Early the next morning, Rhodes left the Queen's chambers feeling refreshed, leaving behind a languid Azshara who was still fast asleep.
The constitution of a demigod was simply too formidable. Rhodes's highest record was a battle with the Green Dragon Queen that lasted seven days and nights without a single moment of rest. This was a literal seven-day marathon because if he had stopped the infusion of life essence, their plan to create a new demigod would have failed. Rhodes now finally understood why Cenarius had no siblings; it had clearly taken an immense amount of effort for the Moon Goddess and the White Stag to conceive him.
Having finished attending to Azshara, Rhodes had a long list of tasks: dealing with a certain Dreadlord, passing information to Cenarius and the others, coordinating with Illidan, and ensuring the portal would eventually be destroyed.
In the original timeline, Illidan was the one who destroyed the Burning Legion's portal, acting as a double agent for Sargeras just as Rhodes was doing now. To ensure the integrity of the timeline, Rhodes had to make sure Illidan still lost his sight and became a Demon Hunter. The task of blowing up the Well of Eternity and sabotaging the portal would be left to Illidan; Rhodes would simply pull the strings from the shadows.
There was also the matter of the three time-travelers. According to Cenarius ten thousand years in the future, the Orc hero Broxigar did not die—at least, not yet. When the final battle at the Well of Eternity began and Sargeras attempted to step through the portal, this old Orc jumped into the fray with a magical oak axe blessed by Cenarius. Though his strength was like an ant's compared to Sargeras, he managed to slightly wound the Dark Titan's leg before being struck down.
A mortal wounding a god—this feat turned Broxigar into a legend. Before the later expansions escalated power levels to "cosmic" heights, players often debated whether Broxigar or Grom Hellscream was the greatest Orc warrior. While Grom killed Mannoroth, Broxigar wounded a Titan. In terms of raw combat stats, Grom might have been the better warrior, but in terms of achievement, Broxigar was peerless. Without the "War of the Ancients" buff, Broxigar was just a veteran warrior, but Rhodes remembered him from the Battle of Mount Hyjal, where he had provided the old Orc with buffing spells and anti-magic weapons.
Rhodes planned to place a recall teleportation array on Broxigar. When the Orc was on the verge of being killed by Sargeras, he would use spatial magic to whisk him back to Azeroth. Even if the Orc died, Rhodes had "Resurrection" as a trump card—he just needed to retrieve the body.
For the next few days, Rhodes secretly gathered intelligence on the Legion while living a triple life: meeting with the Dark Titan, accompanying the Queen, and gathering data.
One day, after leaving Azshara's chambers, Rhodes did not return home. He chose instead to pass on his intelligence. He had gathered enough to convince Cenarius, the Wild Gods, and the Sisterhood of Elune that a full-scale invasion was imminent. He walked slowly along the palace corridors, seemingly admiring murals of the ancient Empire's glory, while his mental strength spread out like a spiderweb to sense any hidden surveillance.
The Dreadlords were masters of the shadows. Rhodes knew Tichondrius would be watching from some dark corner, but thanks to the Holy Light, these demons were visible to him like beacons.
Turning a corner, Rhodes lightly brushed an inconspicuous relief on the wall. Arcane energy flowed like water, activating a hidden array he had planted days ago while Azshara was busy with Xavius. It created a fifteen-minute illusion of him pacing in thought. His true self, cloaked in pale gold light, slipped into a discarded storage room in the lower levels.
The room was filled with broken magical artifacts and dusty scrolls. Rhodes set up three layers of soundproofing and anti-scouting barriers before taking out a green seed the size of a pigeon egg—the "Dream Beacon" given to him by Cenarius. It resonated with the Emerald Dream to transmit encrypted messages.
Report: Sargeras's plan confirmed. The Burning Legion is using the Well of Eternity as a coordinate; the recent fluctuations are due to energy siphoning for the portal. High-ranking members have arrived, though the two main commanders and Sargeras himself have not yet crossed. Portal completion estimated in 40-50 days. The descent catalyst is the Well's core. Key sabotage points: seven secondary anchoring altars around the Well. Must be destroyed simultaneously. —Rhodes.
The seed pulsed with light and dissolved into the ground. These natural energies would travel through the ley lines to Mount Hyjal. It was slow, taking three to five days, but it was safe; Fel energy was relatively dull to natural vibrations moving this subtly.
Next, Rhodes went to meet Illidan Stormrage.
Inside Illidan's suite, complex arcane runes flowed across the walls—soundproofing that showed his mastery of defensive magic. Illidan was standing by the window, staring at the green Fel glow emanating from the Well of Eternity.
"The Well's energy is being twisted. I can feel the ancient purity being defiled," Illidan said without turning, his voice thick with suppressed rage. "Xavius and his sorcerers are siphoning it every day for that damned portal. And you, my friend... you've spent your time 'frolicking' with the Queen! I thought you were above being conquered, yet Azshara seems to have conquered even a demigod."
"Please, have some heart," Rhodes rolled his eyes. "I admit I've been with Azshara, but that was to extract information. How do you think I got these details? If you think you can do better, feel free to go 'serve' her yourself."
Conquered? If anything, the Night Elf Queen was the one being overwhelmed. A demigod's vitality was no joke.
Rhodes added his own protection layer to the room. "I've confirmed the Legion's plan and sent word to Cenarius. The portal's structure will be done in forty days. Sargeras is gathering the main fleet. Once that door is stable, the invasion will be total."
"Then we must destroy the portal," Illidan said sharply. "Can you get close to them? We need a way to bring it all down."