Gazing at the monster wreckage strewn across the ground, Galen felt a pang of melancholy. The Curator's disappearance added to his unease.
In the past, during dungeon runs, Galen had always considered the bosses incredibly foolish. Each one guarded a specific area, waiting for heroes to defeat them one by one. After death, they would provide experience and equipment, empowering the heroes for the next encounter.
But now, Galen wished he could fight the Curator immediately, rather than have him remain with the corrupted Medivh.
Regret was futile; life had to go on. The Iron Horse Brotherhood knights finished their rest, and Galen's group resumed their journey.
Reaching the edge of the library, they encountered a suspended, railing-less staircase. Fortunately, Galen had no fear of heights in this life, or he would have refused to climb the steep and tall steps.
As they ascended, Galen detected a peculiar smell: sulfur!
"Demons! Be on guard!" Aragorn warned. His sensitivity as a legendary paladin made him acutely aware of evil creatures.
Galen saw a downward slope on the platform's left side, triggering a memory: Tristan Evilhoof!
Evilhoof was a high-ranking demon summoned by Sargeras, capable of summoning a vast imp army. Given time, he could unleash an entire legion!
"Does anyone specialize in sealing magic?" Galen asked. "Seal that door on the right! A high-ranking demon is inside. We need to move quickly, find Medivh, and not waste time here!"
"I'll do it!"
"I can try!"
Aegwynn and Rommath responded. Both were highly knowledgeable, with thousands of years of magical study and extensive experience with demons. Sealing magic was well within their capabilities.
"Make it quick!" Galen urged.
Rommath and Aegwynn exchanged a glance, nodded, moved to the slope's edge, and began skillfully gathering materials and casting their spells.
"Evil Sealing Formation!"
"Forbidden Barrier!"
As they cast, movement came from below the slope. Evilhoof had apparently discovered them!
"Bang!"
Evilhoof tried to force the door open, slamming against the wood.
"Ah!"
A red and purple light flashed across the door, followed by a scream.
"Did it work?"
"It's done. He can't escape unless we dismantle the formation or its energy source fails!"
"Good. We'll deal with this demon after we resolve the Medivh situation!"
"Let's move on!"
On the second platform, the path split. Straight ahead was another staircase, while to the left was an arched stone bridge.
"Which way now?"
Everyone looked at Lothar and Aegwynn, Medivh's friend and mother, respectively. Logically, they should know the way.
Lothar's face tightened; he was unsure of the path.
"I sense familiar magical fluctuations to the left," Aegwynn said.
"Finally, she's being reliable," Galen thought. He knew the correct path was straight ahead, while the arched bridge led to the side hall containing the Shade of Aran.
Galen didn't remember the route, but as he approached the arched bridge, the Heart of Origin notified him of a nearby Legendary-tier hero spirit.
Therefore, Galen immediately thought of the Shade of Aran!
Nielas Aran was once Dalaran's most outstanding mage, senior to Antonidas and promoted to Archmage of the Tenth Circle at a young age.
As a rising star, a Legendary-tier mage at thirty, and the designated successor to the Kirin Tor Council of Six, Nielas Aran joined the Council of Tirisfal and became a member of the Tirisfal Arcanum.
As mentioned earlier, Aegwynn had broken with the Council of Tirisfal due to her unconventional behavior and refusal to relinquish the Guardian's power to their chosen successor.
The Tirisfal Arcanum was a secret organization established by the Council to train skilled mages. Those who passed its rigorous assessments received relics and special weapons to weaken the Guardian's power and were tasked with finding the Guardian's traces.
In essence, Nielas Aran became a hunter tasked with capturing Aegwynn. The Arcanum sought to capture her and forcibly strip her of her Guardian's power.
The story's ending surprised the Council of Tirisfal. Their most promising successor united with Aegwynn!
Aegwynn simply opposed the corrupt Council of Tirisfal's abandonment of neutrality, political involvement, and deviation from their duty to hunt demons. She was not an antagonist.
Aran and Aegwynn's story unfolded as follows:
Aran used an Arcanum relic to weaken Aegwynn, leveling the playing field. They engaged in a battle of wits and will, with no clear victor.
Eventually, they developed mutual respect and fell in love. Aran realized that Aegwynn consistently fulfilled her Guardian duties by hunting demons invading Azeroth, unlike the villainous portrayal by his elders. Aegwynn saw that Aran was different from the stubborn Tirisfal Council members, not participating in their power struggles and political schemes.
The outcome was inevitable. They fell in love. To evade the Tirisfal Council, Aegwynn chose seclusion, and they settled in Stormwind City. Aran's magical prowess earned him the position of Royal Court Mage and the title of Grand Duke from the previous King Wrynn.
After settling down, they decided to pass the Guardian's power to their child and train him to be a Guardian truly independent of the Tirisfal Council.
That child was Medivh, whose name in High Elven meant "Secret Guardian."
If Sargeras, lurking within Aegwynn's soul, hadn't interfered, Galen would have been utterly astonished.
Aegwynn seemed to recognize the familiar magical signature and headed toward the arched bridge.
