A Bold Idea

It should have been sunrise by now. Nathanos looked up at the sky, but there was no sign of sunlight breaking through the dark clouds.

The Order of the Cloud Serpent had landed on the Isle of Thunder three days ago. At first, they had caught the Zandalari Trolls and Mogu off guard, but the disparity in numbers was too great, forcing them to find a hidden place to regroup.

Scout Tao Ya had discovered a cave outside Lei Shen's fortress, perfect for a temporary camp. After moving in, Taran Zhu named it Chilling Cave.

This truly was a well-positioned hideout. Marshes surrounded it on all sides, with only a narrow path leading in. Easy to defend, difficult to attack.

"Lei Shen's palace is surrounded by Zandalari Trolls and Mogu. They alone are difficult enough to deal with, not to mention the unknown dangers inside the palace..." Taran Zhu stared at the map laid atop a rock, speaking with Tao Ya and a female Pandaren named Aria Sunspeaker by the faint candlelight—he had heard she was Chen Stormstout's companion.

"Perhaps we should contact our Alliance and Horde allies..." Tao Ya suggested, only to be corrected by Taran Zhu.

"They are merely enemies we share, Tao Ya. The Order of the Cloud Serpent will not ally with anyone, or we will be drawn into their conflicts."

The female Pandaren scout nodded. From the corner of her eye, she saw Nathanos approaching.

"You Pandaren have a saying..." The Witherer joined the conversation. "Strike a snake at its vital point. In terms of troop strength, we are indeed no match for Lei Shen's army. But we hold the initiative in attacking, while they can only defend passively. Therefore, every attack we launch from now on must strike Lei Shen where it hurts."

"We