Appearing before Andreas' eyes was a black dragon whelp that spoke in a human tongue—and the voice was that of a crisp, young girl.
"Hmm..."
Andreas stood his ground without moving for a moment, his mind racing as he tried to guess the whelp's identity.
Protected by four dragonkin with a well-balanced distribution of classes... this whelp's status must be extraordinary. Could it be...
Under the whelp's curious gaze, the black bear stood up on its hind legs and, amidst a shimmer of purple light and shadow, reverted to his original Night Elf form.
"Eh? Oh! So it was a Druid."
The dragon baby blinked in surprise at this transformation, her expression shifting to one of sudden realization.
Outside the cave, the dragonkin captain, having been toyed with moments ago, was racing back inside in a fit of rage. "Insolent wretch! Get away from the Princess' temporary lair!"
"Princess?"
A flash of understanding crossed Andreas' eyes. As I thought.
Snap—
With a casual snap of his fingers, Shadow vines surged from the snowy ground, sealing the cave entrance tight. No matter how hard those two loyal dragonkin attacked, the resilient wall of vines was not something they could break through in a short time.
Under Andreas' meaningful gaze, the dragon whelp forced herself to regain her composure after her initial panic.
"Druid, what do you want?"
"Let's get one thing straight. I'm still young and don't have the habit of collecting treasures yet. Don't be misled by the pulp fiction of the Night Elf Empire."
Andreas shook his head with an amused smile. "I've already looted most of your father's collection. I have no interest in your meager treasures."
"You..."
The black dragon baby's mouth hung open in shock. She recalled information she had gained from a previous conversation with her elder brother, Nefarian.
"I see. You are that powerful mortal Druid who secretly broke into Father's lair a few years ago and fought a great battle against Nefarian."
Andreas nodded with a smile. "Correct. It seems Prince Nefarian has mentioned me to you."
"However, there is a slight issue with Prince Nefarian's description, Princess."
"While we did indeed fight, calling it a 'great battle'... might be a bit of an exaggeration."
"Hmph~ That fellow is puffing himself up again."
The black dragon baby wrinkled her nose in dissatisfaction. "Just call me by my name. I am Onyxia."
...
Andreas' trip to Highmountain to guide and assist Huln in driving away Deathwing was only a secondary objective. His true intention was to re-establish contact with the Black Dragonflight.
Currently, the black dragons had likely not been completely corrupted by the darkness spread by Neltharion. At the very least, the Nefarian he spoke with last time seemed perfectly normal, as did this dragon baby currently trying her best to project an air of maturity and majesty.
Once it was confirmed that Andreas harbored no ill will, Onyxia ordered her guard captain to stand down. In return, Andreas dispelled the wall of vines at the entrance.
Though dragonkin were once mortals, their transformation by the dragons made their physical constitution far superior to that of ordinary people. The two dragonkin Andreas had knocked unconscious soon woke up under the calls of their companions. Now, the four of them stood in a neat row in front of Onyxia, warily eyeing the relaxed Andreas who stood just a step away.
"You're looking for Nefarian?"
"To be precise, I'm looking for the Black Dragonflight. If we exclude Neltharion's influence and Nefarian can represent the entire flight, then saying I'm looking for him is fine."
Onyxia shook her head. "It's not that easy."
"While Nefarian technically holds the legitimate right of succession to the Black Dragonflight, as long as Father is still around, he will always just be a Prince. He cannot gain the support of all factions within the flight as Father does."
Factions, huh...
Andreas nodded thoughtfully. "What are these factions you speak of? Is there power-struggling even within the black dragons?"
Onyxia scoffed. "Wherever there are people, there is conflict. This applies to dragons as well."
"Broadly speaking, the black dragons are divided into three factions."
"First are the die-hard radicals who resolutely support Father's iron-fisted rule. They were Father's most trusted subordinates and were the first to be affected by his corruption."
A flicker of nostalgia and sorrow passed through Onyxia's eyes as she spoke of the old Neltharion.
"Opposite them are the moderates who resolutely oppose Father and support the Wyrmrest Temple instead."
"They find Father's recent changes and his betrayal of our kin unacceptable, and they have been trying to overthrow his rule. The moderates agree with the Wyrmrest Temple's view and wish to select a new, competent Earth-Warder. Since the war against the Burning Legion ended, they have been secretly plotting in the shadows."
Crossing her two small claws over her chest, Onyxia tilted her dragon head up. "Finally, there is the neutral faction led by Nefarian and myself. We do not participate in the disputes between the two sides; we are only responsible for witnessing who will achieve the final victory."
Andreas rolled his eyes speechlessly. "So you're just fence-sitters?"
"Insolent!"
Onyxia angrily spat a fireball at Andreas, though the combat power of a whelp... could be safely ignored. Andreas waved a hand, and a purple gust of wind easily extinguished the flame.
"It's called biding one's time!"
"Our status as royalty limits our actions. Father's behavior has indeed become increasingly tyrannical in recent years, but in this situation, what can we as his children do? Commit kin-slaying for the sake of the greater good?!"
Onyxia huffed, looking quite indignant.
Andreas could tell from her reaction that the two siblings of the black dragon royalty—and perhaps more than just those two—harbored doubts about Neltharion's increasingly strange behavior. They were simply hindered by their status.
After a moment of silent contemplation, Andreas spoke to Onyxia. "Give a message to Nefarian and your 'neutral' companions for me."
"Neltharion's madness will not improve or end. You should cast aside your wishful thinking sooner rather than later."
"The noble Earth-Warder of the past no longer exists. The current Neltharion is merely a pathetic puppet controlled by the Old God, N'Zoth."
Whoosh—
Transforming into a golden eagle, Andreas beat his wings and flew toward the exit. His final words drifted back through the wind and snow outside the cave.
"If you need more detailed information about the Old Gods to firm up your convictions, you can find me at Moonshadow's Rest on the northwestern coast of Ashenvale. I shall await your arrival at any time."
Once peace returned to the cave, the dragonkin captain, Randolph, looked at the shifting expressions on Onyxia's face.
"Princess, should we go discuss today's encounter and a counter-strategy with Prince Nefarian?"
"Hmm..."
The young Onyxia was indeed undecided. She nodded with a somber expression. "Prepare to depart. I want to know exactly what the Old Gods are and how they could possibly corrupt an Aspect. I hope Nefarian can provide some answers."
"And one more thing." Onyxia hesitated before lowering her voice to command: "Secretly contact Mother. We need her wisdom and experience."