"Run, Kael, get away from the crowd!" Galen shouted.
Kael'thas reacted instantly. Galen's frantic flight while wearing the "Little Red Riding Hood" indicated danger.
Trusting Galen, Kael'thas blinked away from the group and ran through the stands.
The werewolf, fixated on Kael'thas in the red hood, ignored the attacks from Galen, Durin, and the others. Swords and blades struck him, but he only saw his "prey."
The demonized Medivh had imbued the werewolf with a power that randomly made someone wear the Little Red Riding Hood, marking them as food. The victim's armor would be reduced to nothing, allowing the werewolf to kill and devour them instantly.
"Quick! He's only after Kael'thas. Ranged fighters, focus your fire!" Galen ordered.
The Iron Horse Brotherhood's elites drew their ranged weapons, aimed at the werewolf, and unleashed a volley of crossbow bolts.
Belovael and Aegwynn began rapidly casting Arcane Missiles, creating a barrage of purple energy that struck the werewolf like a storm.
"When the hood disappears from Kael, stop the ranged attacks to avoid friendly fire. Melee fighters, surround him with me!" Galen commanded.
Kael'thas ran through the stands twice, the werewolf destroying many seats in pursuit. Finally, the Little Red Riding Hood vanished, and Kael'thas's mage robes reappeared.
"Now! Melee, follow me! Surround him! Ranged fighters, cease your attack!"
Durin and Aragorn engaged the werewolf from the left and right, while Galen continued to be the primary attacker.
The werewolf was now heavily wounded. Though his powerful body deflected most arrows, one, made of a special material, pierced his thigh, hindering his movement.
Galen and the others seized the opportunity, unleashing a flurry of attacks. Galen activated his small wings, and with Aragorn and Durin landing consecutive stuns, Galen dealt significant damage.
Finally, a Templar's Verdict slashed the werewolf from his right cheek to his left abdomen. The magical burns on his chest weakened his defenses, and Galen delivered the killing blow.
"Super effective!"
Even the werewolf's fel-enhanced body could not withstand such powerful attacks. He crashed to the ground with a final wail, dead.
"It's over," Galen thought. "I wanted to take a shortcut and skip this fight, but it turned into a full-blown battle!"
"Let's move to the next floor quickly!" Galen urged.
After a hasty cleanup, they entered the small door Gandalf had opened. The stage manager, tied up and unconscious, was left in the stands. Aegwynn dispelled the fel energy on him, intending to rescue him later.
They continued along the passage, which had few branches. Soon, Galen saw a door. Through its bars, he could see outside Karazhan. Galen knew this was the back door, indicating they had reached Karazhan's central area.
The journey was relatively smooth, with only scattered specters and strange creatures from the Twisting Nether. The Iron Horse Brotherhood's elites handled them, sparing the main fighters much effort.
Passing the Master's Terrace, Galen urged the soldiers to hurry. He worried about the burning bone dragon Nightbane appearing. In the game, Nightbane required his ashes to be lit, but reality might be different. Moreover, Nightbane could fly, making him difficult to engage without ranged attacks.
Nightbane was once the blue dragon Arcanagos. He had kindly warned Medivh to leave Karazhan, as it was about to be consumed by darkness. The dragon was unaware that he was addressing the source of that darkness. When Arcanagos tried to forcibly remove Medivh, Medivh killed him with a Pyroblast, reducing his flesh and scales to dust.
"A tragic figure," Galen thought.
As the last Iron Horse Brotherhood member climbed the spiral staircase, Aragorn, covering the rear, was about to follow when a roar came from the outer wall. The wall shattered, and debris flew everywhere. Aragorn, unable to dodge, was staggered by the debris. Then, a burning bone claw reached through the hole.
Aragorn quickly activated his Holy Light Barrier as the claw struck.
"Bang!"
Aragorn was knocked back several meters. As the bone claw tried to grab him, a barrage of Arcane Missiles blasted it out of the passage.
Galen, hearing the commotion, had returned with Aegwynn and Chromie.
Chromie's expression changed at the sight of the bone claw. She jumped through the hole and onto the Master's Terrace.
Galen and Aegwynn, fearing for her safety, followed. Aragorn, recovering, also joined them.
"A bone dragon? Nightbane! Damn Medivh!" Galen heard Chromie shout angrily. Despite her anger, her gnome form made her appear, well, cute.
Galen looked up and saw a huge dragon skeleton engulfed in scarlet flames.
"Nightbane!"
His worst fears were realized. They were delayed by another boss. They should have fled and entered Karazhan's interior. The bone dragon could not have followed.
Nightbane flapped his wings and hovered in the air. Seeing Chromie, the red light in his skull's eye sockets flickered, as if in recognition. Soon, the light turned blue.
A mental wave reached them. "Aunt Chronormu!"
"Aunt?" Galen realized Chromie knew this dragon. That explained her sudden action.
"It's you, Arcanagos!" Chromie replied.
The blue light in the bone dragon's eye sockets flickered with what seemed like happiness. Then, another mental wave arrived. This time, Galen saw a vision.
On the Master's Terrace, a blue dragon hovered above Karazhan. The dragon addressed Medivh below, "Leave this place, Medivh. This area is tainted by darkness!"
Medivh, dressed in red and black, held the his staff. He looked up at the dragon and replied, "You have my attention, blue dragon. But I am not as easily frightened as the peasants below."
