Red Dragon

"You saved my sister?" Alleria recalled that Sylvanas's arrows were on Nathanos before.

Nathanos did not answer her; he was not one to dwell on the past, nor would he seek any reward.

"Where are you going? Everyone is looking for you, Uther, Lothar, and..." Alleria lowered her voice, "And me."

Nathanos stopped for the second time, turned around, and asked, "What is it?"

The Female Elf looked at him speechlessly. Alleria didn't even know why she had sought out Nathanos. If she wanted to apologize or express gratitude, she had already done so. After thinking for a moment, Alleria stammered out, "The Alliance needs you now."

"You're really bad at lying. Your eyes have already betrayed you—clumsy lies."

"You...!" the Female Elf said angrily, "Come back with me!"

"You want to make a move?" Nathanos placed his hand on the short sword at his waist.

No, I won't hurt you.

"Thank you, although you can't do it either."

Alleria was speechless. She would definitely ask Uther when she got back who taught Nathanos to speak like that. He had absolutely no basic manners and always wanted to condemn the other person outright.

The Female Elf calmed herself down slightly and tried to maintain a smile, "Nathanos, how did you manage to shoot so accurately from 500 yards away?" Alleria was very curious about Nathanos's abilities; in some aspects, she was even inferior to this young human in front of her.

"A bow, an arrow, and knowledge of the wind direction when shooting."

"I know all that you're saying, but I've been a Ranger-General for hundreds of years. In my knowledge, the longest shooting distance is that of my sister Sylvanas. She once stood 300 meters away during her Ranger promotion test and hit the bullseye on the first try. That's the longest record."

"Is that so?" Nathanos chuckled twice. "I reached that distance when I was twelve. Judging from your expression, your Ranger seems to make you look bad compared to me."

"No, I won't deny it or refuse to face reality. You are indeed very talented, and I underestimated you before." Alleria thought for a moment, there was something on her mind that she didn't know whether to tell Nathanos. "I talked about you with Lord Uther before. He told me that you seem to be very interested in Ranger."

"That was a long time ago."

"I only have one question: do you really want to become a Ranger?"

Upon hearing this, Nathanos clenched his fists immediately and said, "This question is taboo for me. I need no identity, nor do I need anyone's pity or charity. Ranger or commoner, it doesn't matter. I am Nathanos Marius, the son of a farmer, nothing more."

"How harsh." Alleria smiled helplessly, as if she always maintained a smile, the meaning of which Nathanos did not understand. "It seems that my suggestion was already anticipated... and rejected. But before I leave, I still have to ask, where are you going? At least so that Lord Uther won't have to worry about you."

"Thank you. If you really want Uther to focus all his attention on dealing with the Horde, then please tell him I'm going home."

"If you don't actually have it, then at least tell me the truth, and I'll keep it a secret for you."

Nathanos looked at her face, and for a moment he wanted to refuse Alleria, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to say it. Finally, he replied, "No one knows the place I'm going to better than you."

Grim Batol

The Dragonmaw Clan's secret occupation of this place was something no one expected. Dragonmaw Clan Chieftain Zuluhed was a Shaman; no one knew why this Orcs hadn't embraced Fel to become Warlock, but his decision to forgo powerful abilities unexpectedly earned him the favor of Great Chief Orgrim. He led his clan here not on Orgrim's orders, but because of one of his clan members— Ner'zhul Skullcrusher, a Warlock. The Dragonmaw Clan had previously acquired a powerful artifact. However, Zuluhed couldn't control the artifact's power, but Ner'zhul could; Fel could ignore the curses on artifacts.

"Ner'zhul!"

Zuluhed strode through the corridor, glaring at any Orcs that blocked his path. "Ner'zhul!" he roared once more.

"I'm here, Chieftain." Ner'zhul Bonecrusher limped out of a nearby cave, his wooden prosthetic legs clattering against the rough stone floor. He kept his head down to avoid bumping into the door. "What is it?"

Zuluhed quickly stood beside him, glaring at him. "Ready?"

Ner'zhul laughed. "You can see for yourself." He turned and limped back the way he came, Zuluhed muttering as he followed. He hated this place. This place, Grim Batol, had once been Dwarf fortress, now belonging to the Dragonmaw Clan. Although the rooms were large enough, the low doors always annoyed Zuluhed, not to mention sometimes having to stoop to get in. The height was sufficient for Dwarf, but a stretch for most Orcs. They were expanding it, but working with the mountain rocks wasn't easy, and they didn't have much time for such tedious work. The fortress was well-equipped, built inside the mountain, making it easy to defend—a crucial point.

Ner'zhul led him deeper into the fortress, finally arriving at a vast underground chamber. Here, heavy Dark Iron chains clad the walls, and the sight before him made Zuluhed hold his breath. A colossal creature filled the entire room, lying there whether in comfort or despair. Its wingtips swept across the ceiling, its tail slapping against the distant walls, creating a trail of torches that illuminated its scales, turning them a blood-red hue.

A dragon.

This is no ordinary dragon. This is Alexstrasza, the Queen of Dragons —one of the most powerful beings in the world, powerful enough to destroy an entire clan and swallow a strong Ogre whole.

But they still managed to catch her.

It was all Ner'zhul's doing. For weeks, the entire clan had been searching for a dragon, and finally, they encountered a lone male Red Dragon flying low over the forest, one of his wings injured. Ner'zhul didn't ponder what could have wounded such a massive creature, but it certainly made their job easier. They followed the Red Dragon to his clan's lair, the summit of a secluded mountain surrounded by dragons that soared through the sky like birds. They observed the summit for days, waiting until Ner'zhul announced that he had tamed the Demon Soul. Then, they slowly and cautiously approached the top, where they found Alexstrasza. The Dragons Queen immediately noticed them, opened her mouth, and instantly killed four Orcs with fire. But Ner'zhul stepped forward and subdued her in an instant, all by himself and with the artifact in his hand called the Demon Soul.