Experiment
His head felt heavy upon his neck. He could barely even hold it up. Energy streaked about him. His eyes drooped heavily. He felt his arms pulled out tightly and his legs pulled taunt. He could barely feel his body. Sounds were muffled, his sight was blurry. He felt something leach away from him, his life. Siderion breathed heavily. He raised his head slightly and his shoulders shivered. He tried to focus upon what it was that was draining him. Purple energy flowed out from his body, being concentrated upon a central point. He could not remember how he ended up here. The last thing he did remember was leaving Uldum after meeting his lord Neltharion, and not Deathwing. Siderion made his way to the other black dragons, tell them of how the Black Aspect has been redeemed, that he no longer sided with the Old Gods and that he wanted his flight to return to their duties as warders of the world. Siderion said that Neltharion has not abandoned them. But then, he remembered the other black dragons turned upon him. The hold upon them that the Old Gods had, it was greater than what they had upon Neltharion. Then, Siderion realized with horror why. They were the breeding grounds for new twilight dragons. Though the cult had stolen other dragon eggs, none came more plentiful for twilight dragons than black dragon eggs. The madness of the Old Gods had twisted Neltharion's flight beyond his control. Yet, Siderion managed to survive through it. When he touched the Heart of Azeroth and heard Neltharion's song ripple through the rock, he felt whatever hold that the Old Gods had upon him slowly drift away. The whispers became more faint each time he reached into the rock of Azeroth, touch its heart. Still, even with this new found freedom, the song could not save him from the cult.
Siderion lifted his huge, draconic head. He heard a crack from the central glow where his energy was flowing into. His fiery eyes narrowed as he tried to see passed the purple glow. He heard the chants of the cultists. Then, he heard a duo of mocking voices, one intelligent and contemplative, the other...madness itself. He swallowed hard, his throat aching and dry. The tough of hair upon his chin looked tangled, his body roughed up. Siderion blinked and focused upon the duo of voices.
"Ah, you are awake," said the deep, contemplative voice.
"Awake!" shrieked the shrill, maddened voice. "The little black lizard is awake!"
Siderion recognized the two voices and he let loose a deep, pained growl. His head trembled as he tried to lift it to the two voices. He felt his tail kicked by a large foot. He tried to blink away the blurred vision.
"C...Cho...Cho'Gall," said Siderion as his eyes cleared. They beheld an ogre, twisted and malformed and larger than any other ogre alive. Its two heads stared at the black dragon, one with two eyes, the other only with a single one. The ogre had eyes blinking from places upon his skin, a mutation he was granted from his Old God masters. The head that had two eyes was called Cho while the cyclops was called Gall.
"One black dragon out of hundreds siding with the Betrayer," said Cho.
"A big mistake!" chimed Gall. "A big mistake!"
"Betrayer?" Siderion asked.
"Deathwing!" said Cho.
"Unmaker of Worlds," said Gall.
"Or at least he was," said Cho. "Now, he has betrayed us instead. What does he want to do? Save this world? Stop the true masters of this world from reclaiming it? His end will come just the same as the others."
"A big bang!" shrieked Gall.
Siderion gasped when he heard the sound of cracking again. He knew that sound very well. It sounded like a large egg hatching. He fidgeted in his binds, but his failing strength did little to help him.
"What are you...doing to me?" he asked.
"You are giving of yourself," said Cho. "To fulfill Deathwing's promise he made us."
Gall laughed shrilly.
"Promise?" Siderion asked. "What promise?"
"Simple," said Cho. "Even if he refuses to finish what he started, we have enough of his notations to finish it for him."
"Deathwing or no Deathwing!" said Gall.
"What is it?" Siderion asked, his eyes now focused upon a gigantic, purple, spiked egg. His powers were being drained into it. Siderion looked around him to find the withering bodies of other dragons and drakes, all being drained. Though, he was the only black dragon there.
"To make this work, a member of Deathwing's flight must give of himself," said Cho.
"Whether he wants to or not!" said Gall.
"You were the perfect subject, Siderion," said Cho.
"Yes!" said Gall.
"No..." said Siderion. "Stop this!"
He looked around to find netherwing drakes tied up similar to him, their energy being drained by the egg as well. He shifted his head and saw a red dragon collapse into dust, its energy completely drained from its body. He pulled at his chains again.
"No..." he said.
"We should let this one drain for a little while longer," said Cho, looking back at one of the Blood Elf cultists. "The more he fights, the more his energy is drained."
"Drain him dry!" said Gall. "Until the little black dragon crumbles to dust."
"Yes, master," said the Blood Elf. She continued to channel her power into the spell that drained Siderion's life.
