Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 348, Section 38: The Doorman's Redemption - Saving the Underachiever Imira

The Exodar landed upstream of Thunder Falls, where the Lightforged had built a temporary dock for the gem ship for maintenance. Lothar barely rested before leading his Iron Horse Knights on a teleportation route through the Royal Archmages to Redridge Mountains.

The warlord, weary from his journey, rushed into King Ryan's tent, where several dwarven tanks were parked, startling the king who was examining a map.

"How did you get back so quickly?"

Ryan put down the bread in his hand and looked at his good brother in surprise.

Lothar's armor was still stained with blood; it was clear he had just come from the battlefield. The king asked:
"Has the problem on Arathi Basin been resolved?"

"Stromgarde is gone, Thoras is dead, Danas Trollbane inherited the army and led the warriors to retreat to Wildhammer Highlands, and the exiles were sent to Wetlands and Khaz Modan. In addition, Southshore and Tarren Mill were lost due to the demonic invasion during the plague. The Kingdom of Stromgarde can be said to be basically destroyed."

Losa said in a heavy tone:

"Including Dalaran, which has migrated here, and Gilneas, which is ravaged by wolf disease, three human kingdoms have been defeated by demons. I don't know what's going on in Lordaeron yet, but Mage Khadgar believes that the situation there is not optimistic either. There must be a hidden story behind the fact that Lordaeron can defend its territory with the help of dragonborn warriors."

Compared to the chaotic situation in the North Frontier, the Storm Kingdom has now caught its breath.

But that's not the main point. The main point is that something's about to happen at Redridge Mountains! Get ready, Ryan, we're striking first thing tomorrow morning.

"Huh? Are you serious?"

The king rose solemnly and said:

"These past few days, our forwards have been repeatedly contesting the northern shore of Stillwater with the Greenskins. The two sides are fighting fiercely, and I see no sign that the Orcs will suddenly collapse."

"Their curse of demon blood has been lifted, Lion. The orcs' sanity is returning. I heard from the Lightforged that they will soon regain their former minds and no longer be dominated by their raging fury."

Lothar explained:
"And I can tell you definitively that the Greenskins' Warchief is preparing to lead his army to Kalimdor to participate in the demonic invasion. They are going to help the Night Elves kill the invading Archdemons, just like they did in Arathi Highlands."

The Greenskins viewed it as a form of 'battle redemption'.

Although I think they all deserved to die, that doesn't stop the high chief from seeming like a guy with a 'moral conscience'.

"What, what, what?"

Ryan was confused.

Lothar briefly recounted everything that had happened in Arathi Highlands to his brother, even including his conversation with Orgrim.

After listening, King Ryan frowned, and after a moment of silence, he said:

"You mean the orcs of Redridge Mountains will split?"

"No, I mean, they're already internally divided!"

Lothar walked up to the map, pounded his fist on the stone wall fortress, and said:

"That troublesome Warlord Eitrigg is Orgrim's confidant. He will definitely take those orcs who have regained their senses with him to follow Orgrim in his war on another continent. Those left here are a bunch of war butchers who are unwilling to turn back."

The Durotan Warchief had previously told me that there were significant differences in the ways of the orc clans.

The Frostwolf Clan is the most rational clan. Even the Blackrock Clan is not the most extreme of the orcs. Some of the smaller clans were already a group of madmen eager for conquest before they even drank the demon blood.

Therefore, since the split has already occurred, we must seize the opportunity presented by their internal turmoil and resolve the Redridge Mountains issue as quickly as possible.

"Northern Xinjiang"

The marshal paused, then emphasized:
“We can’t wait any longer! The air there is filled with fel energy. The Vigilant is certain that any human living in that environment will be affected, just like orcs turning into green-skinned creatures after drinking demon blood. Fel energy is the greatest enemy of all rational life.”

We must reclaim the Stormwind Kingdom's territory as soon as possible and begin preparations to retake the lost lands in the North. I fear that if we delay any longer, something terrible might happen in the North.

Ryan was still somewhat uneasy, but instead of arguing with Lothar, he nodded and said:

"Tomorrow I will personally lead the knights to the north bank of Stillwater Lake. If it is as you say, then we will launch a general offensive immediately. But you need to rest, Lothar; you look like a vagabond in armor right now."

How long has it been since you last slept?

