Under Onyxia's lead, the group traveled through the forest until they arrived at the base of a vast and towering mountain range.
Before them, a grand black gate was embedded into the cliffside of the mountain.
This was the entrance to Grim Batol.
Similar to Ironforge, this dwarven city was built within the mountain behind the massive gate. If not for the persistent curse lingering within Grim Batol, it might have become a major stronghold for the orcs.
But now, only the Dragonmaw clan, having enslaved the red dragons, dared to remain in this cursed city.
The orc form that Onyxia had assumed seemed to hold significant status within the Dragonmaw clan. With just a few roars at the entrance of Grim Batol, she forced the guarding orc soldiers to clear the way for her.
Thus, under her lead, the four invisible figures managed to bypass the orc blockade and slip into the city hidden within the mountain.
Though the four of them were completely invisible and floating in mid-air, they still stirred up faint breezes as they passed the orc sentries.
However, due to Onyxia's presence, the orc guards assumed the source of the wind was merely the imposing female orc officer, completely failing to notice anything unusual.
...
Originally, when they stood before Grim Batol's grand gate, everyone thought they were about to witness a magnificent dwarven city.
As a Wildhammer dwarf, Kurdran nearly gasped in astonishment at the sight—this was the legacy left behind by his ancestors.
Yet, upon entering Grim Batol, they quickly realized that this was not some grand and glorious dwarven city, but rather a dark and terrifying city of shadows.
This former dwarven city was actually a vast cavern hewn out by dwarves, stretching from its towering ceiling down to its lava-filled depths, nearly a hundred meters tall—comparable to a building dozens of stories high.
The sheer size of the cavern was astounding, large enough that even colossal creatures like guardian dragons could barely maneuver within it.
However, due to the lingering curse, the Wildhammer dwarves had long abandoned the city, leaving behind a hollow shell.
The hundred-meter-high dwarven buildings carved into the rock walls stretched for miles, yet were almost entirely uninhabited.
A city that could once hold hundreds of thousands of residents had become nothing more than a ghost town.
Now, after centuries, Grim Batol had finally welcomed new masters—the Dragonmaw clan.
Yet, before arriving in Azeroth, this clan had been obscure and relatively weak in both numbers and strength.
Compared to the city's immense size, the Dragonmaw clan's population was far too small to fill it. In fact, they could barely control even one-tenth of the city, leaving Grim Batol still resembling a haunted ruin.
A city that should have been illuminated by eternal lights was now shrouded in near-total darkness, with only scattered points of light from orc fires breaking the gloom.
The only other source of illumination was the ever-flowing molten lava at the cavern's bottom.
In such a vast, empty city, finding a place to hide was remarkably easy.
The Dragonmaw clan simply did not have enough soldiers to patrol the entire city—unless they dedicated every single warrior solely to surveillance, abandoning all other tasks.
Thus, upon entering the city, the group casually found a deserted dwarven building in a secluded corner, dispelled their invisibility magic, and took a short rest while planning their next steps.
"If those gryphons were still around, we could simply ride them to search for our targets," Kurdran remarked, gazing at the massive cavern outside the window.
"Well, if our princess here is willing to humble herself a bit, that's also an option," Alaric said with a slight smirk as he looked at Onyxia, who had returned to her human form.
Compared to the hideous appearance of orcs, Onyxia, as a dragon, preferred the aesthetics of humans and elves.
Of course, it was also possible that she had simply grown accustomed to her human form after using it for so long.
"Well then, if you'd be so kind as to completely remove my seal," Onyxia retorted, refusing to back down in response to Alaric's teasing.
"I will, but only after we return," Alaric replied to the black dragon princess.
Onyxia's heart leaped with joy upon hearing this. However, before she could savor the moment, Alaric's next words crushed her excitement.
"The reason I used such crude methods to seal you was because I lacked the proper conditions. Once we return, I'll have means to control you without restricting your power."
"Y-you actually have such methods?" Onyxia shuddered at Alaric's words.
Given everything she had experienced—his precise calculations, his overwhelming tactics, and the way he had completely neutralized her before she could even unleash her true strength—she had no reason to doubt this "demon" before her.
She could already foresee her miserable fate.
"You… enslaving a dragon like this… Aren't you afraid of being targeted by the Dragon Aspects?" Onyxia made one last attempt to resist.
"Targeted? Of course not. My relationship with the dragons is much closer than you think," Alaric said casually, as if he were talking about a casual acquaintance with a street vendor.
Yet, his words shocked Onyxia and the others immensely.
"Uh, Brother Sandor," Kurdran suddenly spoke up in his booming voice, "I've been meaning to ask since we first met this she-dragon—what's the deal with these dragons?
And why the hell do they turn into women?"
Garona and Vereesa also turned their curious gazes toward Alaric.
On the gryphon, they hadn't had the chance to ask; during the encounter with the red dragon, the situation had been too urgent; and afterward, they had been focused on stealth and survival.
Only now did they finally have the opportunity to voice their long-held questions.
Had it not been for Alaric's authority and their familiarity with the secretive nature of mages, this mission might have been far more difficult to continue.
No one liked embarking on a dangerous endeavor while being completely kept in the dark—it was an unsettling experience.
Seeing their questioning expressions, Alaric pondered for a moment before nodding.
"Alright, since we have some time, I suppose I should take the opportunity to educate you about dragons.
First, let me ask you a question—what do you think dragons are?"
"Dragons? Aren't they just huge, terrifying lizards that breathe fire?" Kurdran blurted out. "They're strong, greedy, and obsessed with treasure.
Only the mightiest warriors can defeat them and claim their hoards."
Alaric chuckled at Kurdran's response. As a dwarf, even though the Wildhammer clan had long since moved away from underground mining, their attitude toward wealth and treasure remained unchanged from their kin.
"I'd say dragons are powerful beasts," Vereesa added, tilting her head thoughtfully. "They should be the strongest of all magical creatures, usually dwelling in deep mountains and ancient forests."
It seemed that the high elves, despite once fighting alongside dragons during the age of the night elves, had not passed down much knowledge about them. At least, ordinary high elves were unaware of their ancestors' allies.
"In my homeland, we don't have such creatures," Garona stated. Indeed, Draenor had no naturally evolved proto-dragons, let alone the Titan-crafted true dragons.
P.S. You can use the dwarven city from The Hobbit films as a reference for Grim Batol.
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