"Aegwynn?" Lothar tried to stop her, but Galen signaled Gandalf to intervene. He couldn't reveal his extensive knowledge of Karazhan.
Seeing Lothar's confusion, Gandalf explained, "We may gain another powerful ally soon."
"Master Gandalf, do you know who's inside?" Lothar asked. He saw Gandalf as a wise and knowledgeable mage.
"Looks can be deceiving," Galen thought, suppressing a sarcastic remark.
"The one inside is a legend of Stormwind," Gandalf replied, "I had the honor of meeting him decades ago."
Lothar pondered this and did not press further.
While waiting for Aegwynn, a small white figure hurried over: Chromie.
"Oh, Chromie, are you alright?" Galen asked.
Several people knew Chromie, but only Galen showed concern for her well-being. Aegwynn and Rommath were not particularly fond of the gnome.
"I'm fine, Galen."
"Did you defeat the bone dragon?"
"Easy! I can handle such undead things without exerting myself!"
"Of course," Galen thought. "They call you 'Auntie Chromormu'. You're a generation older. Dragons get stronger with age, and the Black Dragons nearly wiped out the Blue Dragonflight ten thousand years ago. This dragon is young, and undead. How could it possibly challenge you?"
But praise was still necessary.
"Chromie, you're truly powerful!"
"Of course! Heh heh heh!"
"Hmph!" Rommath scoffed, annoyed by Chromie's smugness.
Chromie, already suppressing her sadness, stopped forcing a smile and coldly snorted back.
"Did it disturb Medivh?" Galen asked.
"Don't worry. After the bone dragon died, it kept trying to find Medivh for revenge, wandering the terrace and occasionally roaring. I doubt Medivh even noticed."
"Good!"
Soon, Aegwynn returned.
"Let's go," she said.
Lothar, having guessed the identity of the person in that room from Gandalf's hints—Nielas Aran—said nothing and ordered the group to move on. He knew Aran had died during Medivh's adulthood, his death attributed to exhaustion from suppressing Medivh's awakening powers.
This event influenced Lothar and Llane, causing them to abandon the arcane path for the path of the warrior.
Galen knew that the Shade of Aran was a notoriously difficult boss in Karazhan, known for causing raid disbandments.
Aran's difficulty stemmed from his mastery of arcane, frost, and fire evocation, making him a versatile and powerful battle mage. This versatility had earned him a place in the Council of Tirisfal.
Dragon's Breath, Flamestrike, Arcane Explosion, Enhanced Blizzard, and summoning lord-level water elementals were just some of his powerful spells. Only such an exceptional mage could capture Aegwynn's heart.
"This is going to be tough," Galen thought.
The rest of the journey was uneventful, marked only by otherworldly creatures, ghosts, and strange illusions. Galen wondered if Marshal Windsor was experiencing any special visions.
The group entered a large hall filled with white jade-like marble pillars, reminiscent of Roman architecture. In the hall's center was a black and white chessboard pattern on the floor.
Chess Hall!
They had reached Karazhan's core area by noon. Beyond the Chess Hall lay Medivh's private quarters: his bedroom, study, and laboratory!
"We must hurry; my shielding magic is almost gone!" Aegwynn reminded them.
"Let's push through here and charge straight in!" Lothar said, his thoughts conflicted. Medivh was his friend, but now the Demon Lord controlled him. For Stormwind's sake, he had to confront him.
As they stepped onto the chessboard, a flash of light and shadow swept across the black and white squares, and figures appeared before them: orcs!
Everyone was shocked.
"The chessboard is a battlefield! Are you ready to become chess pieces and join the fray? Only winners leave the chessboard!"
"Boom!"
A dizzying sensation enveloped them, and they seemed to be teleported to another location!
"Welcome to the Hero's Arena!"
"Detected one hundred and twenty-three gladiators entering; automatically matching the number of battle chess!"
Galen looked around. They had triggered Medivh's trap and been teleported to a coliseum. High walls surrounded them, and the arena was filled with a thick white mist that limited visibility to five meters!
"Matching complete!"
"Prepare yourselves!"
"The enemy will arrive in thirty seconds!"
"Crush them!"
The mist dissipated, revealing a horde of orcs directly ahead!
Lothar directed his knights to prepare for battle, and Galen and the others readied themselves.
The orcs were massive, a head taller than any they had seen before, exceeding two meters, and well-equipped in full armor. They were a far cry from the near-naked orcs they had previously encountered!
Leading the orcs were Chieftain Blackhand, the hunchbacked and thorn-covered Gul'dan, and Orgrim Doomhammer, Blackrock Clan's second-in-command!
Behind them were three centurions: Jubeithos, the Blackrock Blademaster and third in command; and Blackhand's two sons, Rend and Maim!
The three hundred orc soldiers behind them were Blackhand's personal guard!
"These are orcs?" Rommath and Dawnseeker asked, seeing orcs for the first time.
"Yes, and the most elite of their kind!" Galen confirmed. "But they're likely constructs of Medivh's demonic magic, not real orcs."
"We can only escape by defeating them or destroying the magic mechanism's core!"
"Then we'll attack! Lady Aegwynn, find the magic core!" Galen declared, aiming to achieve both objectives.