"I"

The marshal was about to answer when he heard a commotion outside the camp. He and Ryan rushed out of their tent and saw that a group of dwarven griffon riders had landed near the camp. Soon after, a guard rushed over to report to them:
"It is Princess Moira Bronzebeard, royalty of Ironforge!"

The guard said excitedly:
"The brave princess and her formidable guards stormed into Darkhearth, captured the Dark Iron dwarf king, and flew all the way here along Redridge Mountains. They need supplies and rest!"

What a brilliant surprise attack, Your Majesty!

Those despicable Dark Iron dwarf slave owners deserved a good beating long ago. Those bastards took advantage of the chaos before Redridge Mountains to kidnap many of our people and force them to do hard labor in their mines.”

This news caused Lothar and Ryan to exchange a glance, both seeing the surprise on each other's faces.

Something's not right!
Leaving aside how such a small number of dwarves managed to descend from the sky, storm Darkhearth, and capture the Dark Iron King, the fact that they flew along Redridge Mountains without being attacked by orc wyvern riders is itself questionable.

Even though the Dragonmaw Clan had ascended to heaven with Zul'hild, the orcs on the Redridge Mountains still had no shortage of aerial power.

Even if each of these gryphon riders were a sky overlord like Kurdran Wildhammer, it would be impossible for them to break through the Greenskins' aerial encirclement unscathed, let alone with an important prisoner in their possession.

"Princess Moira is invited!"

King Ryan said to his guards:
"Please inform them that they can rest in the camp, and that someone will soon escort them to Stormwind to recuperate."

"As ordered."

The guards immediately turned and left. A moment later, Princess Moira, who was also travel-worn, was invited into the king's tent. The dwarf princess was wearing armor and carrying a warhammer, but she was a priestess of the Holy Light and greeted the two Holy Light Walkers before her with a priestly salute.

And before Lothar could even ask, the dwarf princess, exhausted from being chased for days, bluntly stated:

"We've partnered with the orcs."

I'm sorry, you two. I know there's hatred between the Greenskins and Stormwind, and I know my father signed a pact of mutual support with you. But this action was my personal one, so please don't let it damage the trust between our two races.

To express my apology, I offer a priceless gift to the Kingdom of Stormwind.

As she spoke, Moira took three items from her magic bag and placed them on King Ryan's table.

A square-headed, bright silver, finely crafted warhammer; a magnificent crown ablaze with flames; and a marching cloak that is invisible but tangible.

All three items have a strong Dark Iron Dwarf style, and judging from their magical glow, they are all extremely rare and precious treasures.

"King Thaurissan's weapon 'The Opponent,' the crown 'Ring of Flames' that the Dark Iron dwarves wanted to offer to the Firelord, and the legendary 'The Emperor's New Clothes.' Finally, this is the magic cloak, which is what we used to bring Thaurissan out of Blackrock Mountain."

Moira explained:

"This cloak makes the wearer completely invisible, almost impossible to detect by any means. No one knows where the Dark Iron dwarves got it, but it is said to be the most treasured possession of the Dark Iron Witch Queen Mordgood."

Each of these three treasures is priceless, and I hope they can heal the wounded hearts of my dwarven allies.

Please also understand the deep-seated hatred between Bronzebeard and Dark Iron. After the Dark Iron Emperor sent men to raid Thelsamar, almost causing the massacre of my people, I swore to make that bastard pay for his blood debt!
I'm sorry, I was a bit rash, but luckily it turned out well.

Ryan and Lothar exchanged a glance.

The human king said coldly:

“I believe this is your personal behavior, but Princess Moira, you are the princess of Ironforge. All your personal actions are national actions of the dwarves, so I will write to your father to question him about this matter.”

But don't worry.

The friendship between humans and dwarves has lasted for many years. Given that your actions did not have serious consequences and the Dark Iron dwarves did indeed harm the interests of Stormwind, my warriors regard you as heroes. Therefore, I will not use the impact of this incident to deliberately damage the precious friendship between the two races.

As for these three gifts, please take them back with you.

"Human reputation and trust cannot and should not be bought with treasures!"

Losa shook his head and said:
"Moreover, compared to the two of us, you may need these treasures more to appease the angry national leaders of your homeland. As far as I know, once the dwarves lose their temper, they are not so easy to calm down."

If you truly wish to express your apology, then please tell us the entire process of your cooperation with the orcs.

Most importantly, what message did the Overseer of Redridge Mountains, Eitrigg, send us through you?

