The steam tanks unleashed a barrage of fire, targeting Grim Batol's Blackrock Gate.
The gate, a testament to dwarven craftsmanship from three hundred years past, had endured the bombardment for over half an hour, showcasing its exceptional quality.
"My father helped forge this gate," boasted Ian, the Gryphon Commander of the Firebeard clan. Dwarves were known for their long lifespans, averaging eight hundred years and sometimes exceeding a thousand. For them, three hundred years was not a distant era; the War of the Three Hammers might well have been a part of some dwarf elder's glorious past.
"Tch," Corin Summermane scoffed dismissively. "My father commanded the city guard back then, the most trusted general of the Wildhammer King. He protected King Khardros as he charged into the heart of the Dark Iron dwarves, allowing the King to slay the evil witch queen!"
Everyone seemed to hail from a prestigious family, where their ancestors had played significant roles in history.
Boom!
A shell struck the fortress gate directly, and the right half of the Blackrock Gate crashed heavily to the ground.
"Warriors of Warden Stillwater, charge with me!" The Warden Stillwater brothers, unlike the others, did not participate in the boasting. Their family had only risen to prominence in the Northeron Highlands in the last hundred years. Each of the three brothers had distinct hobbies and flaws, leading to their ostracization by the other Wildhammer generals, and they did not seek their company.
The battle-hungry Kaden was the first to hurl his chain, propelling himself forward. Dragonmaw clan orc warriors rushed out to defend the gate, but Kaden's whirlwind of attacks cut them down.
"Charge! Seize the gate, reclaim Grim Batol!" The dwarves' morale surged, and they charged forward without waiting for orders. Gandalf had no choice but to deploy the infantry to support them.
While the main force of the Dragonmaw clan was occupied at the gate, Galen and the others easily slipped through, advancing in their designated direction.
Their progress was hindered only by the sudden appearance of creatures formed from Shadow energy, but the group's exceptional skills ensured they suffered minimal damage.
Once, they were ambushed by Shadow and forced out of stealth, alerting patrolling orcs. Fortunately, Garona intervened swiftly, eliminating the patrol leader before he could call for reinforcements, thus preventing the Dragonmaw clan within the fortress from being alerted.
They reached a large hall where the scene was markedly different from the chaos outside. The hall was filled with dragon eggs, each dark red and nearly the size of Durin. The eggs emitted a faint glow, resembling red gemstones.
"What... are these?" asked Liadrin, who had spent most of her life within the borders of Quel'Thalas and had limited experience beyond. The sheer number of dragon eggs overwhelmed her.
"These are dragon eggs—red dragon eggs," Aegwynn explained. "Moreover, these are of exceptional quality, with strong life force fluctuations. If I'm not mistaken, they must be eggs laid by Alexstrasza!"
Dragons reproduce through eggs, but not all dragon eggs are equal. They vary in quality.
The lowest quality eggs are those laid by a mother dragon without fertilization by a male. These eggs can still hatch, but they produce mindless, beast-like dragons, such as drakes or dragonkin. Though technically dragons, they are considered the lowest class in dragon society. In battle, they serve only as cannon fodder and are excluded from the formal dragon army.
A prime example is Onyxia, the black dragon princess, who used her own unfertilized dragon eggs to hatch a small army, with which she occupied Dustwallow Marsh.
The second quality of eggs are those laid by mother dragons in batches and then imbued with life essence by a male dragon. The male dragon expends considerable energy using dragon breath to heat and catalyze the eggs until they hatch. This process explains why Malygos, the Aspect of Magic, is nearly drained of his power.
Dragons born this way form the elite and backbone of the dragon army.
The highest quality offspring result from personal mating between a Dragon King and Queen. Their gestation is even more complex, involving fertilization within the mother dragon's body. This method consumes the life essence of both parents but results in a dragon egg with a soul inheritance, possessing the potential to become a legendary dragon.
This is an extremely dangerous method of procreation. Ordinary dragons attempt it only at the end of their lives. Only the Dragon King can regularly use this method; otherwise, Deathwing, despite being known as the most powerful dragon, would have only a few offspring. Ordinary mother dragons cannot survive mating with him.
Deathwing imprisoned the Red Dragon Queen, intending to take her dragon eggs and use her as a broodmother.
"If these are the Red Dragon Queen's dragon eggs," Galen observed, "then the Black Dragon Aspect, Neltharion, likely has his sights set on this place!"
As Galen spoke, a sound of struggling came from the depths of the hall, and the rattling of chains echoed, startling everyone.
They cautiously advanced until they saw the scene in the deepest part of the hall.
A gigantic creature, over a hundred meters long and nearly ten meters tall, lay in the corner. Its wings and neck were bound by enormous chains, and its eyes shone like two searchlights.
"Alexstrasza!" Aegwynn exclaimed.
She had been surprised to learn that the Red Dragon Queen was imprisoned by the orcs and had been skeptical. But upon witnessing this scene, she realized Galen had not been lying.
This was the Red Dragon Queen, one of the Dragon Aspects, a top-tier powerhouse in Azeroth. At this moment, Aegwynn became serious, no longer regarding this mission as a mere excursion to accompany her son!
"Aegwynn, and young Chromie, humans and high elves!"
The Guardians share the duty of destroying demons invading Azeroth with the Dragonflights. Aegwynn, in particular, had served as Guardian for hundreds of years and had cooperated with the Dragonflights for many years. Therefore, it was not surprising that she recognized the Red Dragon Queen.
"Have you come to save me?" Alexstrasza's deep voice resonated through the hall. Though she appeared weak, it was only because the Dragon Soul was suppressing her.
"Paltias is my friend," Galen explained. "He told us that the red dragons were helping the orcs in the human war because his beloved was being controlled by these despicable orcs. But for certain reasons, they were unable to rescue you themselves. So, he asked me to assemble an elite team to come to your aid!"