The Missing Dragon Knight

When Grot awoke, he found himself bound hand and foot to a pillar in complete darkness. He struggled, but the ropes binding him didn't loosen. He also realized his armor was gone, and his body felt cold. Something was circling around his feet, causing an unbearable itch.

"What is that? Is it a snake?" Grot shook the rope frantically, cursing the place under his breath. He had only one thought in mind—to get out of there. "This damn rope!" He shook it harder and harder, finally alerting the people outside. Suddenly, a glowing rectangle appeared before his eyes. The light was so bright that Grot felt blinded, and it wasn't until he looked again that he realized it was a door, and there was a figure standing there—a human.

"Who is it?" the captured Orcs asked. The other man approached him, and only when he was three meters away did he realize it was the human who had defeated him! Grot's eyes immediately turned sinister, but that was all he could do. Just as he was about to say something, the man suddenly seized the opportunity and shoved something into his mouth.

"Ugh!" Grot twisted from side to side the next second, glaring angrily at the human, his eyes signaling him to take the thing stuffed into his mouth away, but the other didn't. Grot gradually calmed down, and suddenly a sweet taste came into his mouth—it was a piece of bread!

Nathanos told him to shut up and turned to leave. The rope he used to bind Grot was made of cowhide, making it impossible for him to break free. Having dealt with the Orcs, there was something even more troublesome to handle. Nathanos returned to the farmhouse, where a fellow was frantically devouring the farm's stored grain.

"It seems your size has shrunk, but your appetite hasn't." Nathanos leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching the Red Dragon devour her food. The dragon was frantically munching on a loaf of bread while her eyes were already on another piece of bread on the table. She completely ignored Nathanos's words, though she understood them perfectly.

"Could I have another leg of lamb? Just one," the Red Dragon said. The human glanced at her and walked towards the kitchen. An hour later, the "glutton" in front of her finally stopped eating, a satisfied expression on her face.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. Nathanos looked at her for a long time, concluding that this Female Elf, or rather this Red Dragon, seemed to have endured something terrible. Her red robes weren't torn, but there were deep bruises on her arms and cheeks, and she clearly hadn't eaten in a long time. Nathanos had learned about Dragons from books; although many considered them merely legendary creatures, he was certain of one thing—they existed on Azeroth. But the Horde wasn't from this world, yet the Orcs had ridden her back here. Nathanos was initially surprised, assuming the Dragons and Orcs had allied, but seeing the dragon's plight, he dismissed that idea. Another thought arose: the Orcs had enslaved the Dragons —how could that be?

"What is your name?" Nathanos asked.

"ChristaSA," the Red Dragon in the form of Female Elf replied, then added, "I am a Red Dragon, as you should have seen, but what happened to me is beyond your imagination. Thank you for helping me get rid of that Orcs. What did you do to him?"

"He was kept in my grain silo, with rats as his companions," Nathanos replied.

"Since he is your prisoner, you have the right to decide his life or death. Thank you again, but I must leave; I have important matters to attend to." The Female Elf rose, but the next second she suddenly felt weak all over and slumped back into the chair. "What is this? What did you do to me?" ChristaSA looked at Nathanos in astonishment.

"It's nothing." The human moved his chair and sat opposite her, then placed a blade of grass on the table. "It's just some 'seasoning' in your food."

ChristaSA's eyes widened, and she frowned as she said, "What! You...!"

"I don't know what dosage is needed to bring a dragon to its knees, so every bite of bread and every piece of mutton you eat contains this herb that can render a person unable to move."

Why did you do that?

"Why?" Nathanos laughed. "You don't seem to understand the situation, lady. To me, you and that Orcs are no different; you are both prisoners."

"I am not your enemy." ChristaSA tried to struggle to her feet or transform, but her body did not respond to her Will at all. "I was forced to serve those damned greenskins, I did not intend to hurt you."

"Excellent!" Nathanos snapped his fingers and came to her side. "I'm also very curious why a powerful creature like you would obey the Orcs' orders. There must be a story behind it, and I'd love to hear it."

"You have no idea what you're doing, human. The situation is worse and more terrible than you imagine."

As dusk Dusk, Grim Batol

Ner'zhul was counting the Dragon Knight, but he knew at a glance that the number was wrong. It wasn't because he had sharp eyes, but because they only had nine Dragon Knight so far.

"One's missing?" Ner'zhul said, then roared, "Who else hasn't come back?"

"It's Grot, sir."

"Grot?" Ner'zhul thought of that arrogant fellow, who always boasted about his ability to control Red Dragon. Ner'zhul remembered repeatedly warning this guy to be careful, but each time Grot would absentmindedly accept the admonitions, completely ignoring his words. "Where did he go?"

"I don't know," a red Dragon Knight replied, then looked at the Red Dragon trapped in the cage and added, "His dragons haven't returned either."

"Fool!" the Warlock cursed. "I don't care whether Grot lives or dies, but that dragon is a direct descendant of the Queen of Dragons, one of the few Red Dragon several times stronger than ordinary young dragons. Damn Grot, where did he take my dragon?" Ner'zhul glared fiercely at the stone beside him, as if it were Grot. "Go find him immediately and bring him back... no! Bring my dragon back. Now!"

Ner'zhul's orders could not be disobeyed. The Red Dragon Knight set off reluctantly, cursing the missing Grot in their hearts.

"What are you yelling about, Ner'zhul?" Zuluhed emerged from a dark passageway on the side.

"That piece of trash, your proud dragon knight Grot Deathstrike, he's gone missing, taking a powerful red dragon with him."

"Grot? I remember he was the first to become Dragon Knight, what happened?" Zuluhed realized something was wrong and immediately asked.

Ner'zhul gritted his teeth and looked down at the side. "I can't explain it, but I have a bad feeling that it's closely related to Grot's disappearance."