"No, we're not!" Nathanos shook his head and introduced himself. "We're just traveling through... Hello, Dwarf. I'm Nathanos of Leguli's Caravan, and this mage is Mr. Karin. Pleased to meet you, Bryan!"
"Hello, Karin, Nathanos. So you're travelers..." After greeting them, Brann Bronzebeard couldn't help sighing. "Honestly, can't you humans and Elves show a little spirit of adventure... All right, let's go, Grybe!"
"Hey, Dwarf, there's something strange about this deserted keep. They say plenty of people from Valgarde tried to enter it, but not one came back alive!" Nathanos warned him out of kindness.
"Strange?" Bryan chuckled. "Do you know who I am? I'm Brann Bronzebeard! How could one little keep scare me? Besides, I suspect there's an ancient Titan ruin beneath it, possibly even some hidden secret. I'm not passing up this opportunity!"
"Wait!" Karin suddenly stopped Bryan and asked with an odd expression, "You're Bryan, the founder of the Explorer's League?"
"That's right, that's right... Huh, even an Elf like you knows my name?" The Dwarf nodded repeatedly, looking rather proud. "Who knew our Explorer's League was already so famous?"
Bryan was not yet the greatest adventurer in Azeroth he would one day become. For now, he was merely a Dwarf who had just come of age, and the Explorer's League he had founded was still in its infancy. But his love of exploration was every bit as strong as it would be in the future!
"Then do you know Elise Starseeker, Reno Jackson, and Finley Mrrgglton?" Karin couldn't resist asking.
"Um... who are they?" The Dwarf looked blank.
"Nothing! Never mind!" Karin hurriedly smiled and asked, "By the way, Mr. Bryan, great explorer that you are, do you need any companions on this expedition... Or rather, could we join you?"
"What, you want to join me... Of course you're welcome!" Bryan said excitedly. "Come on, head inside with me. I promise it'll open your eyes!"
Karin had changed his mind.
The reason was simple: Brann Bronzebeard would become a very important figure in history. So, provided history remained unchanged, he was certain to live for several more decades!
That meant Bryan would make it out of Utgarde Keep alive, and the dangers inside weren't as severe as Karin had imagined.
Besides, Karin was quite interested in the Titan ruins within the keep... This was an opportunity!
"Mr. Karin, are you really going into this old keep? They say it's very dangerous!" Nathanos said uneasily... Clearly, he still remembered the terrifying stories about the place!
"What's wrong, lad? Scared?" Bryan shot Nathanos a contemptuous look and taunted him.
"How... how could I be!" The young human longbowman instinctively straightened his back. "I'm just... concerned for Mr. Karin's safety!"
"Hmph, how could Mr. Karin possibly be in danger with an experienced adventurer like me, Bryan, at his side?" Bryan said disdainfully. "Actually, if you're scared, you can just stay here and wait for us to come back up. It's fine!"
"Dwarf, are you looking down on me?" Nathanos demanded indignantly. "Hmph, now I'm going in even if you try to stop me!"
At those words, a sly grin flickered across Bryan's lips. "All right, lad, let's head in together..."
Bryan led the party, with Karin and Nathanos following in that order, until they reached the keep's entrance.
"First, we need to open this door!" Bryan said thoughtfully.
"Where's the lock... Why can't I see it?" Nathanos leaned closer and asked curiously.
"A complete novice, through and through!" Bryan shook his head and remarked, "Making such an obvious mistake... This keep is tens of thousands of years old. Even if it had a lock, it would have rotted away long ago. All we need to do is push the door open!"
"I'm not an adventurer!" Nathanos muttered.
Bryan stepped up to the door and pushed with all his might. "Huh, this door is heavy!"
"Try this!" Karin handed him a small vial of Lion's Strength Potion.
The Dwarf took the potion and casually gulped it down. His expression suddenly changed. "These little things you mages make are pretty good. I feel a lot stronger!"
"Hey, Dwarf, just say so if you're not strong enough... I could always give you a hand!" Nathanos mocked him without restraint.
Together, the two slowly pushed the heavy door open.
A hall greeted them... The entire chamber was made of metal, with thick dust covering everything!
"Even after tens of thousands of years, this metal still shines?" Karin murmured in wonder as he wiped the dust from the wall beside him and studied its luster.
"These are cobalt ingots..." Bryan said excitedly. "None of Northrend's natives know how to refine cobalt ingots from cobalt ore! I knew it! My guess was right. This keep really is a ruin left behind by the Titans!"
"Follow me!" Before he had finished speaking, Bryan ran ahead.
Karin and Nathanos hurried after him.
Many statues stood in the hall, depicting tall humanoid monsters with some strange-looking dragons behind them! Karin could clearly recognize them: Vrykul and Proto-Dragons.
"Wait, you two!" Bryan suddenly called in a low voice.
Karin and Nathanos immediately stopped.
"Grybe, scout ahead!" Bryan ordered his pet.
The gorilla nodded and cautiously took two steps forward, approaching the statues... The statues of giants and dragons showed no reaction to the animal beside them.
"Looks like everything's fine!" Bryan breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's go over, but stay careful!"
The three continued deeper into the keep, passing more and more statues of Vrykul and Proto-Dragons...
"Wait again!" Bryan called out once more. Something seemed to have caught his attention.
"I'm curious. What does this button do?"