Cho'Gall turned away, slowly lumbering down the massive corridor, leaving Siderion to the egg's mercy. Siderion rumbled, his head drooping again. He turned slowly to the Blood Elf cultist who focused her energies upon the spell that drained him. The black dragon focused upon her, his face falling to sadness. The cult, in all of its power, was the last refuge for many who were afraid during the Cataclysm. Siderion could not tell if this cultist was one of those who joined out of fear of the coming apocalypse, or joined for power under the servitude of the Old Gods. Though he could sense she was not in the right mindset like the others.
Within the cult there were generally three types of people, those who joined because of madness, those who joined because of power, those who joined out of fear itself. Cho'Gall welcomed them all, promising them power, a means to an end, and of course telling them to embrace the coming darkness.
Find comfort in it.
Was this Blood Elf here because she was scared, or was she maddened like everyone one else? Or did she seek power?
Siderion felt his strength finally slip as he began to fall into unconsciousness. The world began to spin around him, churning and shifting. It was getting close. Then, the Blood Elf lowered her hands and the channeling of the purple energy stopped. She turned around and blasted the chains with a purple-white light from her hands. The chain fragments fell, clanging upon the floor. Siderion's huge body fell to the ground, causing a tremor to roll through. The elf swiftly came to his side and pushed against his scaly cheek.
"Come on, wake up!" she said. "Come on!"
Siderion's fiery eyes fluttered open and he raised his heavy head.
"What..." he began. "What...what happened?"
"I need to get you out of here, dragon," said the Blood Elf. "Can you transform into a human form?"
"I...don't know...if I have the strength," said Siderion.
"You have to before Cho'Gall returns," said the Blood Elf. "If he finds out I'm not channeling your energy into that egg, we're both dead."
"Who...who are you?" he asked.
"Someone who wants out," said the Blood Elf. "I'll tell you all about it later. Come on!"
Siderion gathered up what little strength he had left and began to shift his form. He felt it condense down, growing smaller and smaller. His wings disappeared, his tail vanished. His forelegs became muscular, human arms, his hindlegs reshaped into human legs. His long snout flattened out, becoming human as well. Siderion was bare-chested, wearing only black, long kilt that came down to his ankles. His skin was dark, his eyes still belied his true form, glowing from under heavy, black eyebrows. His hair was long, pulled back into a ponytail with fringe in the front. Upon his face was a mustache and beard. He was much taller and stalkier than the Blood Elf before him. The Blood Elf took him by his large arm and began to help him up.
"It's okay," she said. "Come on."
She swung his arm around her shoulder and they began to limp slowly out of the enormous chamber.
"What about the others?" Siderion asked.
"They're as good as dead now," she said. "You haven't been drained as long as they have. I can't save all of them. But if I save you, you can help me out."
"Why?" Siderion asked. "Why would I help a cultist...now? I...I am not...that way anymore. I do not want to...serve the Old Gods like others of my kind."
"I don't want to serve them either," said the Blood Elf.
She held onto his wrist as they made their way towards the long corridor.
"I need to give you a disguise," she said. "Dress you up like a cultist so that they won't suspect what we are doing.
"What...is your name, mortal?" Siderion asked.
"Nadina," said the Blood Elf. "And yours?"
"Si..Siderion," he said.
"Alright, now that we've got names out of the way, let's work on getting out of here," she said.
Nadina and Siderion continued down the hall. She paused just as a couple of Twilight Cultists began to walk down the corridor from the opposite door. The Blood Elf leaned Siderion up against the wall.
"Stay here," she said. "Just don't move."
Siderion's head bobbed up and down and his shoulders slumped. Nadina's form suddenly shifted into shadow, her body becoming a dark, translucent mass. She reached out through her shadowy form, bands of purple energy flowing out from her hands and striking the oncoming cultists before they had time to react. Siderion breathed heavily, watching as Nadina sapped the life out of the two cultists. The cultists fired bolts of shadow energy towards her. Siderion took in a deep breath and with what strength he had dove for Nadina. He took the brunt of the bolt of shadow energy. The shadowy energy began to sap his strength, stinging like needles upon his skin. He swung his hand and several balls of fire irrupted from his palms.
"No!" called Nadina. "Don't burn the uniforms!"
The cultists leapt out of the way as the fireball seared the ground at their feet. Siderion had not the strength to even aim. Nadina pushed the dragon in human form aside as she once more channeled upon the cultists. The purple energy sapped them and they fell upon the rocky floor. She swiftly got up and made for one of the cultist, quickly pealing off his robes. Siderion leaned up wearily upon his elbows as he watched her take the cultist's robe from him. She tossed the black dragon the robes.
"Put those on!" she said. "Hurry!"
Siderion fumbled through the robes, trying to pull them on over his head. He turned back, noticing the smell of another dragon finally dropping dead in the chamber behind him. It was not a smell he wanted to smell.
"Why me?" he asked. "Again? You could have saved them too."
"It would have done no good if I saved everyone," said Nadina. "At least one dragon could help me."
"Help you escape?" Siderion asked, as he rose to his shaking feet. He stumbled slightly over and Nadina caught him.
