Escape from Certain Death

Pain was hardly tormenting for Neltharion, for each piece of armor successfully fitted into his body meant he was one step closer to becoming stronger. Donning the armor and wielding the Dragon Soul, almost no one could stop him.

"Hurry up!" Black Dragon commanded again, "Hurry up!"

The Goblins had almost finished preparing their hammers, making final adjustments for their next strike.

Just then, a voice that the Black Dragon King thought he would never hear echoed in the cave. The dragon was so frightened that it trembled and sent the iron hammer and the Goblins flying far away.

"My Dragon Soul! Someone is trying to steal it!" he roared, sending Goblins fleeing in panic from their massive lair.

Neltharion immediately shook himself off. The third section of his metal armor, not yet secured, fell to the ground as he swiftly turned toward the passage. The black dragon's feet and tail overturned tables, furnaces, and molds, creating a chaotic mess. Suddenly, flames erupted all around, and a furnace exploded, sending burning fragments flying everywhere.

To Neltharion, the chaos here was irrelevant. Some audacious individuals dared to attempt to steal his treasures. He would not allow such a thing to happen! He would capture these thieves and execute them.

The Earthwarden was enraged to learn that the intruders had managed to escape all sorts of traps, evade the guardians, and break all spells.

The black dragon roared again and rushed into the tunnel.

"He's here!" Malfurion's warning seemed superfluous.

Broxigar knew something had gone wrong, but he knew there was no time to think about that now; the most important thing was to escape with the Dragon Soul.

"Druids! Come quick! There might be an exit ahead! There's wind here, so there might be an exit."

Soon after, their desire for freedom was shattered. They only reached another secret room, but there was no exit. The airflow that Broxigar felt came from some tiny cracks.

"It seems the black dragon left no way out," the Night Elf muttered. "We're cornered..."

They heard heavy footsteps coming from outside the cave.

"The dragon will be here soon..."

"Then we'll fight him to the death," Broxigar replied solemnly, placing Nathanos in a corner, "To show him we're not cowards."

'Dragon Soul... use it quickly...'

Malfurion was startled. The voice vanished; he hadn't had time to identify whose voice it was, but it could only have been Krasus. The Night Elf remained unsure; he knew the Dragon Soul contained powerful magic. The changes occurring on the black dragon were a result of absorbing that magic.

Will this thing have a similar effect on him?

Suddenly a roar erupted, and the cave shook violently. Some rocks were shaken off the cave ceiling, some of them nearly hitting the Night Elf on the head.

There's no time to think about it anymore...

"Malfurion, what are you doing?" Broxigar asked uneasily as Malfurion pulled out the Dragon Soul. The disc's light instantly filled the entire chamber, even shining outside. If Neltharion didn't know where they were hiding before, he certainly did now, and he would be here soon.

"This is our last hope..." Malfurion raised the disc, pointing it at the largest wall in the chamber. He didn't know how the Dragon Soul worked; he simply imagined it opening a hole large enough for them to escape.

However, nothing happened.

'You must patiently feel it, you must hold your breath and concentrate, and think about how Cenarius taught you the ways of the Druids.'

The connection was lost once again, but Malfurion now knew what to do. Malfurion focused his attention on the disc and immersed his consciousness into it.

He immediately sensed the restless nature of the Dragon Soul. Its power didn't belong to this world; it came from beyond. The Druids almost gave up, but he knew he had to persevere.

He patiently felt it; Krasus had already reminded him. Malfurion tried to fully embrace the Dragon Soul, allowing its power to merge with his own.

And just like that... he succeeded. An astonishing power surged through his body in an instant, filling him with confidence. He even wanted to stride out of the passage and fight Deathwing and all the other enemies in the cave.

The Orcs looked at him warily. "Night Elf... are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he replied, almost sternly. Taking a deep breath, Malfurion glanced apologetically at Broxigar, then turned the Demon Soul back towards the wall.

