' = Internal dialogue

ยจ= Normal speech

* = Sounds / Etc

-Chapter 46 Start-

Shortly after we had taken up flight again and started making our way toward the Borean tundra, which could barely be seen in the distance, Thorim had been silent as Aegwynn had started talking about the task at hand.

Jaina and I were staring behind us on the ground where the adventurers of both alliance and horde kept falling to their deaths outside the steep hill that indicated a change of area. I wondered if these really were what I considered players, though, at the same time, Jaina looked at the scene with contempt and slight satisfaction, seeing them slam into the ground at the bottom of the hill.

'I wonder what she has gone through to feel that way regarding those people...' I thought as she turned to me while seated at her side on her magical carpet.

"I'm glad to see you alright. I hope you had better luck where you ended up compared to where I landed.." She said as her face scrunched up for a brief moment.

'Yea... She obviously had some kind of altercation with the so-called adventurers, that's for sure...' I considered before saying, "Yea... I fell a few hundred meters without being able to activate my flight, the roughest landing I have had so far... Then, I encountered a group who wanted to kill Thorim and me for loot..." I told her with a slight smile of sympathy when I realized she looked pale at my last words.

Then she coughed into her palm and looked away for a moment while speaking in a low tone, "Erm, I ended up in Dalaran... where I was quickly surrounded by people who... Looked at me like I was a meal. Do you know what is going on inside the minds of these...People?"

'Oh, now I understand why Thorim and I got bombarded by players as we flew over Dalaran... Jaina riled them up...'

"Well, yes, but I have no idea how to properly explain it, and in all honestly, I doubt I even should for your sake.

Just know that for them... This is an adventure without the consequence of dying, meaning they can act like immortal creatures with absolutely no moral obligation to the world around them..." I told her as she was hit by some sort of realization and let out a huge sigh of relief.

On the way toward the tundra, I spotted several camps that previously seemed to have been tribal Taunka camps, but now they were utterly decimated. Large totem poles had been cut down and, as a result crushed several large tents underneath, signs of battle clear as day.

'No doubt the so-called 'adventurers' are at fault for all these acts of destruction...'

Corpses had been placed on top of each other in the middle of the camps and seem to have been set ablaze, leaving it as a bony pile of ash-covered remains.

From what I could observe from up here, no one was spared. I spotted children's toys covered in a layer of dirt, resembling the toys the tauren in our city had made for their children.

'This is undeniably one of the worst possible representations of Azeroth I have ever seen.'

Deviations aside, I certainly hoped I'd never encounter these 'adventurers' full of greed in our world.

And if I did, I would find a way to exterminate every single one, 'spirit healers be damned.' I promised myself as I saw the tiny bones littering around itself in a fetal position inside a small tent that had been torn down.

Jaina couldn't understand why my gestures went from sorrowful to wrathful to determined in seconds. No doubt she couldn't see what I could, or else I bet she would have had a much more nuclear reaction to the atrocities in this world we are in.

So I gave her a obvious faked smile as we flew above the ruined camps and the evident destruction the players had caused to the surroundings.

As we kept flying at a decent pace near the ocean, just past the lands of Dragonblight and onto the shores of Borean Tundra, we saw a large Ziggurat in the distance toward the north. The whole place was a ruin, as it seemed that a flying necropolis had crashed in the middle of it, resulting in both the structures breaking apart upon impact.

This seems to have happened long ago, as the entire area was devoid of any life or undeath. As I gazed toward the shore, I saw what remained of the Kalu'ak faction, one of the most peaceful factions I knew of, rivaling that of the Pandaren.

Yet now, the only sign of them ever being here was another ruin, or that was what I thought until I saw the light in the distance; it was much easier to spot now as the sun had just gone down.

There was one small campfire in the distance still lit.

The tiny ember barely igniting wood displayed any sort of fire, seemingly struggling to keep it ablaze. In front of this is an old-looking tuskarr wielding a pointy trident across his lap, alongside four small shapes huddled up against him for warmth.

As the day had recently just turned to night, I decided to ask our group if they wanted to take a slight break. Aegwynn agreed with a yawn. Thorim simply nodded stoically as he gazed into the distant ocean.

Jaina looked exhausted from recent events, so I gestured by pointing my hand toward the little campfire down below which made both Aegwynn and Jaina nod in agreement.

When we finally descended all the way to the ground, the elderly tuskarr stood up and pointed his weapon toward us for a moment before his weapon fell to the ground when he saw the gigantic Proto-Dragon, no doubt believing any effort he put up would be useless against such a beast. He was very correct in that assumption.