"A bit more than that," said Nadina. "You're a black dragon."
"And...why does that have any importance?" asked Siderion.
"You know Deathwing," said Nadina.
"Why would you want to meet him?"
"Because he is the one who created that thing that was sapping your life away," said Nadina.
"What is it?" he asked. "What is that egg? Is it a dragon?"
"More," said Nadina. "I...I can't tell you here. We have to get out of here." She tucked her arm under his, providing some support. "I need you to stand straight. They can't know you're fatigued, Siderion."
"I understand," said Siderion.
She braced him tightly against her. Siderion turned around to the dead cultists lying in the floor.
"What do we do about them?" he asked.
"Can you muster a fireball one more time?" she asked. "Hot enough to burn them completely?"
"I will try," said Siderion. Nadina turned him around, still holding onto him, keeping him from falling. The dragon concentrated upon his spells, forming the fireball in the palm of his hand. He raised his hand to the bodies and the ball of fire shot forth, igniting their forms. With one flash of the fire, the dead cultists burned away. Nadina's nose wrinkled, smelling the horrible oder of burning flesh as they slowly turned to as before Siderion. She heard the flesh crinkling, popping, hair sizzling away. Siderion lowered his hand and sighed, feeling heavy again. Nadina held him up, noticing his body becoming like a deadweight in her arms. She kicked the ash over, scattering it until it looked like it was a part of the ground itself.
"Come on," said Nadina. "And stay close. Try not to look so weakened."
They continued to walk, Nadina noticing how Siderion was fumbling over his feet. She tried to hold the dragon up as best as she could. She pulled the hood over his head, keeping his face veiled from view.
"Do you...do you know any...spells...healing spells?" he asked, his head bobbing up and down, his eyes growing heavy again. "Shadow priest?"
"Yes," she said. "But I want to conserve my energy until we've at least made it out of the sight of the Twilight Citadel."
"And the...egg..."
"I'll tell you everything once we are away from the cult," said Nadina. "Try to stand up straighter."
She paused slightly when she saw a couple of cultists passing by her and Siderion. Siderion looked up, watching them walk by. One of the cultists paused, noticing how Nadina was holding her companion up. The cultist was an orc.
"Hey, what's wrong with him?" he asked.
"He...uh...had a little too much wine," said Nadina. "Celebrating a little early."
"Too early," said the orc. "You should sober up. The Master is not going to be happy with incapacitated minions."
"Sorry..." Siderion said, his head continuing to bob up and down. "I will not do it...again, sir."
"Perhaps I should help you, Blood Elf," said the orc. "Get him to a bed."
"No," said Nadina. "That's fine. I've got him."
"Are you sure?" he asked. "It's no trouble..."
"No, it's fine," said Nadina. "I know where he lives. Come on...Sid. Let's get you to bed."
"Yes...bed..." said Siderion.
They continued to walk slowly on, leaving the orc to watch suspiciously. He scratched his head. Nadina looked behind her, seeing the orc shrug and walk away.
"Keep your head down," she said. "Try to walk straighter. I don't think we can pull the drunken act again if someone asks."
"If...you could heal me just a little bit," said Siderion. "I could...walk better."
Nadina sighed and then pushed him up against the wall, well out of the way of any cultist walking down the corridor. She looked behind her shoulder, making sure no one was coming and then laid a glowing golden hand upon his chest. She closed her eyes and allowed the healing glow to seep down underneath his robe and his skin suddenly reacted to it, absorbing it hungrily. Siderion closed is eyes, breathing softly. His body became lighter, his heaviness slowly going away. Nadina's keen ears picked up the sound of footsteps coming their way. She turned to find a rather high ranking cultist warlock come walking down the corridor. Nadina took in a deep breath and rose herself to Siderion's eye-level. Then, she pressed her lips against his, giving him a lengthy kiss. Her hand leg go of his chest and she wrapped her arms around his waist. However, her spell was redirected, flowing out through her lips and into Siderion's. Siderion looked up to see the warlock pause for a moment and then shake his head only to continue his walk. He felt his strength returning to him with the long kiss the Blood Elf gave him. Nadina slowly backed away, looking back behind her shoulder again. Siderion swallowed, looking at her with utter confusion. Nadina wiped her mouth.
"You taste like brimstone," she said.
"I'm sorry..." said Siderion. "What...what was that?"
"Nothing personal," said Nadina. "Do you feel better?"
Siderion shook his head, finding his strength returning him. He blinked.
"Healing kiss?" he asked.
"So long as a part of my body touches yours," said Nadina. "I can heal you. Which includes the lips."
Siderion licked his lips, still feeling confused by the odd method she chose to heal him with.
"It's nothing personal," said Nadina. "Alright? But if that warlock saw my glowing hands, he would have suspected something."
"Just an odd way of doing it," said Siderion.