"Carry your friend on your back," he said.

Broxigar did as instructed.

"Give me a way out," the Night Elf whispered.

The faint light around the edge of the disc suddenly blazed brighter, and the rocks instantly turned to steam, leaving no trace. The Dragon Soul had effortlessly burned away the stone and dust. Both were awestruck by the disc's immense power. A new tunnel appeared above, extending ever upwards.

"The magic will create a complete passage," Malfurion said, but he couldn't explain how he knew. "Let's go."

A thunderous roar shook the small cave they were in. Broxigar glanced quickly around the corner and shouted, "The dragon is here!"

The two set off immediately. Malfurion leaped into the magically created passage, Broxigar followed closely behind. The ferocious Earth-Warder howled incessantly, and the mountain continued to tremble.

"Where are they? I'm going to skin them alive."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a tremendous crash was heard, Malfurion knew that Neltharion had discovered them.

"This lair will be your final resting place!" the black dragon roared into the cave.

Then came another loud bang, and the temperature inside the cave rose rapidly.

"Come before me!" the Druids shouted. Broxigar passed by him, Malfurion turned the Dragon Soul behind him, focusing his mind on the evil disc.

A gust of cold, strong wind blew into the depths of the tunnel, and soon encountered a rapidly rushing stream of lava. Meeting the powerful resistance, the lava flow gradually slowed down and finally came to a stop.

The Night Elf gasped and quickly turned to continue climbing. Broxigar, eyes wide, continued running with Nathanos on his back. The Orcs seemed terrified by the immense power emanating from the Dragon Soul, and was filled with unease.

"Use that thing carefully, Druids. I can't believe this little thing can be so powerful."

"I completely agree."

Even as they fled, the magic of the Dragon Soul continued to amaze them. Along the way, they found the path beneath their feet remarkably easy to traverse. With the Dragon Soul's aid, the two moved twice as fast as before.

"I can feel the wind," Broxigar said cautiously. "This time it's definitely not a dead end."

A renewed flame of hope rekindled in their hearts, and they quickened their pace. Suddenly, Malfurion heard a whooshing sound, but he quickly realized it was the wind the Orcs had just mentioned.

"It's right there!" the Night Elf shouted, "The cave entrance!"

They appeared on a slope on the mountain, where a cool and pleasant breeze welcomed them as they emerged from their hellish lair.

But they weren't completely out of danger. It wouldn't be long before Deathwing knew they had escaped. He and his black dragon minions would catch up.

"It would be best to hide that thing," the Orcs Warrior suggested. "He will see the light of the disc."

Even if they hid the disc in their pockets, Neltharion could still sense its power. But putting the disc away would at least give them a better chance of escape. The Druids placed the Dragon Soul into the bag and then tied it tightly.

Broxigar then took the lead. The slope was covered in snow, and the Orcs cautiously tested the waters before each step downhill, repeatedly discovering places that would lead to his demise. Broxigar called out Nathanos's name several times, but the Undead seemed utterly lifeless. Unfortunately, Broxigar couldn't feel Nathanos's heartbeat, and he began to wonder if Nathanos would ever wake up.

Fortunately, in order to forge the metal armor, Neltharion utilized some caves at the lower part of the mountain. Although the path was fraught with danger, at least they wouldn't have to descend the entire mountain. Malfurion believed they could reach the foot of the mountain before dawn.

But their luck seemed to run out once again; a gigantic body suddenly appeared in the sky and sped past them. Malfurion and Broxigar quickly dove into the snow, trying to hide themselves from the dragon.

That creature was none other than the Earth-Warder. Perhaps it was the black dragon's madness that saved the two. He was enraged, searching the area for his treasures, spewing massive amounts of lava from every mountain peak he passed. The force of the lava striking the mountains was so great that entire peaks collapsed instantly, boulders raining down on the ground. He didn't seem to be using magic to explore this area, otherwise he would have already discovered them.