"It's simple."
Andreas gave a mysterious smile. "If you want to escape the enslavement of Neltharion and the master who controls him from the shadows, you and all the black dragons must have a clear plan for the future."
"To resist or to submit? This choice will determine your future course of action. I advise you to make up your mind sooner rather than later. After all..."
Andreas slammed a fist into the ground, speaking with a half-smile, "The existence controlling Neltharion won't give you much time. The servants he desires are not just a single, exceptionally powerful Black Dragon King, but your entire black dragon flight."
...
Andreas had used his strength to subdue Nefarian. Black dragons, who revered martial prowess, were most receptive to persuasion in such a state.
Although he still harbored considerable doubt about Andreas's words, seeing that Andreas had no intention of taking his life, Nefarian left Neltharion's lair through the back door with a heavy heart and a stack of stone tablets.
So the back door is there.
The direction Nefarian left toward appeared to be a solid mountainside, but the Black Dragon Prince, having shifted back to his original form, passed through the rock wall without any hindrance. The wall was clearly just an illusory veil.
Turning back to Neltharion's treasure pile, Andreas's face twisted into an expression of pure greed.
"Now, all these treasures belong to me."
While the black dragons of Azeroth didn't have the habit of collecting shiny trinkets to carpet their dens like dragons in other fantasy literature, Neltharion, as one of the five Great Dragon Aspects, had still collected many precious treasures over the years. This included the ancient Titan tablets that Nefarian had just carried away.
The treasure, which looked like a pile of junk, contained no gold coins. Instead, there was a vast array of magical weapons and armor, and even some strange items of unknown origin that radiated powerful energy fluctuations.
Andreas had no interest in metal armor. As a druid, metal armor that lacked magical conductivity would hinder his efficiency and flexibility during shapeshifted combat. However, these pieces of equipment were good things nonetheless. Adopting the philosophy of "I came, I saw, I took," Andreas swept everything into his spatial bag.
"Why are there so many two-handed weapons? Is this some sort of twisted hobby of Neltharion's?"
Within the Black Dragon King's hoard, excluding the unknown objects whose origins and effects couldn't be immediately identified, most were metal implements. Two-handed weapons were particularly prominent; Andreas dug out at least five of them during his search.
"Hmm?"
His looting movement suddenly stopped. Andreas's gaze fixed upon a strangely shaped scimitar stuck into the ground.
This bizarre design... could it be...
The appearance of this scimitar was eye-catching. The handguard and the blade were almost integrated as one, with sharp barbs distributed across the curved guard, as if suggesting the weapon could wound both the wielder and the victim simultaneously. Most striking of all was the large, unsettling purple eyeball embedded in the center of the hilt.
Although Andreas had never played a Priest in his past life, this famous scimitar had appeared in a certain questline during the 8.0 expansion. Andreas retained a very deep impression of this "owner-betraying" fellow.
Xal'atath, Blade of the Black Empire.
It was said that this scimitar was fashioned from the claw of an Old God who was defeated in ancient times, though the truth of that had long been lost to time. After the Titan Keepers destroyed the Black Empire, the blade vanished, until it was accidentally found by a Gurubashi priest who had failed in a power struggle—or rather, until it chose him.
As if sensing the shadow energy within Andreas, the surface of Xal'atath began to emit a resonant purple glimmer.
"Heh~ jackpot!"
Someone who didn't know its background might think this was a stroke of luck and pull it from the ground without hesitation. But Andreas knew Xal'atath's nature all too well. He temporarily ignored the blade's calling.
Clack.
A faint sound from behind caused Andreas to spin around instantly, alert. A Drogbar wearing rudimentary armor suddenly emerged from beneath the ground.
"No need to be tense. I am not your enemy."
Seeing Andreas's guarded expression, the Drogbar who had tunneled into the cave raised his hands to show he meant no harm. His Kal'dorei speech was much more fluent than the stumbling Drogbar from before.
Relaxing his guard slightly, Andreas narrowed his eyes and asked, "Who are you? Did you come specifically looking for me?"
"Correct."
The Drogbar took a subtle glance around. The ground, severely damaged by dragon breath, was a shocking sight, and two large mounds of earth that had obviously been recently turned also caused him secret alarm.
Was there just a battle that ended in a short time? No wonder those two powerful guards are gone.
With newfound respect, the Drogbar thumped his chest heavily and introduced himself. "I am Igrul, the current leader of the Drogbar, the chieftain who should have inherited the title of Underking."
"Should have?"
Andreas found a large chest in the treasure pile and sat down, looking at the Drogbar with interest. "Then why were you unable to inherit the title? Is this title very important to you?"
At the mention of this question, anger immediately flared in Igrul's eyes.
"It is all because of Neltharion! After the last failed Drogbar rebellion, he completely stripped us of our right to have an Underking as a warning, making us fear to betray him again."
"The Underking is the greatest warrior of the clan and the spiritual leader of all Drogbar. After losing the title, my people began to lose their will to fight. They became lazy and grew content with the status quo of enslavement."
Andreas nodded noncommittally. "In other words, as the current leader of the Drogbar, you wish to overthrow Neltharion's tyrannical rule and regain your people's freedom?"
"Yes," Igrul said firmly. "This is my lifelong wish. That is why, after receiving word from my subordinates, I rushed here immediately to meet with you."
"I wish to confirm for myself whether the person seeking the Hammer of Khaz'goroth has the ability to help my people escape their status as slaves."
"And so?" Andreas spread his hands with a smile. "What is your impression of me? I'm not the burly, strong-bodied figure you might have imagined. Perhaps you're disappointed?"
"You overstate the matter, Excellency," Igrul said, bowing his head respectfully. "Simply based on the fact that you killed the two gatekeepers Neltharion left behind in such a short time, I am certain that your strength is not weak. However..."
Igrul turned to look at the patch of ground scorched black by Shadowflame. "To my knowledge, the fire breathed by Dragonspawn cannot reach such power. This scar is from...?"
A glimmer of approval flashed in Andreas's eyes. "Not bad. Very observant. This mark was not caused by a Dragonspawn, but by an adult dragon."
"What?!"
Igrul looked around nervously. Andreas waved his hand to comfort him. "Don't worry. He was temporarily persuaded by me and has already left."
"Depending on the situation, perhaps our future actions might even have the assistance of black dragons."
The awe in Igrul's eyes became even more evident. To remain unscathed after a battle with an adult dragon—the strength of this sudden intruder far exceeded his imagination.
...Even though Igrul didn't know that the adult dragon's strength was significantly "watered down."