"What's the matter, never kissed a mortal before?" Nadina asked with a slight grin.
"Uh..." Siderion began.
"Come on, scaly, let's go," said Nadina, taking hold of his robe and pulling him along.
With his renewed strength, Siderion was now able to keep up with Nadina and they both were able to reach the opening of the corridor. As the corridor opened up to the outside, they looked around about the twisted, dark purple land. Twisting, pointed rocks rose up from the ground, winding around various buildings. Growing out from the ground as if it was very much a part of it was the spiraling spire of the Twilight Citadel topped with the sharp, circular portal leading to the Bastion of Twilight. The massive chamber where the egg was was nestled under the citadel itself, kept hidden from prying eyes. The Cult did not want their enemies to know what they were creating under the citadel. Siderion cast his eyes skyward to the swirling, dark clouds. Lightning flashed through the clouds, a few of the bolts striking the elementium spikes jutting out from the rocks. Above, flying in protective circles were twilight drakes.
"Drakes," said Siderion. "My disguise may be able to fool most mortals, but it won't fool them."
"Then we have to get out of here now," said Nadina.
They darted towards a large, rocky cliff. As they ran, their presence was spotted by three twilight dragonspawn. Their strange, teal eyes narrowed as the hooded Siderion passed by them. One of the spawn sniffed the air. He could sense a great power emanating from Siderion.
He was not mortal.
The dragonspawn bellowed out a roar, pointing his sword at Siderion. The other two darted for Nadina and Siderion while the third one pulled out a ram's horn. He took a deep breath and blew into it, sounding its trumpeting call. Siderion and Nadina looked up as they heard the sounds of roaring drakes. Siderion turned towards the horn seeing two of the twilight dragonspawn racing towards both of them. They began to back up just as the dragonspawn moved towards them, brandishing their weapons.
"Siderion," began Nadina. "Are you strong enough to fight them?"
"No," said Siderion. "I am not. Just strong enough to run..."
She looked beyond Siderion. Right behind him was a cliff.
Nadina sighed: "I have an idea. Just play along."
She pulled out her staff and swatted Siderion in the face, knocking him down.
"Black dragon!" she called. "How dare you try to escape!"
Siderion looked up, his eyes wide.
"What?"
Nadina hissed to him: "Run...now!"
She hit him again. Siderion felt his face, feeling a bloody gash upon his cheek. He got to his knees and slowly began to crawl away. Siderion gasped as he felt something painful bolt upon his back. The pain continued as he tried to rise. Another sensation prickled upon his body and he could feel his energy slowly leached away from him. He turned around only to see that Nadina had switched to her shadow form once more. She was casting her spells upon him. Siderion looked up, seeing the twilight drakes leap from the sky and land. He flinched when he felt the pain of her continuing spell grip at him again. Siderion gritted his teeth, his body straining to move. He fumbled just as he started off, stumbling towards the edge of the cliff. Nadina and the twilight dragonspawn moved towards him. The drakes fired their shadowy breath upon Siderion and he felt more of his energy leave him. One of the drakes leapt out, barring his way. Siderion stumbled back as the drake swung her claws at him. He ducked under the claws and crawled under the twilight drake's belly. Nadina rushed after him. She waved at the drake, motioning her to step aside.
"I will finish him off," she said. "His body must be spared...for Ultraxion."
Siderion breathed heavily as he crawled out from under the twilight drake. He could feel the rocks under his knees scraping against them. The shadow of the twilight drake moved away. Siderion looked back only to feel the the tail of the drake bat him from the ground. He crashed upon the rocks near the ledge, rolling closer to it. He grimaced, holding his stomach. Nadina walked towards him. She knelt down to the black dragon and grabbed the collar of his robe. With a huff, she lifted him up from the ground.
"Grab me," she whispered.
"Grab you?" he asked.
"Yes," said Nadina. "Grab me and hold on. We're going over."
Siderion took hold of her and Nadina started to struggle against his grip. She moved him closer to the edge.
"Let go!" Nadina called, making sure the others could hear her. Then, she kicked Siderion's legs, tripping him as she pushed him off the ledge. Her hands still held firm to his robe and she fell as well. The twilight drakes and spawn rushed to the edge of the cliff, watching them both fall to the rocks below. A spawn raised his claw to the drake and then looked over the side of the cliff. They saw the two bodies, lying in the middle of the sharp rocks, twisted. They were not moving. He sniffed the air and then growled at the others, shaking his head. They slowly moved away, returning to their posts.
Down below the cliff's ledge, where the rocks were the sharpest, a faint glow around Siderion's body slowly disappeared. Siderion lifted his head, moaning uncomfortably. He looked over and moved to Nadina. He touched her shoulder.
"Nadina?" he asked.
Nadina moved and took in a deep breath.
"I'm alright," she said. "Took nearly all I had to keep that shield up around you and float myself down before we hit the rocks. She stretched. "I'm sorry if I hurt you back there. I tried to make it as believable as I could."
