The Drogbar who could speak Kal'dorei scratched his head in confusion. "Khaz'goroth... I... know... Hammer... what is?"
He exchanged a few words in Titan-speak with his companions, but all the Drogbar shook their heads with blank expressions.
"You don't know?" Andreas was somewhat disappointed, though this was within his expectations. If any random Drogbar knew the secrets of the Pillars of Creation, it would be a major insult to Neltharion's ability to manage his subjects.
"Fine. If anyone in your tribe knows the answer to this question, and if they wish to escape the Black Dragons' enslavement, tell them to send someone to the Tauren's Rivermane Village to notify me."
Although the Drogbar looked fierce and terrifying, their temperaments were actually relatively mild. At the very least, they showed no aggressive intent toward Andreas, the intruder, which indicated that the Drogbar were not particularly loyal to the Black Dragonflight.
After inquiring about the route to Neltharion's true inner sanctum, Andreas transformed back into a golden eagle under the curious gazes of the Drogbar and flew deeper into the cave.
"What are you all doing?" A small squad of Drogbar, riding lizards with slate-gray scales, arrived beside the dazed group. Leading them was a powerful warrior with twin axes strapped to his back, who questioned them in confusion.
"Chief, a strange Night Elf just broke in. He asked us for the way to the Master's lair."
"A Night Elf?" The leader frowned. "What else did he ask?"
The short Drogbar hurried to report, "He also asked about the Hammer of Khaz'goroth. He said if anyone knows of it and wishes to be free from Neltharion's enslavement, they should send word to him at Rivermane Village."
"Oh?" An unexpected expression appeared on the leader's face. How would an outsider Night Elf know about the Hammer of Khaz'goroth?
An elderly Drogbar holding a stone staff noticed the shift in his leader's expression and advised earnestly, "Igrul, do not be impulsive. Now is not the right time."
"Then when will be the right time?!" At the mention of this, Igrul's eyes flashed with anger. "The last Underking was turned to stone by Neltharion, and he won't even allow us to elect a new one. How much longer must we endure enslavement under that mad dragon!"
The elder opened his mouth to speak but ultimately said nothing, only letting out a soft sigh. "I only hope you consider the consequences. The Drogbar cannot afford the loss of another leader. At the very least, we must ensure the other party is trustworthy."
Igrul took several heavy breaths, struggling to calm his indignation. Once he regained his composure, he pulled the reins of his lizard to turn around.
"I know. I will go and test this Night Elf's background. You all continue the preparations. I hope that when the day comes to strike, we will have the support of all our kin."
...
Andreas had previously worried that the Drogbar might have pointed him in the wrong direction, but as it turned out, those fierce-looking but honest stone-trolls had not lied to him.
The further he advanced toward the core of the lair, the fewer Drogbar he encountered. After rounding a corner, Andreas finally spotted his first Black Dragonspawn within the cavern.
Dragonspawn, those peculiar four-legged creatures, were entirely different from true dragons or drakonids. While the bipedal drakonids had strange appearances, they undoubtedly possessed dragon blood, and dragons were willing to entrust them with important tasks. Dragonspawn were different; they were not native dragons but mortals who admired the dragonflights and had volunteered to be transformed into this bizarre state to serve the dragons forever—a strange existence that was half-man, half-dragon.
When Andreas appeared before this member of the Black Dragonflight, the creature was busy tending to the dragon eggs Neltharion had left in the nest. For a moment, the Dragonspawn froze; clearly, he hadn't expected to see a bird of prey inside the Black Dragon's lair.
However, the creature quickly reacted, grabbing a polearm resting nearby and shouting as he charged on his four legs.
"Intruder! Everyone, to arms!"
Having been discovered in a confined tunnel, Andreas couldn't simply drag a "train" of enemies straight to the core. Who knew if he would encounter Dragonspawn capable of spells further in? He didn't want to be swatted out of the sky.
He descended and shifted forms mid-air. By the time he hit the ground, Andreas had become a massive black bear, no smaller in stature than the Dragonspawn.
"Roar!"
Taking advantage of the Dragonspawn's brief moment of shock, the black bear launched a charge to close the distance. His right claw blurred as it slammed violently into the left side of the creature's body.
Andreas's blow dented and deformed the Dragonspawn's armor. The impact, akin to a strike from a blunt weapon, bypassed the armor's protection and directly damaged the creature's internal organs.
"Aow!" With a cry of pain, the Dragonspawn stumbled from the force, but despite his injury, he didn't stop. He swung his heavy polearm downward toward the bear's head with massive force.
Andreas shifted the bear's heavy frame to the left. The blade slammed into the empty ground with a loud Clang!, the echoes of the strike reverberating through the nearly enclosed cave.
Finding his footing, the black bear utilized his superior weight to slam into the Dragonspawn before the creature could retract his weapon. The massive impact forced the heavy Dragonspawn's upper body to recoil, leaving his unarmored neck vulnerable.
"Grrowl!"
In the heat of the moment, the black bear simply lunged forward and bit down savagely on the Dragonspawn's throat. Sharp bear teeth pierced through the protective scales, and the foul-smelling blood immediately sprayed into Andreas's mouth.
Without giving the screaming Dragonspawn a chance to react further, Andreas shook his head fiercely, tearing away half of the creature's throat in one go. Following up on his success, the black bear reared up and brought both paws down together, the savage strength completely snapping the Dragonspawn's blood-spurting neck.
"Pah!"
The black bear spat out the flesh and blood, shaking his head vigorously to cool the rush of adrenaline in his mind.
No wonder Malfurion said druids who stay in shapeshifted forms for too long risk being governed by their primal nature. In my normal form, I could never bring myself to tear into an enemy with my teeth.
There was no time for Andreas to reflect further on his first battle in feral form. Although he had quickly killed this lone Dragonspawn, the alarm had already alerted all the surrounding guards. Through his sharpened animal senses, Andreas could already feel the rhythmic vibrations and heavy footsteps approaching through the floor.
I don't have time to tangle with you all.
Shifting from a bear into a sleek black panther with silver runes etched upon his limbs, Andreas vanished from beside the corpse of the dead Dragonspawn just as the nearby guards closed in.
"Freeman!" The Dragonspawn captain leading the charge was different from the lower-ranked ones; he possessed a pair of black leathery wings on his back.
Seeing the corpse lying in a pool of blood, the captain ordered in a mixture of shock and fury, "Search! We must find the intruder before the Master returns! None of you want to face the Master's wrath, do you?"
The Dragonspawn all shuddered in unison. "Yes, sir!"
Heh? Using Kal'dorei instead of Draconic? As expected, these Dragonspawn were transformed from Night Elves.
Andreas hadn't actually gone far. He used his shadow powers to shroud his figure and crouched not far from the group, listening to their conversation.
Neltharion isn't here. From their tone, aside from the Drogbar and the guarding Dragonspawn, the other dragons and drakes aren't here either. That makes things much easier.
The pads on his panther paws allowed Andreas to prowl silently. He slipped past the group of Dragonspawn and accelerated his push toward the depths of the lair.
Now, let's see what useful treasures are hidden in the Black Dragon King's vault.