"You are meddling with forces you do not understand, Medivh! You have attracted the attention of powers beyond your comprehension. You must leave Karazhan immediately!" Arcanagos spoke arrogantly. As a long-lived race chosen by the Titans to guard Azeroth, the blue dragons were proud.
"Pride is acceptable, but humility is also necessary," Galen thought. As a transmigrator with the Heart of Origin and commander of hundreds of thousands, Galen considered himself a regional power. He was proud of his position, but he was also humble.
(WHEN?!!!)
"Even dragons are not invincible," Galen mused. "Arrogance requires discretion. Couldn't this dragon assess the situation?"
As expected, Medivh was displeased by Arcanagos's tone. "You want me to leave Karazhan? My own territory? Your arrogance is astounding, even for a blue dragon."
Arcanagos was frustrated. He did not understand why the mage below ignored his well-intentioned warning. Unlike ordinary mortals, who fled at his appearance, Medivh remained defiant.
"Dark forces seek to use you, Medivh! Terrible times will follow if you stay. We do not have much time!"
"I know nothing of what you speak, blue dragon. But I will not be bullied by such rude behavior. I will not leave Karazhan!"
"You leave me no choice. If you will not listen, I will stop you by force."
Galen facepalmed. "This dragon is courting death," he thought. "Even with good intentions, his approach is wrong when dealing with powerful individuals. Mortals are powerless against dragons, but Medivh is not a mortal."
Predictably, Medivh began to cast a spell, directing a magical attack at Arcanagos. The blue dragon emitted a blue halo, reflecting the spell back. It struck Medivh, who seemed to fall.
Medivh then rose and began a powerful incantation, weaving his very essence into the magic. Against the dragons who guarded Azeroth's ley lines, ordinary magic was ineffective.
Galen was unsure if it was Medivh or Sargeras in control at that moment. He suspected Sargeras had influenced Medivh, causing him to attack the dragon.
Medivh's magic struck Arcanagos, and his body ignited. Within moments, only a skeleton remained. But the spell did not stop there. The blue dragon's skeleton exploded, scattering across the Master's Terrace.
Medivh smirked. "He should not have provoked me. Now, I must... restore my power..."
The vision ended, and Galen and Aegwynn exchanged surprised glances.
"Did you see Medivh get hurt?" Galen asked Aegwynn. He had fought alongside Medivh the previous year. At that time, Medivh was agile and powerful. But in the vision, he was struck by his own magic and recovered too quickly. Moreover, Medivh was rational and possessed enough arcane energy to suppress Sargeras.
"It must have been in the last six months," Galen mused, "that Medivh used the lightning barrier, depleting his arcane energy and allowing Sargeras to seize control."
"Yes," Aegwynn confirmed. "That arcane blast hit him, and in the next attack, he added a large amount of arcane essence and fel energy, instantly incinerating the blue dragon."
Judging by its size, the dragon was an adult. According to dragon classifications, an adult dragon has at least ninth-order strength. Yet, it had no chance to escape. The power of that spell was terrifying.
"We must hurry. Medivh's power is growing stronger by the minute!"
Nightbane's eye sockets flashed scarlet, and he roared. It was a psychic sonic attack. The flames in Nightbane's chest intensified, radiating heat that burned Galen's skin from afar.
"He's out of control!" Galen realized.
As Galen and Aegwynn prepared to fight, Chromie sadly told them, "Go on ahead. I'll handle this."
Galen and Aegwynn exchanged glances. Finally, Aegwynn nodded. "We'll wait for you inside!"
Aegwynn signaled Galen and Aragorn, and the three quickly entered the hole, following the main group.
Galen could still faintly hear the dragon's roars behind him.
After about half an hour, after traversing countless steps, they entered a vast library. This was the Guardian's Library. Galen saw Lothar and the others resting there.
"Galen! What's happening? Where did that gnome go?" Gavinrad, who was watching the rear, asked anxiously.
"A bone dragon. Chromie stayed to fight him. What about here? Any enemies?" Galen asked, glancing at the rows of bookshelves filled with tomes. He noticed the diverse collection: magic, humanities, history, and geography.
He spotted titles like "The Rise and Fall of the Troll Empire," "Azeroth Geography Atlas," "Complete Collection of Eastern Kingdom Cuisine," and "A Precise Application of Time Reversal Theory to Magic," which he recognized as Antonidas's thesis from his youth.
Compared to ordinary books, magic texts predominated. Books on arcane, frost, and fire magic filled several shelves, alongside countless others on protection, summoning, divination, enhancement, illusion, necromancy, and transformation.
"No wonder the mages of Dalaran coveted Medivh's secrets," Galen thought. "This collection is priceless."
In the original timeline, Dalaran shamelessly plundered Medivh's collection after his death during the rebuilding of Stormwind.
"But where is the librarian, the Curator?" Galen wondered.
"Any enemies here? Did you see a huge magic crystal construct?" Galen asked.
"Magic crystal construct? What does it look like?"
"It's a huge arcane golem!"
"That's terrible!" Galen realized.
In the original timeline, Medivh had such a construct. If it wasn't in the library, it was likely with him.
"We may face not only the demonized Medivh but also a top-tier arcane golem acting as his bodyguard!" Galen warned.
They needed to revise their plan.