Then Thorim gazed at the walrus-looking man and did his usual introduction, which I realized wasn't because he did not know the names of other races but was based on the person's height, "Greetings, tiny one, we are not here seeking conflict, my companions and I had decided to descend beside your campfire and perhaps share its warmth, my name is Thorim, Previous Keeper of Ulduar."

He told the tuskarr, who looked like he had given up all hopes of surviving the encounter, which soon made him raise his eyes in wonder. The same could be said about the four small children behind him who hugged his legs as their eyes widened in awe as they gazed at the Stormlord.

For a moment, the elderly tuskarr stood there as he studied the Keeper until he realized who stood before him.

"I apologize for not recognizing you at first glance, Lord Thorim.
I have heard of what had befallen the peaks and your participation in what transpired upon the halls of Ulduar. Come, bring your companions, and let us share tales and a meal around the fire." The walrus-like man told the towering Stormlord with a pleasant smile.

The smaller four miniature walruses stood and stared for a moment until they realized they were getting cold, even with their entire bodies covered with a cozy looking onesies with a hood that made them look like muppets, they rushed back to the older tuskarr, who laughed as he made himself comfortable closer to the campfire which seemed to dim more and more every the second.

As everyone except Jaina and me had taken a seat, I decided to make the campfire a bit warmer, so I casually pointed my palm toward the embers as it lit up in a gentle purple-ish flame, making the four children all go "Whoooah" in amazement over the beautiful fire, and when they realized the heat it gave off they all went closer to it and closed their eyes while being enveloped in the comfortable embrace of the flame's warmth.

Then, I sat down after making a makeshift bench made of earth. Jaina sat beside me while looking back with a smile at the innocent and curious tuskarr children, gazing at each of us with wonder and awe, especially at the two wolves who kept studying everything. They were, after all, crackling with electricity while lighting up a small area around their canine forms.

The electricity they gave off never left their bodies and seemingly could be controlled at will.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, the tuskarr and Thorim started exchanging tales of what had happened these recent years.

Turns out the tuskarr tribes have been exterminated down to one remaining clan.
The elder in front of us is named Ko'nani and he were the previous Chieftain among the Kalu'ak.

He had to retire as Chieftain after an elder took his place as he was injured by the local wolvar during a massive attack.

Shortly after that, he wandered the shores where he had found the remains of other clans as they had been systematically exterminated from the howling fjords all the way to Dragonblight, and has since then been escaping any and every sign of the adventurers and other beings to the best of his ability.

Apparently, all this started shortly after he had heard a rumor that the Wyrmcrest Temple was being demolished after Alexstrasza, the aspect of life and Ambassador of the blue dragonflight Kalecgos disappeared, then suddenly a new breed of dragons were spotted escaping from underneath the temple shortly before the entire temple fell.

Thorim nodded stoically at this news as if he already knew this.

Meanwhile, Jaina, Aegwynn, and I frowned. This truly meant our mission here would be quite unpredictable, as we were informed about the flights and aspects from Chromie before we arrived here. No doubt this was the worst-case scenario the midget had not told us about, as we might have to face off against an overpowered Malygos, a brainwashed Alextrasza, a spellbound and quite powerful Kalecgos, the twilight dragons and their abominations, and potentially even more enemies.

As the elderly tuskarr went on with his tale of survival, the smaller ones started to yawn cutely as they all lay in a heap in the middle of the two wolves beside the fire.

As they had fallen asleep, the previous Chieftain had completed his recount of the events, which Jaina, Aegwynn, and I tuned out as we sat and considered our approach. Thorim, however, started sharing his tale of events as well. It was mostly him fighting the adventurer after the defeat of the old god Yogg'Saron and his previous encounters with different guilds trying to murder him for loot.

Now, it was Jaina's turn to yawn loudly. She leaned on me shortly after and promptly fell asleep, resulting in Aegwynn smirking as she reached for her bag and slowly pulled out one of the large tents the tauren had made.

As big as the tent was, Thorim was still too tall to fit inside. The tent itself had a hole in the middle, resulting in the smoke exiting like it would with a fireplace.

So Thorim moved to sit outside with the elderly tuskarr while the small ones and I stayed inside in silence as only the light snore of the tuskarr children, Jaina, and the two wolves could be heard.

"This... Complicates things. If it weren't for Jaina being exhausted to this degree, which I can only presume was the so-called adventurer's fault, I would have already rushed toward the Nexus in Coldarra. I have no illusion that I can handle all this alone, and the upcoming fights will be beyond intense if what I assume the Infinite dragonflight has prepared for us..." I whispered toward Aegwynn.

She slowly nodded, her face indescribable. "Yes, I guessed as much. After hearing all this, I am considering if only the two of us should proceed." She whispered back and paused momentarily before continuing, "Never mind, she would never forgive us if that happened.

