The Alliance's offer of a month for preparations was generous, but Galen believed he could expedite the process to two weeks. The question was whether the Alliance would cover the 300,000 gold in military expenses for this compressed timeline.
Even with the Thorium Brotherhood willing to pay half, Galen hesitated. Ten thousand gold coins per day was already a significant expense, and halving the timeline would severely test the nobles' patience. Since Stromgarde aimed to lead the Alliance in the future, maintaining some goodwill was prudent.
The first to mobilize were Durin's Hill Guard and the Red Dragon Task Force, led by Palthastrasz.
Durin operated openly, posing as Blackrock Depths city guards to launch a surprise attack on Upper Blackrock Spire. Palthastrasz worked covertly, targeting the Dark Iron dwarves in Lower Blackrock Depths. His dragon breath incinerated many, and his claws left deep marks on the rock golems.
Their actions ignited fresh tensions between the Dark Iron dwarves and the Black Dragonflight. Already suspicious of each other, both factions seized the opportunity to retaliate, each believing the other had initiated the attack.
Both sides deployed their forces almost simultaneously, unaware of the other's movements.
Blackrock Spire, despite its name, was a vast, hollowed-out mountain, divided into upper and lower levels connected by a wide passage—twelve meters across and nearly ten meters high. Though dwarves were short, their Titan-forged ancestors had built spacious corridors, ideal for deploying battle formations.
The Black Dragonflight's main forces consisted of dragonspawn and drakonids. Dragonspawn, bipedal draconic creatures, wielded long spears. Drakonids, four-legged and sometimes winged, were more robust. Originally, dragonflights lacked such servants. Their ranks included only whelps—rooster-sized hatchlings—and drakes, which possessed moderate combat strength. The two hundred red dragons under Galen's command were drakes, a type players once rode in his past life.
Above drakes were adult dragons, the backbone of the guardian dragonflights. But ten thousand years ago, the Burning Legion's invasion exposed the dragons' slow growth and limited numbers. To address this, the Blue Dragonflight engineered drakonids with shorter growth cycles. The Black Dragonflight later refined this into dragonspawn.
Dragonkin, on the other hand, were humans who embraced draconic bloodlines for power or loyalty, becoming half-human, half-dragon hybrids. Galen found the terminology odd—"dragonkin" with two legs and "dragonspawn" with four seemed backward. Perhaps dragons considered four legs superior, relegating bipeds to beasts.
Leading the charge, General Drakonid Wimsarlak commanded a formidable group of drakonids, their thick claws and sturdy limbs ready for battle. Chieftain Lshrell of the Rookery led a swarm of black dragonspawn from Upper Blackrock Spire, charging down the mountain passages. Over six thousand drakonids and dragonspawn surged forward.
The Dark Iron dwarves, enraged by the attack, responded in kind. Puppet Master Argimon led three thousand rock golems and eight thousand city guards, supported by a massive lava giant named Belgar. The giant's slow steps dripped magma, forcing even the fire-resistant dwarves to keep their distance.
As the two forces clashed in the vast cavern, Galen and his team slipped into Blackrock Mountain through a secret passage.
Centuries ago, the Thorium Brotherhood served Emperor Thaurissan. When the Fire Lord enslaved the Dark Iron dwarves, the Brotherhood's blacksmiths rebelled, refusing to submit. Familiar with Blackrock Depths' layout, they maintained secret ties with Thaurissan, using this passage for covert meetings. Since Thaurissan's disappearance, its existence remained unknown to the Depths' current occupants.
Offest, the Brotherhood's leader, guided the way. He had once used this route to meet Thaurissan, and later witnessed Galen's team assassinate the emperor. Galen equipped his elite "Eight Strong" with fire-resistant gear to endure the Depths' scorching heat, which reached hundreds of degrees—mild compared to the fire elementals' preferred thousand-degree Firelands.
Galen calculated the potential rewards of this Molten Core expedition. Could it rival the Tomb of Sargeras? Ragnaros was merely a clone, his true form sealed in the Firelands by the Titans. Still, this clone might yield the Eye of Sulfuras and the Firelord's essence.
Then there were Garr, a stone elemental, and Baron Geddon, a fire elemental—both Ragnaros's trusted lieutenants. During the elemental wars, Ragnaros defeated Thunderaan, the Air Prince, sealing his essence into two bindings entrusted to these adjutants. Securing both Bindings of the Windseeker would forge Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker.
Galen chuckled, barely containing his excitement.
"We're here, Highlord!" Offest announced. "Thaurissan's palace lies ahead!"