"It's fine," said Siderion. "Now...can you tell me what this is all about? That egg, what is it?"
"Not here," she said. "Not here. We need to go someplace safe."
"Where?" asked Siderion.
"Out of the Twilight Highlands," she replied. "There's a portal to Orgrimmar in the Dragonmaw port village. All we need to do is sneak in and go through the portal."
She leaned over and touched his shoulder, her hands glowed once more. Again, Siderion felt his strength returning to him as the Shadow Priestess healed him. When she could sense that he was almost back to full health, Nadina backed off, holding her hand.
"That's all I can give you right now," she said. "But it should do. Once we are out of the view of the cult..." Nadina broke off, taking a deep breath again.
"I'll transform," he said. "And I'll fly us to the Dragonmaw's portal." He rose to his feet and then helped her up. "But once I get you through the portal, you tell me everything."
"I promise," she said. "Everything."
Before them was the Highland Forest. Rich evergreen trees blanket the ground despite the raging destruction happening in the Highlands itself. Beyond the forest, Siderion could see a ridge of mountains where black drakes rested for the night. There was a desire to go to them, to call for their help, but he knew he could not. There was a deep possibility they would turn him in, still under the thrall of the Old Gods and the left over madness Deathwing once had. He lowered his head in shame. He could not trust his own kind no matter how much he wanted to.
"I know how he feels now," said Siderion.
"Who?" Nadina asked.
"Lord Neltharion," he replied. "He must be so distraught over this. He desires to try and help his flight, but most of us do not want to leave the madness of the Old Gods."
"Why don't you?" asked Nadina.
"Because to most black dragons, that's all they've ever known," said Siderion. "Myself included. But then I touched the world, and its heart. I felt...him..his song...and I began to realize there was something more than the madness Deathwing brought. And at last I met him, I met the real Neltharion, the real Black Aspect. The Old Gods...they don't want to give us power. We were the warders of this world, we are in the way. They are using us. That's what he said. Even after I met Neltharion...my grandfather for the first time...seeing the love in his eyes for not only me but the rest of his flight...and that he was afraid for us...I didn't quite believe him. The more I delved with my eyes now open to the truth...I realized Lord Neltharion was right. They want to kill us! They'll use us and then they will slay us. They hope that sooner or later our enemies will thin out our ranks. Then Deathwing started creating Twilight Dragons. These dragons became favored over us. When the Hour of Twilight happens, the only dragons that will be left in the cold dead world will be them. My flight will die. Alexstrasza's flight will die, Kalecgos' flight will die, Nozdormu's flight will die. Neltharion was right. Now he has been cured of the Old Gods."
"Do you hear the Old Gods now?" Nadina asked.
"No," said Siderion. "I do not. The power of Neltharion's song prevents me from hearing them. If only the other black dragons would listen to it, hearing its joy, it's sorrow...they might be cured too. But they do not want to. They refuse his song. I need to trust you, I need to know that this isn't some trick by the Twilight Cult, making me lead them to Neltharion. I know what they want to do with him. He betrayed him, they want him dead. He is the Earth-Warder, he holds the keys to the Old God's prison. Once he's gone, there is no stopping them. I have to prevent that."
"You can trust me," said Nadina. "I told you I didn't want to be with the cult. I was afraid, I felt they held all the answers to what all was going on in the world...all this destruction, they knew!"
"And that gave you a reason to join them?" asked Siderion, his eyes widened to her.
"I was afraid!" Nadina called. "Confused! They held the answers, but to know them, I had to join them. I...didn't know what I was getting into. I thought maybe if I joined, I would be saved from this destruction...but..."
"But the more you dove into the cult's secrets, the more you realized there was no haven they promised," said Siderion. His shoulders slumped and he took in a deep breath. "I will bring you to my lord Neltharion, but I will let him judge whether or not you are telling the truth. Trust me, he will know. He may be the kindly, wise Aspect he once was 10 thousand years ago, but cross him, and it will be the last thing you ever will do."
He turned back to see that as they walked through the dense forest, the looming, ominous Twilight Citadel was disappearing through the cover of the thick mist surrounding the Highlands. Once they were in the deepest part of the forest, Siderion looked around for anyone who would be spying upon them. He sensed no one nearing them.
"Alright," he said. "Here we go."
He leaned down upon all fours and in a flash of fire and smoke, his body swiftly shifted into his true form. The black dragon towered over the Blood Elf who helped him escape the Twilight Cult. He fought back a roar after the completion of his transformation. He opened his wings up, giving them a good stretch. Siderion lowered his body to the ground.
"Here," he said, keeping his great voice down to a whispering level. He moved a forepaw to her to help her climb on. "Climb upon my back and hold on tight."