"Ok?"

Moira blinked.

She looked at the two human leaders before her, then glanced at the bloodstains on Lothar's body that were clearly not freshly spilled, and realized what was happening. She sighed and said:

"You participated in the War of Arathi? No wonder my words didn't escape your notice. Well, Warlord Eitrigg did indeed send me a message, saying that he wouldn't be foolish enough to believe that hatred forged in blood would dissipate through the exchange of words, so he wouldn't expect this retreat to allow humans and orcs to have normal relations."

He said that if the humans of Stormwind want revenge on the Greenskins, they should go to Mount Hyjal in Kalimdor, where a final battle will take place between the two races after they have killed Cenarius the Defiler, the Greenskins' enemy.

He added that the battle at Mount Hyjal would be the Greenskins' last stand on Azeroth, and regardless of the outcome, the Black Wolf God's pack would journey to the stars.

"They think beautifully!"

Ryan said loudly:
"You stormed into my country, slaughtered my people, destroyed my cities, and desecrated the honor of House Vrynn, and you think you can just wipe that away with a flimsy 'Star Trek'? Mount Hyjal, is it?"
it is good!
They will see the valiant warriors of Stormwind there, and we will teach them a lesson with our weapons and the blood of the greenskins.

"Hey, you've taken the bait. This is the Black Wolf God's scheme. That bastard is just waiting for us to go to Mount Hyjal."

Losa shook his head and sighed, saying:
"Moreover, Eitrigg has already made it clear that he is planning to slip away, and the war at Redridge Mountains won't last long."

The human marshal, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly felt exhausted. He yawned and said to Ryan:

“In that case, I’ll leave this to you, Ryan. I’m going to rest for a while. Tomorrow, I’ll start reorganizing the troops and take a group of elite warriors to Mount Hyjal to participate in the war against the Corruptors.”

How are you planning to get there?

The king asked a question, and Lothar shrugged and said:

"Of course we'll go by Draenei spaceship. Other means of transportation can't keep up with that war that could break out at any moment, so you don't need to worry about that. But when I return, Ryan, you must reclaim our homeland!"

There's still a lot to do.

Are you going back to Stormwind?

Moira Bronzebeard blinked and said:
"May I come with you? I heard that my uncle Muradin lives in Stormwind. He and you have been close friends for many years. Could you please help me invite him?"

"I won't get involved in your dwarfs' troubles."

Losa refused, saying:
“I don’t want Muradin to hate me. You’ll be in for a scolding from your father and uncle.”

At this point, Lothar paused for a few seconds, then said to Moira:

“I’ve actually heard about your conflict with your father from Muradin. I know you did this to prove your ability to your father, but you chose the wrong method. Magni will definitely be very angry.”

"Alas, things are terrible inside among the dwarves too."

These words silenced Moira.

After she followed Lothar out of the king's tent, she whispered:

"If your future heir is a daughter, will you be as stubborn as my father, believing she is unfit to inherit your kingdom?"

"I won't."

Lothar shrugged and grinned at Moira, saying:
"Because I have no intention of letting my child inherit any throne. What she wants, she has to fight for herself! The same goes for you. Other people's opinions of you are not as important as you think most of the time."

The prerequisite is that you yourself must have confidence.

Lothar pointed to the cage in the distance that imprisoned the Dark Iron King and whispered:

"So, if my daughter were to accomplish such a feat in the future—launching a surprise attack on an enemy country and capturing its chieftain—I would be overjoyed! From a diplomatic standpoint, I must condemn your breach of the alliance, but personally..."
Well done, Your Highness Moira.

So I won't ask Muradin for your help, but I'll invite him over for drinks tonight.

If you can bring enough fine wine to satisfy your uncle, that old drunkard, maybe if I get drunk I might give you some time?

"Thanks!"

Upon hearing Lothar's words, Moira's tightly clenched fingers suddenly loosened.

She breathed a sigh of relief, bid farewell to Lothar with composure, and then went to prepare the wine.

Inside Ryan's tent, the white soldier who had been summoned looked at the invisible yet tangible marching cloak in his hand with a surprised expression, then looked at his father and whispered:
"Where did you get such a powerful thing?"

"Don't ask, just put it on."

Ryan sighed and said:
"With you brat clamoring to go to the battlefield, I'll lose ten years of my life! Get lost, go with Lothar to Mount Hyjal. I know I can't stop you, so I won't waste my time."

