will remain neutral in this war?"

"Isn't that so?" Broxigar roared. "We have fought the Burning Legion so many times, and your people have only appeared once, during the second defense of Blackrock Spire, and..." The Orcs paused, somewhat disdainfully, but to save Krasus's face, he did not point out that only one member of Krasus's people had come.

The Druids, who had been silent, tensed up, fearing that the three people in front of him would start fighting.

"Alright, let's end this topic. Anyway, we have the same goal now, which is the Dragon Soul." Krasus said, waving his hand.

It was clear to everyone that Krasus was hiding something, but what the Red Dragon was hiding was difficult to guess. Nathanos only felt that the Dragon Soul might be related to Nozdormu!

Krasus finished speaking and started to walk forward, Malfurion suddenly grabbed his arm and whispered, "Are we going to go with them?"

Krasus glared at him immediately. "What's there to consider at this point?"

"You once told me, Krasus, that you are the easiest for Neltharion to spot. You belong to the same kind as him. He must have anticipated that other dragons would want to steal the Demon Soul, and therefore he was prepared."

"But we Dragons are very sensitive, so we are more likely to avoid that thing. Besides, I protect myself very well."

Malfurion nodded and said, "As long as the disc remains in his hands, you Dragons will suffer the greatest loss. Many dragons will definitely want to try... The Earth-Warder will think so too. He's certainly on guard against Dragons magic in the cave, especially your protective magic."

"But he's a Guardian Dragons ..." the slender Krasus said, pouting. Malfurion expected Krasus to launch into a long explanation of why Malfurion's idea was wrong, but the Red Dragon mage ended by saying, "You're right. We'll try, and he'll know we're thinking of it too. I know him too well. I should have thought of this sooner; perhaps I was too eager for that thing. I'm lucky to have come this far. But his lair is surely full of traps, waiting for other dragons to walk right into it."

"That's my thought."

"But that doesn't mean you can easily steal the disc," Krasus cautioned. "However, the Orcs and Undead are incredibly audacious; they have already found the secret chamber."

Nathanos shrugged. "What's the use of finding it if we can't get in? Danger lurks everywhere, and the goblins there are Goblins numerous than we imagine. To obtain the Dragon Soul, we must cooperate."

Unable to think of any other reason to enter the cave alone, Malfurion finally agreed to let the two outsiders accompany him. Undoubtedly, with them by his side, the Night Elf still hesitated. But upon reflection, this arrangement made sense; Nathanos had helped him against Haka, and Broxigar's unwavering Will and powerful arms made entering the black dragon's lair less frightening.

Of course, this trip was still fraught with danger.

The group finally decided that Nathanos and Broxigar would lead the way first, and they would consider how to obtain the Dragon Soul after Krasus confirmed the details.

"I will provide support for you from the outside," Krasus assured them as they left. "I will never be discovered by the black dragon."

Returning to Neltharion's lair, the tunnels used for transporting ore provided them with ideal conditions; otherwise, even Malfurion would have struggled to find a suitable entrance. For most of the time in the tunnels, Broxigar could only keep his arms tightly pressed against his sides. Holding his battle axe, his eyes were fixed ahead, and he listened intently to the sounds around him.

The sounds ahead of the tunnel grew louder, and Nathanos hoped the noise would be to their advantage. The loud commotion might distract the Goblins and make them less likely to notice their presence.

A dim light appeared ahead, illuminating the winding tunnel. Broxigar looked somewhat nervous, Undead placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Over there!" Nathanos whispered. "After entering the cave, the black dragon took the left passage."

Broxigar grunted in understanding and continued walking. The road ahead grew brighter, and the noise became almost frenzied.

The scene before them was even more chaotic and disorderly than what Nathanos had seen before. There were at least twice as many Goblins in the cave as they had seen before, each Goblins hurrying back and forth as if stopping would mean certain death. Several Goblins were busy hammering at mountains of ore, while Goblins continuously added fuel to the towering furnace. Several chains held enormous jars, and molten metal was constantly being poured into huge containers.

To the right, in the distance, two massive plates of armor, already forged, lay abandoned to one side. Because of some minor cracks in the armor, they were nothing more than scrap metal.

"I still don't understand why they're doing this," Broxigar muttered. "Does the black dragon want to build himself a suit of armor?"

The Undead frowned and said, "That's not entirely wrong..."

Trying not to think about it, Nathanos looked carefully to the left side of the cave. There was indeed a path there, leading to a huge passage that Neltharion had once walked through.

"That's it! Let's go that way!"

Broxigar nodded, but stopped the two people behind him. "There Goblins, wait a moment."

The Orcs saw two Goblins busy hauling away the rubble left over from the mining. The Undead observed the progress closely and immediately realized they would be there for a long time.

"Let's switch places, I'll handle this!"