Nadina climbed up upon his shoulders. She settled herself down between his wings and held tightly to his neck ridges. She felt the dragon shift under her as he rose up onto his feet. He spread his obsidian wings and leapt into the air, taking the first downbeat and swiftly rising into the cloudy sky.
"I'll fly to a high altitude," said Siderion. "Hopefully, they will not see me coming. Once we get to the Dragonmaw port, we will have to fight our way through."
"Can you just burn them?" Nadina asked. "If I am not correct, they have the heads of black dragons mounted on pikes..."
"I know..." said Siderion growled. "Believe me, they deserve everything I will give them. My flames will hopefully keep them back as we make our way to the portal. Orgrimmar will also be a problem."
"The moment we get there, just take flight again," said Nadina.
"Fly and go as fast as I can," said Siderion.
"Can you sense where your Aspect is?" Nadina asked.
"I sense he is in Kalimdor," said Siderion. "Going through the Barrens. I will be able to get a better lock on him once we get to Kalimdor."
"The portal will lead us there," said Nadina. "Far away from the cult."
"There are cultists in Kalimdor, Blood Elf," said Siderion.
"There are more who are against the cult in Kalimdor as well."
She felt along his sides and gripped harder to his scales when she felt Siderion's body shift again. Looking out over the sides, Siderion could see the whole Highland Forest spread out under him. They passed the mountains where some of the black drakes roosted and they were heading for the river delta that split the Highlands up. His snout began to wrinkle when he caught the scent of decay. He knew that smell very well, the smell of dead dragons carcasses. He growled deeply at the smell, becoming disgusted by it. Though he could not find any solace with the other black dragons, they were still his kin.
There, right at the river delta was the the Dragonmaw Port. Siderion growled when he looked upon the port, noticing the palisade that ringed it and the roofs on top of the buildings. Around the posts of the palisade were hides of black dragons. The roofs were made from hides of black dragons. Mounted upon posts in the entrance way were the heads of black dragons. Siderion's lips curled into a snarl.
His kin used as building materials and displayed as trophies.
Nadina could hear the black dragon growl as she felt his neck stiffen.
"Control yourself," she said.
"Very hard to," said Siderion. "Once we meet with Lord Neltharion, I will tell him what I saw!"
"I'm sure he knows already," said Nadina.
"He may have," said Siderion. "But he has not seen what I have seen. Good or not, he will burn this place to the ground."
"Didn't he help the Dragonmaw clan once?" Nadina asked.
"Once," said Siderion. "As Deathwing. He gave the Dragonmaw warchief his Dragon Soul so that the warchief could use it on Alexstrasza in order to create red drake riding mounts for the Dragonmaw to use. Now...I'm sure he will see them as another one of his mistakes. I will help him crush them once we have crushed the Twilight Cult."
Nadina took in a deep breath and laid her hand upon his side.
"Keep your mind on fighting the Cult," she said. "Don't worry about the Dragonmaw."
As they passed over the port, Siderion dove forth, sending his searing flames upon the Dragonmaw. They were not prepared for the sudden attack from the skies, their fliers were sent to battlefronts elsewhere in the Twilight Highlands. What guards they had were quickly running from the flames, desperately trying to find water. Siderion landed in the middle of the town and Nadina leapt from his shoulders. The black dragon quickly shifted back into his human form and they made their way to the portal housed in a building to the north.
"Warlord Zaeda!" called a Dragonmaw orc as he bounded through the flames. "Warlord Zaeda, the Twilight Cult is attacking!"
Siderion and Nadina rushed inside where the portal was. The orcs inside who kept the portal going looking down upon them with shocked eyes. Nadina grabbed her staff and pointed it at the orcs.
"Do not lower your hands," she said. "Keep that portal up. We are going through!"
"We'll never let a cultist or her black dragon through," said one of the orcs.
"Don't talk, let's just go!" said Siderion, grabbing a hold of Nadina's robes.
Before the orcs could react, Siderion and Nadina ran through the portal. In the midst of the fire, Warlord Zaeda came running through the portal house only to find them gone.
"What is going on here?" she asked.
"One black dragon and a cultist," said one of the orcs. "Just one black dragon and a cultist came here and went through the portal."
"The fire was a diversion," said another orc beside her. "They apparently did not mean to kill any of us, just keep us away from them as they went through."
"Why would a black dragon and a cultist go through the portal by themselves?" asked Zaeda.
"Attacking Orgrimmar?"
"One black dragon and one cultist cannot attack Orgrimmar," said Zaeda. "And the Cult have their own portals that they can use to get about Azeroth. Why use ours?"
When no answer came, Zaeda huffed.
"Send word to Warchief Garrosh," she said, pointing at he orc beside her. "Follow them through and find out what they are up to."
"Yes, Warlord," said the orc. He went through the portal.