Remember to visit your mother before you leave.

Tell her to stop arranging a fiancée for you; you're only nine years old! (By divine intervention!)

"You are all Lightforgers now."

Varian fiddled with the invisibility cloak in his hand, and he flattered, saying:
"Big Sister Iriel told me that you will live to be at least 500 years old, and if you pay attention to health, living to 800 years old is not a problem. Living ten years less is nothing."

"You unfilial son! Get out of here!"

The Dark Iron King's "Opponent" warhammer, enveloped in holy light, came crashing down like a flying hammer, causing "filial son" Varian to flee from his tent in terror, donning an invisibility cloak and disappearing in a flash.

But Varian doesn't actually need this.

He was a swordsman, he knew Wind Walk, and stealth was a basic skill for him, so after thinking it over, Varian decided to give the cloak to Arthas and Calia.

They were about to set off for Draenor, a world that was actually quite dangerous, and they would definitely need to use it.

Meanwhile, aboard the Exodar ship docked at Thunderfall, Diakum entered the ship's hangar and was met by Yrel, who was using the Ash Apostle's holy sword as a medium to summon holy light to forge the black dragon before him.

The latter's bodies had been reshaped by the Curse of Flesh into the template of the Nergigante, but since they were all ordinary black dragons and not direct descendants of Deathwing, their potential was limited. Therefore, Archbishop Saloras, who was in charge of reshaping the flesh, was too lazy to give them "personalized modifications" and simply followed the template of Onyxia's flesh.

"These guys don't seem as strong as Onyxia!"

Yrel felt a surge of pleasure at personally forging these "monkey-like Nergigante" creatures. She reveled in that dark kind of pleasure and loudly complained to Commander Diakum:

"I have a feeling that these guys definitely can't unleash the destructive power of Onyxia's 'cross-level combat'. Is Archbishop Saloras slacking off?"

"No, the templates used for flesh and blood reconstruction are all the same."

The vigilant explained:

"It's simply a matter of the degree to which the Curse of Flesh reshapes the body. Saloras's mastery of that Void arcane art is not as good as mine, so it's understandable that the things she creates are weaker. But theoretically, they all possess the abilities Onyxia has; it's just a matter of whether they can utilize them effectively."

Complete the photoforming as soon as possible, Irelia.

When we reach Mount Hyjal, the Lightforged warriors will ride their 'Lightforged Dragons' into the battlefield to slay the demons!

"That's pretty impressive."

Irelia imagined the scene for a moment, then grinned and said:
"Now we have air power too, but the number of Lightforged Dragons is a bit small. Also, could we get some Black Dragon Eggs to distribute to the warriors as a chapter perk? Other life forms don't have that much time to raise their own Lightforged Dragons, but we Eredar are immortal."

Even the giant dragons and war beasts can't outlive us.

However, humans and greenskins decided to fight the demons on the land of the night elves, and then have a final battle to the death under the watchful eyes of the eredar. Tsk tsk, is this the complicated diplomatic circle of Azeroth?

"Your newly manufactured brain is really useful. Look at these amazing metaphors. But you're right, everything that happens in the world of Azeroth is just that complicated."

Diakum shrugged and said:

"Let's get back to our Lightforged Dragons. When we have some free time, we'll have Onyxia take her Lightforged Dragons to the Black Dragons' lair and bring back the Black Dragon Eggs as 'strategic resources' as well."

Have you seen Imira these past few days? I feel like I haven't seen her for at least ten days.

"Oh, Master Imira left a letter saying that she went to school, and that it was just a magic academy in Azeroth. She would get her graduation certificate in a month at most, so we don't need to worry about her."

Judging by the time, she should be back in a few days.

"Huh? Wait a minute! Which magic academy did she go to for further studies?"

"I think it's called Nassaras Magic Academy? Why do you look so pale? Did something happen to Imira?"

"That idiot! Hmph, if we're lucky enough, we might soon see the first 'Eridan Lich,' which would really be a source of pride for the Arcane Academy! Even I, the PE teacher and gatekeeper, can't keep up the pressure."

Okay, I need to go check it out right away.

Otherwise, Sachiel and Archimonde would be utterly humiliated by that guy. I'd have to bring the twins along too; otherwise, this 'uneducated' priest probably wouldn't even be able to get through the academy gates.”

(End of this chapter)