"Don't make a sound!" Broxigar and Nathanos carefully switched positions. The Undead had already aimed at the busy green-skinned dwarf, his two arrows aimed to pierce the goblin's skull. Goblins's head was easier to aim at than the rest of his body.

But just as he was about to release his grip, Neltharion's furious roar suddenly rang out, shaking the massive cavern. "Ready? I've waited long enough this time, or I'll devour every single one of you."

The Goblins foreman from last time suddenly started running. He kicked the working Goblins a few times, urging them to hurry, and then strode towards the upper passage. He muttered incessantly as he went, and Nathanos's keen ears told him that the Goblins was reciting some calculation formulas.

Before the Goblins could even reach the tunnel entrance, the black dragon stepped out of the opening.

"You bunch of useless bastards, you're not even as good as insects! I've had enough! Have you finished making what I asked for?"

"It's finished! It's finished! My master! Do you see it?" he said, pointing in a direction where several Goblins were struggling to drag a pair of enormous metal plates out from a corner. From their shape, Nathanos couldn't tell where they would be fitted onto Neltharion. Although they had cooled down, the plates still hissed with residual heat.

"It should be sturdier than the last one! The last one was really useless!"

The Goblins nodded quickly and said solemnly, "This time it's made from the finest metals! It's even stronger than steel! With your strength, it can withstand any impact, and you can easily bear its weight."

The Goblins easily carried the armor for a distance, proving this point, while Broxigar had thought it would take ten times as many Goblins to transport it.

Neltharion stared longingly at the armor. His breathing quickened as the red-hot armor passed by him.

"We just need to cool it down now, and it won't be long before..."

"No!" the Earth-Warder suddenly roared.

The old Goblins shuddered involuntarily. "What's wrong, my master?"

The black dragon stared intently at the armor, his eyes almost crazed. "I want to wear it right now!"

"But the heat above is no joke. And plate armor that isn't cooled is prone to warping. You really should wait a little longer..."

The colossal dragon, its body wreathed in flames, slammed a claw into the ground, its blade almost touching the Goblins: "Now..."

"Very well, Lord Neltharion! I'll get right to it. Get moving, you lazybones!" he Goblins carrying the plate armor.

Just as they turned around, the black dragon walked towards a large, open space by the wall. Malfurion and the Orcs stared in bewilderment as the dragon lay prone on the ground, its right side exposed. Flames still occasionally shot out from the gaping wound.

"Get it here right now!" Neltharion roared. "Hurry up!"

"What do they want with that armor for?" Malfurion asked, puzzled.

"Get the bolts ready!" the Goblins foreman ordered. "The higher the temperature, the better!"

A dozen or so Goblins split into two groups and began placing a giant pair of fire tongs into the furnace. Nathanos watched as they pulled a massive bolt from the furnace, at least as large as Broxigar.

"Get the hammer ready!"

"The stuff!" Neltharion grew impatient. "Give it to me now, and do as I say!"

The Goblins hurriedly carried it over. Finally Goblins foreman gave a gesture, and they all leaned forward, the armor falling onto the black dragon's scaly body.

The metal slammed into the black dragon, startling Nathanos and his companions, who recoiled a step back. A searing sound echoed through the cave. The horrific wounds on the dragon caused the armor to rattle, but it remained firmly in place.

"It's stable!" the foreman shouted to the Goblins. "Hurry! Bring out the first batch of bolts!"

The Undead could hardly believe their eyes, but Malfurion couldn't help but whisper, "They're going to nail it to him! He's gone mad! He's really gone mad!"

Broxigar remained silent, his eyes narrowed, and he gripped the Oak Axe tightly in his hand.

But Nathanos's expression was almost one of ecstasy. He laughed, his crimson eyes half-open and half-closed. He waited expectantly, his chest heaving.

The black dragon's swaying body caused the Goblins some trouble. They failed twice, but finally, on the third attempt, they slid the bolt into a hole in the armor. The bolt slid in halfway, Goblins used long fire tongs to clamp it, trying their best to prevent it from falling out.

"Get the hammer ready! Prepare to strike the bolt immediately!"

The other Goblins slightly shifted the position of the bolts, then leaped down.

"Pull harder!" the Goblins foreman shouted.

The massive, flat metal head slammed down on the bolt. With a deafening crash, the hammer and bolt collided violently. The bolt was deeply embedded in the bolt, with only a short section protruding from its casing.

Neltharion roared, but no matter how much pain he was in, there was a clear element of excitement in his roar.

"Continue!" the black dragon roared.

The Goblins carefully examined the location of the bolt, then ordered his men to move the hammer. Satisfied, he jumped down, shouting as he landed, "Pull it up!"

The hammer slammed down again.

This time, Neltharion's roar drowned out the sound of the hammer striking. The bolt sank even deeper.

"They're inside!"

Then came a burst of wild laughter from the black dragon.