Onyxia paused, and even Aurelia and Muradin looked at Arthas with curious eyes, exchanging meaningful glances. "Do you know about the Dragon Isles, Your Highness?"
The Dragon Isles have always been a mystery. After the Ancient War, the stone guardians within them shrouded them in fog, making them undetectable. It was during the critical period following the explosion of the Well of Eternity, which shattered the entire continent.
The Dragon Aspects sent out a few dragons that set out to the Dragon Isles to rescue, but became lost in the mist and could not return home, while the islands were well-protected by the fog, keeping outsiders out. This is why, although the five-colored dragons gathered in the Dragonblight of Northrend, they established lairs in various locations.
"I saw something about it in a book once, but now isn't the time to discuss that. To infiltrate Grim Batol requires some strategy, Muradin; you and Onyxia should pretend to launch an attack outside to draw the orc fire. Aurelia and I will sneak in, find the orc chieftain, and take him out." Arthas brushed aside this problem, knowing he couldn't reveal that he had no idea how to find that place at all.
The mist surrounded them, cutting off magical detection; even dragons couldn't find it, let alone him. "Is that so? Why can't I go in?" Onyxia asked doubtfully, quickly shifting her focus back to Arthas.
"You are a mage, and stirring up trouble outside is your strong suit. Aurelia and I sneaking in aligns with our combat habits. Just follow my arrangements, and I assure you there will be plenty of gold coins. If we happen to encounter a captive red dragon notable figure, receiving some reward would be expected. Don't worry; you won't be shortchanged!" Arthas easily found an excuse; after all, he couldn't admit that Onyxia was a black dragon, or things wouldn't be fun anymore.
If the black dragon father and daughter wanted to play schemes, then he would play along with them. "Is there gold?" Onyxia seemed rather fond of gold coins; it was quite normal for a dragon to like rare treasures, wasn't it?
"Yes, I promise," Arthas said, patting his chest. If he could rescue the Red Dragon Queen, he would certainly earn a reward. If they didn't pay? Well, then he would have to resort to other means. The others had no objections to this division of labor; Muradin was merely there to help.
The Dwarves of Ironforge were also besieged by orcs, so defeating the orcs quickly would spare the Dwarves' home from suffering, making it a win-win situation.
As they continued on their way, they suddenly heard sounds of fighting as they approached the Overflowing Hills. Accompanying the clash were booming sounds of thunder, transforming rage into tangible power; the roaring noise was profound. This was how warriors fought, relying on anger to unleash their potential. They controlled their fury rather than being dominated by it.
"There's a battle, Aurelia, let's go see what's happening." Arthas drew his sword, holding a shield in one hand. Aurelia nimbly jumped to a higher vantage point and looked into the distance, "There are some dwarves fighting against orcs ahead; those orcs are riding some small dragons in battle with them. They appear to be fighting over supplies—looks like food!"
"Dwarves?" Muradin pondered for a moment before gripping his unique hammer, one in each hand. "Those are hillside dwarves; they belong to the same clan as the Bronzebeard dwarves. We must help them; they are settled in this area, and perhaps they can help us locate Grim Batol."
"Alright, we should go there, hitting them from behind. If we can kill them, don't let any slip away—there's no such thing as fair play in battle!" Arthas declared, moving to the back. A paladin can't play stealth?
"You are the strangest paladin I've ever seen," Aurelia quipped, rolling her eyes, which made Muradin feel a little odd. He knew how proud high elves were; saying they looked down on others was a modest understatement.
To see a high elf roll her eyes at his student likely hinted at some closer relationship between them. The sounds of battle grew more intense in the distance, even accompanied by the roars of dragons, and the temperature began to rise.
The breath of dragons caused a spike in heat, the collision of weapons stirred up countless dust, and the scene turned chaotic on the battlefield. The red-skinned hillside dwarves were being overwhelmed; despite their bravery, every dragon breath caused significant casualties. Arthas caught sight of the leading figure, a strong orc riding a large red lizard, "Zuluhed (Chieftain of the Dragonmaw Clan)."
"Aurelia, shoot your arrows into its mouth when the dragon opens it. Katrana, use your magic to set that cart on fire over there. Muradin, go rescue the hillside dwarves, break open a gap, and I'll deal with that orc leader." After saying this, Arthas charged forward, hurling a hammer of holy light at Zuluhed before the orc could react.
The hammer smashed into Zul'jin's head, staggering him.
Turning to the sudden appearance of a human, he commanded the red dragon at his side, "Burn him!"
A hammer of justice suddenly fell from the sky, crushing the red dragon that was about to breathe fire. Arthas rushed in front of Zuluhed, blocking the orc's hammer with his shield and forcefully redirecting it downward. Bam! Zuluhed's hammer struck the red dragon below fiercely, with a cracking sound as the dragon's strong scales shattered.
Meanwhile, Muradin unleashed his fury, letting rage manifest physically as he swelled to three meters tall, his body turning silver like metal. This was the warrior's ultimate skill—Avatar! Immune to magic control, reducing magical damage while greatly enhancing attack power. He stomped hard with his right foot, sending a wave of yellow light spreading out.
The surrounding orcs within five meters were stunned, "Let's deal with this green-skinned scum all at once!"
"Kill!" The suppressed hillside dwarves realized Muradin was reinforcements when they saw him, and they began attacking the dazed orcs with their axes and hammers, splitting their necks in two!
Suddenly, only three red dragons opened their mouths to breathe fire, but three arrows of light shot through the air, hitting them right in their mouths. The gathered energy was struck by the arrows and exploded within, even knocking some dragon teeth out. One dragon was blown away, almost fainting from the force.