0
Th moment they stepped through the portal, Siderion and Nadina were met by guards of the Earthen Ring. They maintained portals to various places around Azeroth, including the Twilight Highlands so that Garrosh could send worthy adventurers through in order to stop the Twilight Cult. They knew what Nadina was wearing and immediately encased her in energy bonds. Siderion was subdued as well before he could transform back into his dragon form. Behind them, a Dragonmaw Orc came through the portal just as Garrosh Hellscream came to the Eastern Earthshrine.
"What is the meaning of this?" he asked. "Who are these people?"
"A black dragon and a Twilight Cultist, Warchief," said the orc as he stepped forward. "They attacked our port and fled through the portal."
"A black dragon," said Garrosh, looking back at Siderion. He lifted the dragon-in-human form up by his neck to peer into his eyes. "I can see it now." he tossed the dragon down onto the rocky ground. "One of that Earth-Warder's pitiful wyrms dare to come here and attack my city? I should have known that bloated, fat lizard was still against us. Never trust Deathwing."
"He's not Deathwing anymore!" said Siderion. "He is Neltharion!"
"Oh, I've met Neltharion..." rumbled Garrosh. "He came flying into my city, drunk! And then he dared to insult me. He or any of his kind are not welcomed here. I will have your head mounted like I have Nefarian's."
"Please, I didn't come here to cause trouble," said Siderion. "My companion and I will leave. We won't bother you again."
"You attacked the Dragonmaw, wyrm!" said the Dragonmaw orc. "You set our homes aflame."
Siderion lifted up: "Only because you deserve it! You mount my kin upon spikes, use their hides for roof shingles. My kin lie in mutilated piles. I have no remorse for what I did to you. But I only used my flames to get you away from the portal."
"The Dragonmaw is now a part of my Horde," said Garrosh. "You attacked a Horde town, you attack the Horde. And I will have your head."
Garrosh rose his axe up as he approached Siderion. Just at the moment he was about to swing, a hand came out and stopped him. Garrosh looked beside him to find the one who stopped him. There, holding his axe arm was Thrall, the former Warchief of the Horde, now known as the World Shaman. Beside him was his mate Aggra.
"Don't kill him, Garrosh," said Thrall. "Not just yet."
"Are you out of your mind?" asked Garrosh. "This is the second time you prevented me from killing a black dragon. The first was Deathwing...now..."
"This black dragon feels different than the others," said Thrall. "Trust me, Garrosh. Let him speak. Hear what he says and if what he says isn't true, then do what you will to him."
Garrosh lowered his axe and watched as Thrall knelt down to the black dragon and helped him to his feet.
"Thank you," said Siderion. "World Shaman. I know of you. You are an ally of Neltharion." He turned to the members of the Earthen Ring there. "The same goes for all of you. You are all friends of his."
"And what does that make you with us?" asked Aggra.
"My friend," said Siderion.
"Who are you?" asked Thrall.
"My name is Siderion," he replied. "I am Neltharion's grandson. One of many of course. But...when I saw him in Uldum, I saw Neltharion, I did not see Deathwing."
"He's cured of the Old Gods," said Nadina. "Like his grandfather."
"You will not speak, cultist!" shouted Garrosh.
"Hold on," said Thrall. "Who are you, Blood Elf?"
"Nadina," she said. "I was a member of the Horde once. Proud citizen of Silvermoon. Yes, I did join the cult, but I want out."
Siderion pointed at Nadina: "She knows something and I have been the victim of what she knows. I've been trying to get her to tell me, but she said we have to go somewhere safe. She wants to tell Neltharion what she knows."
Thrall raised his hands: "Wait...slow down. What is this thing you saw, Siderion?"
"After I began to feel my connection to Neltharion grow," he began. "The voices of the Old Gods became more faint. I heard Neltharion's song...you can hear it too, can't you?"
"I hear it," said Thrall. "All shamans do now. We feel our own powers strengthening from it."
"That song is slowly healing the damage to our world," said a Tauren shaman from the Earthen Ring. "The song is not enough. But the elements seem quieter because of it. It will take the full power of the Earth-Warder and his flight to undo the damage caused by the Cataclysm."
"Unfortunately," began Thrall. "He does not have his flight to aid him. He does have us, though."
"I hear it, and I am with him," said Siderion. "We black dragons were once connected to that song, we joined our voices to it and sang with Neltharion in a chorus through the planet itself. It was the thing that kept the Old Gods at bay for the most part. The Old Gods do not want us to sing. I was born hearing the Old Gods as many black dragons have been recently. But then, when Neltharion was cured, I connected to the ground only to hear him. As I connected, I felt the will, the whispers slowly withdraw. The reeled in pain from it and...I felt free for the first time in my life. Neltharion sings along now...but I tried joining my voice to his. I tried getting other black dragons to join their voices to his as well so that it would be a chorus again. They didn't want to. They were confused and it seemed the Old Gods still gave them answers. So they stayed. They called me and Neltharion traitors and they captured me. I was taken to the Twilight Highlands and then shackled in a vast chamber underground.