That leaves the fact that I will ensure that she remains safe during this encounter to the best of my ability..." Aegwynn whispered with a pondering look before shaking her head and turning toward me.

"Dear, I have yet to know what you are capable of, but from what I have observed so far, I doubt you will be able to deal with an aspect on your own. After all, you took down a Dreadlord by yourself, but that is by no means on the level of an aspect." She said in a low tone while looking slightly worried in my direction.

'She might have a point, but I feel that if push comes to shove, I will be able to handle what comes my way, which might as well be fake confidence now when I consider it...' I thought as I had not tested my limits after my previous power-up.

I should have done much more testing and experimentation regarding what happened after the fight with the Dreadlord. Still, the thought of losing control again slithered into my mind every time I considered it, resulting in me throwing it aside subconsciously every time it came up.

It was a basic fear of losing control and the sense of powerlessness that followed. Still, considering the situation, I needed to get past it quickly.

I nodded to myself as my hands clenched instinctivly.

[Timeskip 5 Hours]

As the sun made itself known, tiny rays of light shone on the tent, lighting up the inside slowly but surely.

The tuskarr children woke up with yawns, which woke up Jaina, Aegwynn, and the two wolves. I had ended up laying Jaina down on her sleeping bag and pillow, which Aegwynn had pulled out of her bag.

As everyone inside had woken up, the elderly tuskarr came through the entrance to the tent while carrying a soup cauldron bigger than himself and put it on the ground as a giant hand appeared behind him and handed the tuskarr eight soup bowls, which he then gave everyone inside.

We enjoyed a calm breakfast while everyone sat silently except Thorim, who sat outside.

"It's time for us to get going. I thank you for your hospitality, Elder Ko'nani. I wish you and yours good luck in finding your path onward." I told the elderly walrus as I rose and approached the tent's exit.

"You can keep the tent, elder. Take it as compensation for the trouble of making us breakfast and for your hospitality." Aegwynn said as she followed behind me.

Jaina also thanked the tuskarr, who bowed at the three of us as we made our way out. Thorim, who sat outside, looked at us, nodded, and whistled loudly.

The Proto-dragon suddenly appeared out of a hole in the ground as most of her body was covered in a layer of snow. She shook her body to shake off the snow, made her way toward Thorim, and leaned down to make it easier for the Keeper to get on her back.

Jaina looked like she wanted to say something until Aegwynn interrupted her, "We cannot bring these along, dear apprentice, especially when we are going into a fight against potentially several aspects, Malygos himself, and other potential enemies. We simply cannot afford it for the time being." She said with finality in her voice, but I sensed that she too wanted to help the walrus-like people, but not at the cost of our mission here.

I nodded. We could do something after, but we should focus on the fight ahead for now.

Aegwynn summoned her magical carpet, and Jaina stepped up with her, leaving me to fly by myself as we all ascended while waving goodbye to the five tuskarr who waved at us from outside the tent.

The path toward Coldarra through the tundra was unrecognizable for me. No creatures were on the entire plains, only bones and decaying corpses of mammoths and other animals who had been slain and discarded.

Warsong Hold, the horde main camp in Borean tundra, had been made into something that resembled Orgrimmar. It had been built outward so much I could compare it to a large city. Though this version was heavily industrialized, black smoke escaped almost every building.

'So this is how the horde would make a proper stronghold for themselves in Northrend... Can't say I am surprised. This was where Garrosh's recklessness started to show, and with him at the helm as the adventurers do as they please...' Would I need to deal with him in our world at any point? Or had my decisions derailed the plot so far that this would never happen? I did not know, but I would pay close attention and inform Belmont.

As we finally glimpse the beginning of Coldarra, we realize this would not be any easier, even considering we might face off against three aspects and other enemies.

There was an illusionary blue sheen surrounding the entire region, and when we looked down as we approached, we realized that the ley lines were the cause. The blue sheen was a barrier that made the inside look like nothing was wrong. It was basically an illusion barrier with several functions.

{How the neutral base for all factions is shielded away from sight in the game.}

"It seems that the ley line is powering the barrier, and considering it looks to be connected to other nodes all around the region, we should split up and destroy them.

The ley lines cannot be destroyed; however, you must destroy whatever is channeling the magic into the barrier." Aegwynn said as she gazed downward, where an azure crystal covered something that radiated with intense light underneath.

"So, we split up, take down those blue-looking crystals, and attempt to get through the barrier? Or do we circle the area together?" I asked.

"Hmm, for the sake of efficiency, split up. My apprentice and I will go to the left while you and Thorim go to the right. Undoubtedly, we will be met by resistance from the other side as we destroy the barrier setup." Aegwynn said as she turned her gaze to the illusionary barrier.

