The moment Onyxia spoke, Tulani suddenly felt as if she had been targeted by something extremely dangerous.
That ineffable feeling of rigidity emerged from within, making Tulani's limbs feel sluggish.
Magic energy suddenly erupted from the fingertips of Onyxia's hand, which was hooked under Tulani's chin, piercing through Tulani's body.
Tulani had no time to react before she felt her connection to the Holy Light severed, and at the same time, an inexplicable sense of weakness washed over her; if not for the chains supporting her body, she would have already collapsed to the ground.
"Alright, you can release her now, Thassarian."
The Death Knight walked over and waved his hand, and the chains dissipated into black mist. He looked at Tulani, who was panting on the ground, but said nothing.
"What... what did you do?" Tulani struggled to raise her hand. She discovered that she could no longer connect with the Holy Light.
A panicked emotion flashed through Tulani's heart, followed by anger and humiliation. She stumbled to her feet, intending to pounce on Onyxia, but the feeling of exhaustion made her steps unsteady, and she fell forward before she could even stand firm.
Thassarian stepped forward, supported Tulani's waist, and pushed her back onto the experimental table.
"Nothing much, just temporarily deprived you of your connection to the Holy Light," Onyxia's smile looked no different from a demon's in Tulani's eyes. "Oh, and to be safe, I also cast a weakening spell on you."
Looking at Tulani lying on the experimental table, a glass test tube appeared out of thin air in Onyxia's hand. She grasped Tulani's right hand, ran her thumb across her wrist, and cut a wound on Tulani's wrist.
Tulani cried out softly from the pain. After collecting half a tube of Draenei blood, Onyxia wiped her finger over the wound, and it healed completely as if it had never appeared.
Tulani leaned against the tilted experimental table, watching Onyxia hold her blood, biting her lip and gritting her teeth, but there was nothing she could do.
She was no match for the two individuals beside her. Even if Tulani were in her normal state, she could at most stall the Death Knight for a while. If it came to a real fight, Tulani would definitely fall.
And the human female next to her, who claimed to be "not human" and was holding her blood, Tulani couldn't see through her at all.
Onyxia glanced at Tulani, who had quieted down and seemed to have accepted her fate, and said with some disappointment, "Ah... you're not going to resist anymore? I thought I could get more research material."
"..." Tulani stared at Onyxia, not saying a word. She began to realize that as long as she didn't show any intention of resisting or escaping, the other party didn't seem to intend to kill her.
As for talking, Tulani felt it was unnecessary. The current situation, by no means, could be resolved through communication.
Seeing that Tulani had no intention of continuing to resist, but instead leaned silently against the tilted experimental table, closing her eyes and steadying her breathing, Onyxia made no other moves. She took the blood and left the laboratory.
Thassarian returned to the main entrance shortly after Onyxia left, resuming his guard duties.
Tulani finally had the chance to observe her surroundings. This time, she meticulously examined the experimental tools and the structure of the room.
Finally, she concluded that this was an architectural style she had never seen before, and she was certain that there should be no race with such an architectural style on Draenor.
Orc and Ogre architecture mostly used wood and stone as raw materials, being rough and unconventional, full of wild style.
While the laboratory she was in also had carved rock sections, almost all the walls and floors were covered with metal plates.
Although these metal plates showed many signs of wear, Tulani could still tell that the forging techniques were extremely advanced and different from any race on Draenor.
Although the Arakkoa also frequently used metal materials, this square architectural style was clearly different from theirs.
Where exactly had she ended up?
Moreover, during the time she had spent resting with her eyes closed, Tulani's talent as a Soulbinder allowed her to perceive that this laboratory was not a peaceful place.
Many innocent lives had perished within this fortress, and the lingering echoes of their souls still pierced Tulani's soul.
However, Tulani was at least a qualified Soulbinder. She quickly severed this connection with the souls, and only then did she feel the stinging sensation gradually fade away.
But everything that had happened made Tulani feel that she was in a very strange place.
Inside this room made of black steel, there were no windows. Tulani didn't know where she was, nor could she have imagined that she was no longer in that world where life was gradually fading away.
Gradually, Tulani fell into a daze again due to fatigue and weakness, until rustling sounds woke her up once more.
She saw Thassarian holding a bracelet and putting it on her wrist.
Onyxia stood beside Thassarian, observing Tulani's changes.
"Is this enough?" Thassarian asked Onyxia after putting on the bracelet.
"Yes, it is, isn't it, little Draenei? You should be able to understand us now, right?"
Onyxia looked at Tulani, whose expression was clearly surprised. This time, she spoke in the common tongue of humans. Tulani looked at the bracelet on her hand with uncertainty and surprise. She also guessed that it was this bracelet that gave her the ability to understand their language.
"Who... who exactly are you?" Tulani's words, through a strange magical resonance, were directly transformed into messages that could be read by the soul.
"I am the Lich King's Death Knight, Thassarian. You were rescued from the demons by our Death Highlord."
She was rescued by them?
Tulani could hardly imagine being rescued from demons by a Death Knight. What was this, a case of the pot calling the kettle black?
"I know you have many questions. Indeed, according to our custom, transforming you into a Death Knight would be more practical," Thassarian's cold voice rang out. "But you are very special, and those brave Draenei guards also saved your life."
Tulani heard Thassarian's tone of voice. Having experienced too many similar events, she no longer held any extravagant hopes. She knew that under such circumstances, being rescued was already an incredible thing.
"Why exactly did you save me, and why are you keeping me here?"
Thassarian did not answer this time, not out of deliberate mystery, but because he genuinely did not know the specific reason, and it was Arthas himself who had pulled Tulani back from the brink of death.
"As for that question... you might have to wait a bit longer for the answer. My wise and mighty master currently has other pressing matters..."