"I saw it, an egg, a massive egg. There were other dragons around me, all shackled in a circle around this egg. It was a twilight dragon egg. There were red dragons, green dragons, blue dragons, bronze dragons, and even netherwing drakes, all of us feeding our energies into this egg. Nadina, the Blood Elf who came with me, she helped me escape, but we couldn't save the others."
"I figured if I save one," said Nadina. "One would be enough to stop them from completing Deathwing's ultimate project."
"Deathwing's ultimate project?" Garrosh asked. He curled his fists tightly. "That backstabbing..."
"No!" said Nadina, holding out a hand. "He started the project before he was cured. The Twilight Cult are only trying to complete where he left off."
"I don't know this project my lord started on when he was Deathwing," said Siderion. "But Nadina does. Nadina, we're safe here, tell them what you know. I need to know too. I need to know what it was my energy was feeding."
"Ultraxion," said Nadina.
"Who?" asked Garrosh.
"He is a Twilight Dragon," said the Blood Elf. "The largest ever created. He fed from the energies of netherwing drakes and dragons of all colors to grow enormous. The reason was because he isn't really a dragon, he's a bomb...a weapon of mass destruction Deathwing created. He has a power that can bring about the Hour of Twilight, the power that can destroy all five Aspects in a single blow. And not only the Aspects, but their dragons too."
"Once all five Aspects are gone," said Thrall. "The Old Gods will be free from their prisons and the Hour of Twilight will begin. The world will be doomed."
"Deathwing created that dragon?" asked Garrosh, his eyes wide.
"Yes," said Nadina. "He began the process, but then grew impatient and attacked Wyrmrest Temple himself. He hoped to weaken the defenses while Ultraxion was still developing."
Thrall scratched his beard and nodded: "Then I connected with Neltharion inside of Deathwing and was able to help Alexstrasza save him." He turned to Nadina. "You're right, Neltharion must know about this." He looked around to the members of the Earthen Ring and then to Garrosh and the Dragonmaw orc who followed the two through the portal. "If Deathwing was the one who created this Ultraxion, then Neltharion would be the one who would know how to destroy him before he destroys Azeroth."
"Here is my question," began Garrosh. "Neltharion knew this Ultraxion was in development, why didn't he tell you or any of his new allies? We could have attacked the cult and destroyed the egg!"
"It still is an egg," said Thrall.
"Not for long," said Siderion. "He is hatching. I saw the cracks myself."
"Why didn't that idiot Earth-Warder tell us?" Garrosh asked, thrusting his fist at Thrall.
"After spending so long with the Old Gods, Neltharion is...still not quite right in the head," said Aggra. "Maybe he forgot."
"He had months!" said Garrosh. "He had time to figure out that Ultraxion is nearing completion. He could have said something! I say he's still Deathwing somewhere. He can't be trusted."
"We shouldn't dwell on why Neltharion didn't tell us," said Thrall. "The point now is to inform him that Ultraxion is hatching." He turned to Siderion. "Where is the Earth-Warder now?"
"Kalimdor," said Siderion.
"He was in the Barrens," said Garrosh. "I received a communicate from the Crossroads that Neltharion had come there." He crossed his arms. "Then he and his Alliance female were attacked by Twilight Cult assassins. Thork ordered the Earth-Warder and his female to leave. He was last seen flying north."
"North," began Thrall. "Of course! The World Tree. That is where his sister Ysera is. Neltharion has a special bond with his little sister, the Awakened Ysera. Running from the cult, he would try to find a safe haven with her."
"More likely to cause her more trouble," said Garrosh.
Thrall shook his head in dismay. He turned toward Siderion.
"We have a portal here to Mt. Hyjal where Ysera is," he said. "If you and your friend would accompany myself and Aggra there...hopefully Neltharion has arrived as well."
"The Aspect can fly faster than any normal dragon," said Siderion. "He probably is there by now." He nodded. "I will go with you. Nadina?"
"Yes," she said. "I'm coming too. I've done so much harm to my family and friends by joining the cult. I want out. I just want out. If Neltharion can help me...I am willing to speak to him. I don't want to hear the whispers of the Old Gods anymore."
"I warn you, Thrall," said Garrosh. "That Earth-Warder friend of yours isn't to be trusted."
"I'll find out from him why he did not remember Ultraxion," said Thrall. "But Neltharion must know."
As Thrall, Aggra, Siderion, and Nadina walked through the portal to Hyjal, Garrosh turned to the Dragonmaw orc.
"Tell Zaeda," he began. "Of this Ultraxion creature's existence. Tell her what you heard here. She must prepare."
"I will, Warchief," said the orc. Then, he disappeared through the Twilight Highland portal.
Garrosh growled, staring at the portal to Hyjal.
"I hope your trust is not misplaced," he said. "But I rather not trust the Earth-Warder as far as I could throw him."