Galen briefly considered grabbing the Dragon Soul and fleeing. But he couldn't. Gandalf and his two legions, along with the Wildhammer dwarves, were still at Grim Batol's entrance. While Galen could easily escape with a teleportation scroll, he feared the Black Dragon King's wrath would be unleashed upon his territory!
No sane person would provoke the Black Dragon King at this moment. He was barely holding onto his sanity.
Galen had glimpsed a flicker of rationality in the Black Dragon King's eyes. Neltharion, the Black Dragon King, was not entirely consumed by the Old Gods' whispers. Galen and his allies were facing a being split between his former self as the Earth Warder and his corrupted persona, Deathwing.
The title of Earth Warder carried immense weight, representing dominion and authority over the very earth.
If this were Deathwing twenty years in the future, Galen might dare to confront him. That version, though powerful, had forsaken his connection to the earth.
In his humanoid form, the Black Dragon King stood over three meters tall, clad in terrifying black armor. Red-hot magma seemed to pulse through the armor's seams!
"Mortal, how dare you covet the Dragon Soul!"
The Black Dragon King swung his tentacle-like sword, intent on ending Galen's life.
Everything was proceeding according to his plan. The Black Dragon King had recognized the potential of the mortal races during the human-orc war. He decided to disguise himself as a human and manipulate them.
On the orc side, he secretly controlled Nekros, who enslaved the Red Dragon Queen, forcing her to breed an army of dragons in Grim Batol. He intended to claim those dragons as his own.
Though those dragons would be red, he was confident he could bend them to his will.
He had remained in the shadows, fearing Alexstrasza's reaction. He knew how much his former siblings loathed him.
But the dragon eggs and the Dragon Soul were crucial to his grand design. The Dragonmaw orcs were proving utterly inept. He was forced to reveal himself to personally seize the artifact.
In the past, nothing could stop him.
And even less so now. The Blue Dragon King was bound to the Nexus, guarding the magical currents of the world. The Bronze Dragon King was lost in the timeways. The Green Dragon Queen slumbered in the Emerald Dream. None could challenge him.
But now, a dragon intervened, placing himself between the Black Dragon King and Galen.
"Let me see... I recognize you. One of Alexstrasza's consorts, wasn't it? Ten thousand years ago, you were a mere whelp, trailing in her wake!"
It was Palthiasstraz. After his soul's journey to the Altar of Kings, his allegiance had shifted firmly to Galen.
"You are a fool!"
Though also granted dominion over the world by the Titans, Palthiasstraz's power was a fraction of the Dragon Aspects'. In the Black Dragon King's eyes, he was little more than an insect.
"Palthiasstraz, let me handle this. You are young; the Queen will need you to protect her in the future!" Another, larger red dragon stepped in front of Palthiasstraz.
"Tiranastrasz..."
The Black Dragon King sneered the red dragon's name. This ancient consort of Alexstrasza was frail, weakened by captivity.
"How are you still alive?"
"How could I die before seeing you brought to justice?" Tiranastrasz had learned of the Black Dragon King's machinations in Quel'Thalas. Driven by concern for the Queen, he had returned to Grim Batol and endured the Dragon Soul's torment.
"Hmph. Then I shall send you to your grave now, and then I will take your precious eggs and enslave Alexstrasza. I will become the master of this world, and the dragon race will rule Azeroth once more!"
Tiranastrasz snarled. "Where is this mighty black dragon army of yours? If my old eyes don't deceive me, weren't they decimated over the long millennia? Did they die for your ambitions?"
The Black Dragon King flew into a rage. Over the ages, the black dragonflight had been hunted relentlessly. Their numbers dwindled. Their once-great armies were shattered.
His mate had fled, her location unknown. The other females couldn't withstand his power; they perished during mating. Few new black dragons had been born in recent years. This was why he coveted the red dragon eggs!
With a roar, the Black Dragon King transformed into a dragon even larger than Tiranastrasz, encased in heavy black armor.
"Come, Tiranastrasz. Today, I send you to oblivion!"
"Then come! Today, I fight you to the death!"
Tiranastrasz roared and lunged at the Black Dragon King, his massive jaws snapping at his foe's neck!
The Black Dragon King twisted, narrowly avoiding the attack. "You are old and frail. Today, I will tear you apart!"
The two dragons clashed, their roars echoing through the hall. But Talanis's strength was fading.
While Tiranastrasz engaged the Black Dragon King, Sylvanas and the others rushed to Galen's side.
Galen was in terrible shape. His ornate Lightforged armor was mangled, a shoulder plate torn away. His chest, back, and helmet were covered in scratches from being dragged across the floor.
Galen lay motionless, his face contorted in pain. His bones were severely injured! A flash of golden light washed over him as Aragorn began to heal him with Holy Light. Seeing this, Liadrin joined in.
Nourished by the healing energy, Galen stirred. He sat up, uncorked a Healing Potion, and gulped it down.
He burped, and his color returned somewhat.
The Black Dragon King's attack had been like a bomb going off. Galen had barely managed to activate his Divine Shield, but the force of the blow had exceeded its capacity. The Shield was shattered, cracked from the impact. Fortunately, the barrier of Holy Light had absorbed the worst of the impact; otherwise, Galen wouldn't have recovered so quickly.
"Are you alright, Galen?" Sylvanas asked, her voice filled with concern.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. We need to leave this fortress, and free the Red Dragon Queen!" Galen urged, remembering their mission. Taking advantage of the distraction, they needed to escape Grim Batol.
"Palthiasstraz, rescue your Queen, and then bring her to support us!"