Onyxia's voice, still alluring and delicate, made the confusion in Tulani's heart deepen.
...
In the mountains where Grim Batol, the former home of the Wildhammer dwarves, was located, on the high ground east of the Wetlands.
The massive Red Dragon's figure streaked across the sky, landing on the ground as he approached a vibrant, lush green mountainous area.
Valastrasz, covered in dust from his journey, had rushed back to a Red Dragonflight lair without stopping after dealing with Nefarian's remaining loyalists.
This place was called the Crimson Sanctuary. After the Red Dragon Queen, the Guardian Dragon Alexstrasza, was freed from Orc slavery, the Red Dragonflight established a small sanctuary in this secluded highland to rescue and help their compatriots who had been enslaved by the orcs recover.
Valastrasz transformed back into his human form. He quickly went to the highest point of the Crimson Sanctuary, where a female elf was resting under a large, leafy tree.
"Your Majesty!"
This female, transformed into an elf, whose specific elven lineage was unclear, was none other than the Red Dragon Queen, Alexstrasza, in her mortal form.
"Valastrasz?" Alexstrasza, hearing the familiar voice, opened her eyes with some delight. She walked towards Valastrasz, coughing twice, her voice revealing a hint of reproach, "How could you go to the Burning Steppes alone? Don't you know how dangerous it is there!"
However, from Alexstrasza's eyes, there was no hint of reproach, but rather deep worry and self-blame.
After losing many of her children and mate, the Red Dragon Queen now cared for each of her offspring with even greater love. When she learned that Valastrasz had gone alone to Blackrock Mountain to confront Nefarian, she almost wanted to bring dragons to chase him back.
But that was Valastrasz's own choice, and the Red Dragonflight had also suffered wounds from the war. For the safety of the rest of her kin, Alexstrasza dared not engage in a direct conflict with the Black Dragonflight.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but the Black Dragonflight is truly too rampant. Nefarian and his corrupted servants have even extended their reach into the mortal world."
Valastrasz's eyes also showed a hint of helplessness. As a member of the Red Dragonflight, he could not abandon his responsibilities. Even knowing the dangers of Blackrock Mountain, he had to stop Nefarian's evil deeds.
Also, to avoid burdening the entire Red Dragonflight, Valastrasz chose to confront Nefarian alone.
Because of Arthas's intervention midway, Valastrasz's worst-case scenario did not happen. Now he was able to return alive to his kin to report.
"This is not a burden you need to bear alone, Valastrasz. If anyone is to blame, it is me. It is I who failed to protect the Red Dragonflight, leaving you in a situation of fighting alone," Alexstrasza sighed. "But we truly cannot avoid battle. How much assistance do you need? I will try my best to have all battle-capable kin accompany you."
The Red Dragon Queen did not know everything that had happened at Blackrock Mountain. She still thought Valastrasz had returned to ask for aid.
Valastrasz quickly said, "No, it's not needed, Your Majesty. The problem at Blackrock Mountain has been resolved. Nefarian and his corrupted servants have been executed."
"The Black Dragonflight is a formidable opponent, and we truly cannot let our guard down—What did you say? Nefarian is dead?"
Alexstrasza was still emphasizing the danger of Nefarian and the Black Dragonflight, but Valastrasz's single sentence completely disrupted all the words she had prepared.
"Although I was only one dragon, I was fortunate to meet the Alliance army. They fought bravely at Blackrock Mountain and crushed Nefarian's rule." Valastrasz briefly explained everything he had experienced.
"The Alliance? A mortal army defeated Nefarian's Black Dragonflight? You're not trying to humor me, are you, Valastrasz?"
"Of course not, Your Majesty. The courage and strength of mortals have made me see them in a new light and given me a completely different understanding of them," Valastrasz said solemnly.
Alexstrasza was silent for a moment before sighing, "The abilities of mortals are commendable. If not for them, I might still be enslaved by the Demon Soul, helpless in the face of my offspring's sacrifices.
But have they grown to the point where they can defeat Nefarian? This is truly astonishing growth—Oh, by the way, where is Nefarian's corpse? Was it taken by the mortals?"
"No... the Prince of Lordaeron handed the Black Dragon Prince's corpse to me."
"The Prince of Lordaeron, ah... I remember his name is Arthas, right? He seems to be quite famous in the mortal world." Alexstrasza nodded. "However, to be able to part with a dragon's corpse is truly somewhat surprising. His choice is also correct. Nefarian is, after all, Deathwing's son. If his corpse were kept in mortal hands, it could very likely bring them great trouble."
"I don't think so..." Valastrasz gave a bitter laugh. "Do you know, in the battle with Nefarian, I didn't help at all. I was held back by his creations even before I faced him."
"Hmm? Then who defeated the master of Blackrock Mountain?" Alexstrasza subconsciously asked. However, she quickly thought of an answer herself, "Was it the Alliance army?"
"No, it wasn't. Nefarian... was single-handedly slain by the Prince of Lordaeron, His Highness Arthas." Valastrasz's expression was a bit strange, as if he hadn't yet recovered from the shock Arthas had given him.
"One person defeated Nefarian? Are you sure?"
This time, Alexstrasza was truly startled. Besides the former Guardian of Tirisfal, even the most powerful mortal mages she knew would not fare too well against a dragon.
Not to mention, that was a dragon of royal blood, the current leader of the Black Dragonflight, the Black Dragon Prince Nefarian. Due to his close connection with Deathwing, his strength far surpassed that of ordinary dragons.
Such a powerful dragon, slain by a single mortal?
Valastrasz nodded, "That's right... However, I don't think that prince is just any mortal. He seems to know many things that even we don't.
And... I met a Guardian, right beside Prince Arthas. His name might be familiar to you.
He is called—Archaedas."