A Battle Maid's Azeroth Adventure


Schicksalsfäden


Three dragons stood within the dark confines of a cave, nestled deep in the jagged mountains of Alterac, not far from a Silver Hand encampment. Well, two dragons stood—both in their humanoid forms—while the lifeless body of Searinox, a Black Dragon, lay crumpled before them.

"Did we really have to kill this Black Dragon here?" asked one of the dragons, currently in the visage of a Gnome, his voice dripping with irritation.

"What? Do you pity the wretched beast?" replied the other, who had taken the form of a High Elf, his tone mocking and indifferent.

"Disgust and shame, more like," sneered the Gnome. He wrinkled his nose at Searinox's festering corpse. The cave reeked of decay, filled with the stench of hoarded human bodies the dragon had collected. It was no surprise that rot had already begun to claim the fallen creature.

The Elf smirked, adjusting his reflection in a shard of glass he always carried. "Ah, you see yourself in it, don't you?" he taunted.

The Gnome shot him an icy glare but remained silent. The Elf, clearly unfazed, continued preening, checking every detail of his face, absorbed in his own vanity.

"The mortal approaches. Just as I foresaw," the Elf said smoothly, his eyes flickering with satisfaction.

"The one from Mondstadt…," the Gnome mused.

"Don't get distracted now," the Elf replied with a sly smile. "I didn't bring you to this world to make friends."

"She can't resist helping the first people she meets," the Gnome said, almost to himself.

"All we need to do is remove her from this timeline.", explained the Elf.

The Gnome raised an eyebrow. "And by 'remove,' you mean—"

"Kill her, return her to Teyvat, or banish her to another timeline entirely. The method doesn't matter as long as she's no longer a factor in this."

"Why bother with the effort?" the Gnome asked, his curiosity piqued.

"All for the—" the Elf began.

"All for the plan, yes, yes. You've used that line before," Durin interrupted, rolling his eyes. "But will you ever tell me what this grand 'plan' actually is?"

The Elf's smile thinned, a glimmer of annoyance crossing his sharp features. "Once again, no. All you need to know is that I foresee everything, and I'll place you where you need to be," he replied coolly, his eyes returning to the shard of glass.

The Elf's focus deepened as he attempted to peer into the fates reflected within the shard, searching for glimpses of the future. But the glass revealed a different image instead of clarity—a bolt of arcane energy hurtling toward him. Too late, he saw the Gnome's betrayal.

"I've learned so much from you, Eternus," Durin said as the bolt struck, knocking the Elf to the ground. "About the Titans, the Old Gods, Azeroth—and your precious Nozdormu."

Eternus fell face-first into the dirt, uninjured but caught off-guard. He looked up, sneering as he began to rise, but stopped short when he felt the sharp edge of the Time Shard pressed against the back of his neck.

"What is this insolence?" Eternus growled. "I brought you to this world—"

"And for that, I was grateful. But that gratitude has run dry," Durin interrupted, his voice cold and steady. "You've taught me much, yes. But there are many things I simply don't care about anymore. Not even your 'plan', as riveting as it was."

With a swift movement, the Gnome pressed the jagged shard into the Elf's neck, slicing through flesh as sand—the ichor of time—poured from the wound.

"You and your kin are no different from these Black Dragons. Pitiable in your own way," Durin continued. "The difference is, you've already seen your failure in the future, and yet you still struggle like a wolf caught in a hunter's trap."

Eternus tried to speak, but the shard dug deeper, and the light in his eyes began to fade. Durin felt a strange sense of clarity that his "Mother" had initially never allowed him to feel. The alien sensibilities he was born with usually made what he was about to do to Eternus seem like ecstasy to Durin. But now, the apprehension made him feel wretched.

"Save your breath, 'adventurer'. You're about to spoil," Durin sneered before biting into what remained of Eternus' throat. The Infinite Dragon's life slipped away, his body crumpling lifelessly next to the carcass of Searinox. No parting words, no final curse—just silence.

Durin exhaled, shifting into his true form, towering over the corpses in the lair. His draconic form loomed, casting long shadows across the hoard of bodies Searinox had collected. The sight disgusted him. These dragons—Black or Infinite—were weak, clinging to ideals long lost to the world.

He turned his gaze back to Eternus' lifeless body, now devoid of any use. Without a second thought, Durin lowered his massive snout and swallowed the Elf's remains whole, absorbing the residual power that lingered within.

It was a bitter feast but one filled with insight. He tasted the Titanic Blessings of Time, the ancient elemental ancestry coursing through the dragon's veins, the faint traces of Arcane magic from Eternus' Visage, and, most tellingly, the corruption of the Abyss—something Durin knew all too well.

Now, he was certain. The Abyss had touched the Infinite Dragonflight, much like Searinox had been tainted by something otherworldly. Durin's suspicions were confirmed, and with this newfound knowledge, he could sense the Abyss everywhere, manifesting subtly across Azeroth. Even the air around Searinox's rotting body reeked of corruption.

He briefly considered devouring Searinox as well but decided against it. He still needed the Black Dragon's carcass to curry favour with the Alliance.

Durin's sharp eyes landed on the Time Shard, the very tool he had used to execute Eternus. He picked it up, glimpsing fleeting images of possible futures, too many to decipher in the short time he had. With a grunt of impatience, he tucked it away for later.

They're here.

He could sense their approach—just as Eternus had predicted. With a swift transformation, Durin shrank back into his Gnomish visage, adopting the persona of 'Aurum' from Mechagon, an adventurous Gnome supposedly isolated from the rest of the Alliance.

"Help! I need help!" he shouted, feigning distress. He leapt into the air, waving frantically in the Gnomish manner, as Noelle and her Dwarven Riflemen escort came into view. Just as Eternus had foreseen, the Mondstadter Maid had, as expected, stuck her nose into local matters.

Durin allowed a sly smile to cross his lips as he prepared to welcome her into his carefully crafted entanglement.


A/N:

Leyviel:Thanks. I'm looking to posting more regularly.

Kristy18:Thank you for reading!