"Storm Bolt!" The Mountain King's signature attack, a devastating control ability, renowned for its power to stun even dragons!
Dwarven expertise in throwing warhammers and spears, honed through both sport and combat, made this possible. As the Mountain King, Durin's thrown hammer struck with such force that it stunned Warchief Blackhand, a warrior of comparable strength.
Blackhand's attempts to break free were futile. Galen seized the opportunity, thrusting his longsword into Blackhand's chest. However, to Galen's surprise, Troll Killer failed to crush Blackhand's organs through his breastplate, as it had against his magically created son.
Blackhand's raw power far surpassed that of his puppet offspring. Galen, a tier below him in strength, found himself unable to inflict significant damage, even through the armor.
But where Galen fell short, Lothar excelled. With swift precision, Lothar raised the Great Royal Sword and beheaded Blackhand!
With his heart pierced and his head removed, not even a troll's regenerative abilities could save him. Only a bizarre turn of events, transforming the Karazhan raid into a Journey to the West-style decapitation spree, could alter his fate.
The Blackhand puppet was dead!
The moment Blackhand fell, time seemed to freeze within the chessboard space. Both the orcs and Galen's group were suspended in stillness.
Victory!
A resonant voice echoed through the chessboard, and the space began to shift. A wave of dizziness washed over everyone, and when they opened their eyes, they found themselves back in the hall.
Had it not been for the fallen Iron Horse Brotherhood elites, the fierce battle would have seemed like a mere illusion!
Lothar and the Stormwind contingent immediately tended to their fallen comrades. Twelve of the thirty-plus elites were beyond saving, and the rest lay in comas.
Galen and the Holy Knights, including Aragorn, swiftly administered healing, continuously casting Holy Light Flash. The battle's sudden and intense nature made the survival of any wounded a stroke of luck.
Galen surveyed the dead, then turned to Aragorn, who understood his unspoken question. Aragorn slowly shook his head.
"Your Highness, these soldiers cannot be resurrected. Their souls are gone."
Aragorn's words, relayed through the Origin Heart, delivered the grim news. Galen sighed, lamenting the loss of so many high-ranking knights.
"We must leave quickly. Sargeras is aware of our intrusion into Karazhan, though I don't know why he hasn't acted until now. I sense a powerful energy surge ahead, consuming the magic of the ley lines!"
Aegwynn descended from her vantage point, addressing the group urgently.
"What does that mean?" Lothar asked, struggling to grasp the arcane implications.
"We believe Sargeras-possessed Medivh is injured," Belovar explained, echoing the sense of magical disruption shared by the legendary mages.
"Yes, even if not injured, he's far from full strength and needs to absorb a great deal of energy," added Aegwynn.
Lothar, piecing together the clues, offered his insight. "Judging by the style of the chessboard, we're close to Medivh's personal quarters. I believe his bedroom and study lie ahead."
"Then let's not waste time! We'll finish this now!" Durin declared.
"I must leave my men here," Lothar said. "They are no match for the demonized Medivh. To bring them would only lead to more needless deaths."
These were his long-time comrades, and he refused to sacrifice them.
This raid on Karazhan was unlike the desperate attempt in the original timeline, where Lothar, Garona, and Khadgar, along with a handful of Iron Horse Brotherhood members, barely survived.
This time, Aegwynn led the charge, Galen brought allies from Silvermoon, and they were supported by seven or eight legendary figures, vastly improving their odds.
"Galen, you should stay as well. You haven't reached legendary status, and Medivh will be a dangerous opponent," Kael'thas said solemnly.
Lothar agreed. "Let us, the veterans, handle this. You are still young and shouldn't take such a risk."
"Don't worry," Galen replied. "I have powerful artifacts and secret techniques that can temporarily grant me legendary strength. I can protect myself. Besides, the demonized Medivh may have a construct golem guarding him. I can keep it occupied."
Galen was grateful for their concern but couldn't bear to miss this pivotal moment in history.
Seeing Galen's resolve, Lothar and Kael'thas relented, though they vowed to protect him as best they could when they faced Medivh.
Lothar ordered his troops to remain in the chess hall, including Gavinrad and Windosr. Their strength was insufficient, and their presence would only hinder the others.
Leaving the chess hall, Lothar and nine others ascended the stairs:
The human warrior, Lothar; the high elf warrior, Salorean; and the dwarf warrior, Durin.
The human Holy Knights, Galen and Aragorn.
The arcane mages, Belovar and Aegwynn; the ice mage, Gandalf; and the fire mage, Kael'thas.
Finally, there was Chromie, the gnome who claimed to be a high-level priest but acted more like an observer than a healer, watching Galen and the others fight.
After a half-hour climb, they reached another floor. Galen observed the room, noting the large wooden table covered with glass utensils and the various gems and materials scattered about. "This is either an alchemy lab or a magic workshop!"
