Onyxia had assumed that after seeing the gathered top-tier combat power of the four Dragonflights, Sabellian would have fled back to Blackwing Lair with his tail between his legs. She had subconsciously let her guard down on the way to the northern part of the continent.
If it hadn't been for Andreas's keen perception of danger, heaven only knows when this skulkng Black Dragon would have launched an ambush.
"We must find a way to shake him off or take him out."
Andreas rubbed his chin in thought. "Since this Black Dragon named Sabellian was appointed as a lieutenant by Deathwing, his strength shouldn't be weak, right?"
Onyxia nodded solemnly. "Although Sabellian wasn't considered among the very top tier back when the Black Dragonflight was full of talent..."
"But following Deathwing's great purge—where those who obeyed prospered and those who resisted perished—most of the powerful Black Dragons who dared to stand up against him met untimely deaths. The remaining few retreated into the mountains in disillusionment. Sabellian is essentially the tallest among the dwarves now."
Andreas asked thoughtfully, "How large is the gap compared to Nefarian, whom I fought back then?"
Onyxia let out a scoff. "When Nefarian fought you, he had only just reached adulthood. His strength wasn't even at the average line for an adult Black Dragon."
"Over a thousand years have passed, and Nefarian's strength has grown by leaps and bounds, yet he still wouldn't dare say he could steadily defeat Sabellian. As for you..."
Onyxia shrugged. "Aside from your battle with Salayn during the Satyr War, there are too few examples to reference for your individual strength. I can't say for sure if you can defeat Sabellian in a head-on confrontation."
Setting aside those thousand years of dormancy in the Emerald Dream, Onyxia had seen Andreas fighting in the Moonshadow's Rest Arena before.
However, battles in the arena were primarily contests of skill. If Andreas were to use his energy levels to forcibly crush his opponents, it would be a bit like bullying, and it didn't fit his original intention of honing his techniques.
When training in the arena, Andreas would usually suppress his own energy to a level equivalent to his opponent's.
But a person knows their own situation best.
Ever since Elune bestowed her blessing upon Andreas, as a God-favored one, his internal reserve of Shadow energy would naturally grow even without intentional meditation or cultivation.
However, quantity is just quantity. If the "quality" is not up to par, one could easily be crushed by an enemy's single strike in battle.
During the early days of Moonshadow's Rest's establishment, Andreas was busy with various internal affairs all day, but he insisted on two hours of meditation before bed every night for self-improvement—primarily to purify the ever-growing Shadow energy within his body.
After "idling" in the Emerald Dream for a thousand years, Andreas hadn't had time to sort out the suddenly surged energy; the pure Shadow energy he could fully control remained at the level of a thousand years ago.
However, after having his Shadow energy sealed by Elune, Andreas had instead become increasingly proficient in the use of Nature energy during those thousand years—a case of losing some but gaining others.
Staring at the Black Dragon lurking suspiciously behind the clouds, Andreas crossed his arms and considered carefully for a moment.
"Since we can't determine the relative strength of both sides for now, let's take a cautious approach."
Scanning the surrounding terrain and comparing it with the game map in his mind, they should currently be near Darrowmere Hill. Further north would be the Alterac Mountains and Lake Lordamere.
Flying all the way, Andreas and the others had spotted many Troll settlements. These hunched, tusked creatures with grass-green skin likely belonged to the Amani Empire established by the Forest Trolls.
Andreas's brain worked at high speed. He planned to utilize these scattered wild Trolls to see if he could find an opportunity to scheme against Sabellian, increasing their chances of winning the battle.
"I have a plan. Let's scout the surrounding situation first."
...
In the early days of the Great Troll Empire, besides the Zandalar, Gurubashi, and Amani, there was a fourth powerful tribe—the Drakkari.
The Drakkari Trolls had lived in the freezing north of Northrend since before the Sundering. Affected by the environment, their skin gradually turned ice-blue. Distinct from the Jungle and Forest Trolls, they were also known as Frost Trolls.
The Drakkari Empire of the Frost Trolls was established in Zul'Drak in the far northern Northrend region. Back when the continent of ancient Kalimdor still existed, the footprints of Frost Trolls spanned almost every cold region in the world.
Affected by the explosion of the Well of Eternity and the splitting of the continents, a portion of the Frost Trolls lost contact with Zul'Drak. They continued to live contentedly in cold regions that their fellow Trolls had no interest in seizing.
According to Leticia's infiltration and reconnaissance, a group of Frost Trolls lived in the snowy mountain region of Hillsbrad—known to later generations as the Alterac Mountains. They called themselves the Icebite clan.
Leticia brought back a significant amount of intelligence on the Icebite clan. The group then deliberately walked out of the small woods where they had been hiding and headed boldly north into the Alterac Mountains.
A look of confusion appeared in the eyes of Sabellian, who was observing from the air.
Judging by Princess Onyxia's previous route, this group should have been preparing to traverse the hills before them, fly over the large lake to the north, and head straight for Tirisfal Glades.
But now they had suddenly slowed down and entered the snowy Alterac Mountains. This strange itinerary made Sabellian wary.
Could they have discovered my trail? No, that shouldn't be possible.
Sabellian believed he had remained very well-hidden. Given Princess Onyxia's strength, it should be impossible for her to notice his tracking, and those three "fragile" mortals were directly ignored by him.
The arrogant nature of the Dragonkin was innate. Their resilient bodies and the innate abilities bestowed upon the Dragonflights gave them the grounds to look down upon mortals.
Despite his doubts, Sabellian, possessing absolute confidence in his own strength, followed them with the boldness of the highly skilled.
The climate in high mountain regions was relatively dry, and there were no clouds over the Alterac Mountains for Sabellian to continue hiding.
His patience had nearly worn out from the continuous tracking. He intended to have a showdown with Princess Onyxia in these snowy mountains and use forceful means to bring her back to Blackwing Lair.
The Black Dragon descending from the sky caused bursts of exclamations from the Icebite Trolls living in the Alterac Mountains. The clan's chieftain and witch doctor hurriedly stepped forward to stabilize the tribesmen's emotions.
Under the shocked and angry gazes of the Icebite Trolls, Sabellian landed in the snow. Ignoring the clamoring Trolls around him, he shouted in a deep dragon voice, "Princess! It's not too late to turn back now."
"As long as you admit your mistakes and repent to the Dragon King, I believe that as his direct descendant, you will be forgiven."
Sabellian's roar echoed through the mountains. Some peaks even suffered avalanches under the influence of the spreading sound waves, and many innocent Icebite Trolls were buried under the heavy snow.
The chieftain of the Icebite Trolls roared angrily at Sabellian, and the clan's witch doctor also shrieked, raising his staff high to inspire the tribesmen's morale.
The Troll race possessed many bad habits and flaws, but their one-track minds made them dare to bare their teeth at any enemy.
Once, they had used this sheer bravado to batter the powerful Ahn'Qiraj Empire into a state from which it couldn't recover for thousands of years.
Life and death meant little; if you're not convinced, let's fight.
Under the orders of the chieftain and the witch doctor, a large number of Icebite Trolls raised their weapons, shouting "Taz'dingo!" as they launched a fearless charge against Sabellian, the invader of their territory.
Sabellian sneered at the Icebite Trolls' attack. Several consecutive breaths of Shadowflame evaporated a large number of enemies who dared to approach him.
As the Icebite Trolls bravely mobilized the entire clan's power to launch an attack on Sabellian, Andreas and the others had already circled behind him. At this moment, they were hiding behind a mountain rock, observing the development of the situation with piercing eyes.