Jaina looked conflicted after hearing this, but after a moment, she gently threw a blue-looking bottle toward me and said, "Take this. It's my original mix. It's a potent liquid mana gem. I never got to show you the effects as we were interrupted before... But your mana will recover rapidly once you drink at least half of that bottle. The only after-effect is that you get slightly tipsy..." She looked away when she said the last part, as it was no doubt her attempt at good-natured revenge.

'Ahh, that was why she was so disappointed when we didn't have time to drink after Lanira's dinner.' I thought with a smile.

"Alright, Thorim, are you sure you want to do this? Don't get me wrong, but the damage you have taken these previous months doesn't seem to do you any good if we are to fight a large-scale battle against these dragons." I asked the Keeper, who sat on his dragon with a stoic expression.

"Yes, tiny one. I will not shy away from the responsibility given to me. Even if I cannot battle as I once could, I will fight to the end."

I nod slowly as I land on his Proto-Dragon, "Just to make it clear, if a situation occurs that either of our groups cannot handle, then give some sort of signal." I told my grandmother in a calm tone

Aegwynn just smiles, and I say, "Let's get going then. Good luck!"

We both split in each direction at high speed. I jump off Thorim's Proto-Dragon and dive toward the first crystal while turning, imbuing my entire arm with earth as it turns dark and hardens to the extreme when I hit the object under me. The crystal itself was as big as a human.

*BOOOM*

It shattered in every direction, releasing its grip on the ley line, resulting in me being blasted upward by the pure magic that escaped the line before it dimmed rapidly. I saw Thorim heading toward the next as I flew quickly toward the next crystal ahead of him.

Thorim simply powered up a shot while standing on the dragon, blasting the crystal apart. He needed three tries to get it off the ley line, though.

When we had gotten rid of five more, we noticed the surrounding blue barrier start to fade, but only slightly. This meant we still had some more crystals to destroy, so we continued on, and after the next one, we were met with resistance.

*ROOOAR*

Purple-colored drakes frantically flew out of the barrier and spewed violet fire toward Thorim and his dragon. They came in swarms. Hundreds flew desperately directly toward the Keeper, and just as I was going to help him by unleashing a bolt of powerful lightning toward them, something came my direction at rapid speed, soaring through the air like a meteor.

It was a purple drake the size of a grown dragon, who came toward me from above, intending to slam me directly down into the ocean as we still flew between the barrier and the land of the Borean tundra.

Deciding to not underestimate it, considering the odd gleam in its eye, I imbued myself with lightning. I met the creature head on while pushing a significant amount of magic into my hands as I met its momentum head-on.

*BOOOOM* *CRUNCH*

The drake rag-dolled toward the mountain underneath the barrier. At the same time, I met the water below with a huge splash, as I couldn't escape being caught by his momentum mid-air without being thrown away myself.

At the last moment, the drake blocked my high-powered punch by moving its left wing and arm instinctively where its head would be, resulting in it slamming into me while not being able to do any actual harm.

As I lay in the water around fifty meters down, right beside the parts of the destroyed crystal, I wondered, 'I could swear I have seen that drake before...'

Then, as I looked up, I saw the chaos ensuing. Thorim was tearing the frenzied drakes off his mount while they tried to swarm him. As his lightning lit up around him, the drakes kept coming without end in sight, so I decided to do something about it.

As I lay on the ocean floor, I closed my eyes in concentration as the water around me churned and started rotating rapidly around me. I pointed my arms between Thorim and the next incoming swarm of drakes and clenched my hands.

The next moment, all the water in a fifty-meter radius around me exploded upward in a gigantic pillar shape. It surrounded every single drake heading toward the Keeper. I pull my hands back down as panicked and terrified screeches can be heard as they were ripped out of the air and dragged violently toward where the water had risen.

Soon, the gigantic pillar of water submerged until it resembled a net of squished flies on their way to the bottom of the sea. As the wide circular shape of solidified water descended and utterly crushed what remained of the drakes, all that remained was a darkened sea floor and pieces of drakes floating around.

Deciding to get out of the water, I froze a small platform, shot myself into the air, and finally saw why the drakes kept coming. We were fighting Vesperon, Shadron, and Tenebron.

I realized this after focusing on the area the drakes came from and saw the large black portals spew out drake after drake while a barely visible dreamscape beyond showed itself as the fleshy drakes wriggled and escaped the eggs that contained them.

Thorim had been debuffed several times, and his stony exterior had started to turn violet as he was heaving for non-existent air, apparently slightly winded by the sudden ambush.

When I looked toward the mountain where the drake who had attempted to crash into me lay, I saw that it was stuck with its wing impaled by a sharp stalactite and was slowly getting off it while I could see its wounds heal steadily.

'So advanced healing, huh... Well, this turned out to be a fun encounter.'

-Chapter 46 End-