"Clang!"
The sound of clashing chains echoed from the corner of the laboratory.
"Galen! Lord Lothar! You've arrived! Something has happened to our teacher!"
Startled, Lothar and the others rushed toward the sound, finding Medivh's apprentice, Khadgar, and the half-orc assassin, Garona, in a cage.
"Khadgar, Garona, what are you doing here?" Lothar asked, drawing the Great Royal Sword to break the lock.
"Wait, Lothar!" Aegwynn cautioned. "This cage is enchanted with lightning magic. The spell must be dispelled before it can be opened."
"I'll handle the unlocking. You focus on the magic," Gandalf offered.
"Why does this old mage always want to pick locks?" Galen wondered.
"No need, white-beard. I can unlock it myself," Garona said from within the cage.
Unlocking was her specialty. It would be humiliating to need a mage's help. If not for the electric arcs on the cage's surface, she would have been long gone.
Aegwynn and Belovar, mages with millennia of experience, quickly dispelled the cage's magic. Aegwynn was rumored to have invented Frostfire Bolt, a spell that combined the effects of frost and fire.
With the magic dispelled, Garona opened the lock in an instant, and she and Khadgar stepped out.
"How did you end up in here?"
"We saw Mentor Medivh open the Dark Portal and bring the orcs to Azeroth in Karazhan's visions!" Khadgar said urgently.
"Medivh also slaughtered many human mages!" Garona added, identifying them as members of the Tirisgarde Council.
"Medivh is conspiring with the orcish leadership! We must stop him!" Khadgar declared.
Despite his youth, Khadgar was clearly determined.
"We know," Lothar explained. "Medivh's mother led us here to cleanse his soul."
The group gained two new members: a mage and a rogue.
Beyond the laboratory, they entered a room with blue drapes and a large bed: Medivh's bedroom.
"Khadgar, where is Medivh?" Lothar asked.
"Follow me." Khadgar led them toward a large door.
They entered a dome, the highest point of Karazhan Tower and its magical core. Similar in design to the chess hall, it featured white marble pillars surrounding a pool filled with a thick, blue liquid.
Highly concentrated magic!
The magic descended from the dome in a gaseous form, condensing into a liquid state as it neared the pool.
And in the center of the pool, the corrupted Medivh lay, seemingly absorbing the magic.
Galen realized the implications. "This is why Deadwind Pass is a barren wasteland in the future. If that pool were to explode, the concentrated magic would be like hundreds of nuclear warheads, devastating the land and affecting even Elwynn Forest!"
Medivh's appearance shocked everyone. His back was covered in Gul'dan-like bone spurs, and his skin was coated in fel energy that constantly devoured the pool's magic, causing him to grow stronger.
Medivh opened his eyes!
"Ah, my old friends, you've finally arrived. What an impressive group! Let me see... My dear mother! Last time, I threw you out of Karazhan like a stray dog. Why have you returned?"
"Silence, Sargeras! Your schemes are exposed! I defeated you once three hundred years ago, and we will defeat you again today!" Aegwynn declared, the former Guardian ready to correct her past mistakes.
"Clang!"
Lothar drew his sword. "Demon! I will drag you from Medivh's body and send you back to the abyss!"
"Hahaha! Medivh is dead! I destroyed his soul. And you? You intend to destroy his body?"
Sargeras's taunt visibly affected Lothar and Aegwynn. Lothar, containing his rage, radiated a powerful aura. The Great Royal Sword glowed with intense golden light!
The corrupted Medivh remained unfazed. He scanned the group, his tone mocking. "Let's see who we have here. A dragon, three elves? They seem familiar... The noble leader who stood beside Azshara ten thousand years ago... What was his name? Ah, yes, Dath'Remar, the traitor!"
Kael'thas and Rommath bristled at the insult, but their expressions remained controlled.
"And you," Sargeras continued, his voice dripping with distaste. "That repulsive scent... the aura of the Holy Light... It reminds me of unpleasant memories... Kil'jaeden and Archimonde, those two incompetents, still haven't eradicated the Naa'ru!"
Sargeras was uncharacteristically talkative, perhaps due to his long confinement within Azeroth and his frustration at the delays in his plans.
He needed to vent his anger by mocking the "ants" before him.
"Your resistance is futile. Azeroth will fall to the Burning Legion, like countless other worlds!"
"Sargeras, once the Pantheon's greatest warrior, its protector, the noblest of gods, mentor to Aggramar, and creator of the Burning Legion!" Galen countered.
"Yet, you failed on Azeroth ten thousand years ago. You and your Legion were driven from this world by the combined forces of its races! Have you forgotten?"
"How dare you!" Sargeras snarled.
"Arrogant fool!"