Asaad, the ambitious wind elemental who coveted a seat on the Conclave of Wind, had always held immense confidence in his own power. Yet, to witness his full-strength lightning strike fail to fell the charging golden dragon, to see Sabellian merely stagger rather than fall, ignited a furious shame within him!
"Extreme Storm!!" Asaad roared, his form crackling with intensified elemental fury. Another blinding bolt of lightning and a gale of razor-sharp winds erupted from his hands, aimed squarely at the resilient golden dragon!
Sabellian braced himself. Asaad was, after all, a demigod-level wind elemental. To endure such a thunderous storm head-on, even with his natural dragon scales, would result in grievous injury, if not outright death.
Then, in a flash of divine intervention, a shimmering, circular golden barrier erupted around the golden dragon, enveloping his entire form! The Holy Shield, a blessing of pure Light, allowed Sabellian to cleave through the heart of the thunderous storm, his momentum unbroken, as he continued his relentless charge towards the Vortex Pinnacle!
Finally!
Battered, scorched, and bleeding golden ichor from countless shattered scales, Sabellian endured the relentless waves of thunder that bombarded him. With a final, agonizing surge of strength, he struggled, clawed, and roared his way onto the pristine white steps of the Vortex Pinnacle, the very fortress of the wind elementals! The Holy Shield, though potent, had a time limit, and to secure this crucial first breach, Sabellian had paid a heavy price, his magnificent golden hide now marred by the relentless lightning.
"Damn wind elemental!" Sabellian snarled, his voice a guttural rumble of fury. "I will blast you into nothing but scattered wind particles!"
As Sabellian finished speaking, a brilliant white magic circle blazed to life above his head. Then, with a blinding flash, even more white light erupted beside him, coalescing into solid forms!
When the dazzling light dissipated, Asaad peered closer, his elemental eyes widening in utter disbelief. They were Tol'vir! Solid, stone-skinned Tol'vir warriors!
Teleportation?
How was this possible?!
This utterly unprecedented event sent a jolt of genuine shock through the Westwind King. The Vortex Pinnacle had been meticulously sealed by his wind elementals for centuries. Apart from the pervasive elemental energies of air, no other arcane force could penetrate its defenses. How had these earth-bound creatures, these stone-bodied beings, defied the seal and materialized within his fortress?!
"Ertan! Altairus! Quickly! Stop them!" Asaad shrieked, his voice laced with uncharacteristic panic.
As a wind elemental military fortress, the Vortex Pinnacle was not only garrisoned by the demigod Westwind King but also by a vast host of lesser wind elementals and the formidable Four Winds Drakes.
Ertan, a noble among the wind elementals, commanded legions of lightning and storm, while Altairus was the undisputed leader of the powerful Storm Drakes!
The Four Winds Drakes, ancient proto-dragons native to Azeroth, were unlike the chromatic dragons or the Storm Drakes of the Broken Isles who had accepted the Titans' power. Instead, their very essence had been infused with the power of the wind elementals, transforming them into a unique sub-species of dragon, found only within the elemental planes of air.
They were categorized into East Wind Drakes, South Wind Drakes, North Wind Drakes, and West Wind Drakes, serving as loyal servants and swift messengers for the Wind Council and the Wind Elemental King. Their lineage was ancient, predating even the arrival of the Old Gods on Azeroth.
At Asaad's frantic command, countless distortions of light shimmered into existence across the mid-air expanse of the Vortex Pinnacle. Vast amounts of invisible wind coalesced, spiraling into terrifying, vortex-like creatures!
Immediately thereafter, a multitude of draconic forms materialized, roaring their defiance as they charged forward, a terrifying vanguard alongside the swirling wind elementals and air elementals!
"Form ranks!" Tekahn, the commander-in-chief of the Tol'vir army, bellowed, his voice cutting through the elemental din with methodical precision. His forces, facing the overwhelming numerical superiority of the enemy, swiftly adopted their defensive formations, their stone bodies forming an impenetrable wall.
"Fire!"
The rear ranks of the Tol'vir archers unleashed a devastating volley. Thousands of arrows, tipped with arcane energy, streaked through the air like a dark cloud, raining down upon the charging wind elementals. A great number of the ethereal creatures exploded upon impact, their forms dissipating into nothingness, leaving behind only the shimmering wrist shackles that had bound their elemental essence, clattering to the pristine marble.
Unfortunately, such a devastating volley could only last for a single, precious round. The speed of the wind elementals was unparalleled on Azeroth, and they quickly closed the distance, colliding with the disciplined ranks of the Tol'vir army!
These immortal Tol'vir soldiers, each a seasoned warrior, fought with fierce determination. Their humanoid bodies allowed them to wield a variety of weapons with exceptional skill. Working in perfect unison, they swung massive spears and battle axes, shattering and blasting apart the approaching wind elementals with brutal efficiency!
Just as the Four Winds Drakes, a formidable aerial force, descended to join the fray, following closely behind their elemental brethren, the Golden Holy Dragonflight arrived. The radiant Holy Light Dragons and the powerful Storm Drakes clashed in a furious aerial ballet, engaging in brutal, one-on-one battles high above the Vortex Pinnacle, their roars echoing through the elemental realm!