Chapter 136: The Gathering Storm

Sir Anduin Lothar’s face changed dramatically. "We may have been tricked. The combat prowess and troop numbers the Horde displayed when attacking Stormwind were nothing like what we encountered in the Hillsbrad Foothills and the Hinterlands. They must have had another objective in mind."

In Lothar’s memory, the Horde’s powerful spellcasters and siege engines had not appeared. He recalled the fall of Stormwind, where the gates were breached in less than half a day under the barrage of catapults loaded with sticky incendiary oil. Compared to the defenders of Aerie Peak, the Horde’s attacking force was remarkably uniform; aside from the newly arrived red dragons, there were very few distinct unit types. Perhaps these troops were not the main force at all, but merely a diversion intended to mask the true path of the Orcish vanguard.

"Indeed, this is a grave threat to the Alliance," Archmage Khadgar agreed. "But whoever is leading this Horde, they are doing an exceptional job. They likely knew we would come to Aerie Peak to assist you. The troops left behind were meant to slow us down and obscure our vision, while the main force continued onward. Now that they have distanced themselves from us, we have lost all intelligence."

Khadgar had participated in the raid on Karazhan and possessed some insight into the Orcish military. The fact that neither the Warchief nor the Shadow Council had appeared in the Hillsbrad Foothills or the Hinterlands suggested that the Orcs were planning something else entirely.

The Hillsbrad Foothills were essentially a staging ground for the Alliance, and the area surrounding Lordaeron City was virtually impregnable. By sea, Admiral Daelin Proudmoore held the Darrowmere region and its surroundings with a massive fleet. By land, these were the core regions of the various human kingdoms, with defensive garrisons constantly maintaining order. Even with the help of goblins, the Orcs’ so-called "fleet" consisted of little more than large, iron-clad transport ships; if they were to encounter Daelin’s fleet on the water, they would be nothing more than target practice for his cannons, possessing zero combat capability and no recourse but to suffer defeat.

Thus, Khadgar prioritized excluding Lordaeron City and the Darrowmere province from his list of likely targets. That left only one destination to the north: the Alterac province.

"I believe it is the Alterac province," Khadgar said, gesturing to Lothar. The "aged" mage had always been synonymous with wisdom; currently, his appearance was indistinguishable from that of an octogenarian, and to the eyes of others, he seemed only slightly more robust than those elderly scholars. "The Orcish leadership would not be foolish enough to attack the Darrowmere region, and attacking Lordaeron City would be an act of suicide. If they dared to strike at either of those places, our war would be over very quickly."

Zendari, who had remained silent at his side, suddenly interjected: "Is it possible that they are heading toward Quel'Thalas?"

Zendari Windrunner had been marching alongside Anduin Lothar for days. During the battle at Aerie Peak, Zendari had identified Forest Trolls among the enemy ranks—the mortal enemies of Quel'Thalas and the sworn blood-feud of the Windrunner family. Countless Farstrider units had perished in the wars against the Forest Trolls, and some rangers had not even left behind remains, having been consumed by the beasts.

Upon seeing trolls within the Orcish ranks, Zendari’s first thought was of the Forest Trolls of Zul'Aman. If the trolls and orcs had formed an alliance, it was entirely possible that the trolls had demanded the orcs join them in a strike against Quel'Thalas first, before turning to attack Stratholme, the capital of the human Alterac province, to catch the humans off guard.

Worse still, if the combined Orc and Troll army shattered the defenses of Quel'Thalas, the high elves would be forced to retreat behind the Ban'dinoriel. Once the orcs and trolls secured a foothold in the Ghostlands, they could counter-attack into the Alterac province, expand their influence, slowly erode the Alliance's territories, and finally launch a total offensive against Lordaeron City.

It was entirely plausible.

Zendari grew increasingly fearful as these thoughts took hold, and she immediately voiced them. "We must return to Alterac at once to investigate the movements of the Horde coalition."

Lothar agreed. He knew that Quel'Thalas was the kingdom of the high elves, and in the past, they had possessed the greatest comprehensive strength on the continent. Their perfect social welfare and the fact that nearly every citizen could wield magic were things unimaginable in the human world.

"Turalyon, take the remaining knights and half of the army under your command," Lothar commanded. "Khadgar, you are our primary combat strength; go with him. I need the Alliance forces to secure the north. That region is the economic heart of all Lordaeron and the gateway for our trade with the high elves; it cannot be lost."

As Anduin Lothar’s lieutenant, Turalyon’s performance in the recent battles had been witnessed by all, and no one raised an objection to him taking command of the troops.

Lothar then turned to Kurdran Wildhammer. Kurdran had left a deep impression on him; it was he who had led his forces to save Aerie Peak at the moment of its greatest crisis, preserving the final stronghold of the Wildhammer dwarves.

"There are still remnants of the Horde in these forests. Once trolls and orcs slip into the mountains, they are difficult to track," Lothar warned solemnly. "We cannot allow them to follow us or send word to the main Orcish force before we arrive. I will remain here with the others to ensure this forest is thoroughly purged and to drive out every last one of those green-skinned creatures. Once the cleanup is complete, we will move on to rendezvous with Turalyon’s vanguard."

Kurdran nodded, a broad, beaming smile spreading across his face.

"Thank you for your aid," he said respectfully. "Once Aerie Peak is truly safe again, the warriors of the Wildhammer and I shall accompany you to the north to finish off the remaining Horde and bring peace back to this world."

Kurdran’s words struck a chord in Lothar’s heart, for allies were the one thing he currently lacked most.

***

By this time, the Orcish army that had infiltrated the Alterac province had long since departed from Agol'watha, crossed the mountain barriers, and entered the province. The combined forces of the orcs and trolls were now pushing northward. The trolls had told Orgrim that once they crossed these mountains, they would reach their target. There was no doubt that the Horde’s destination was the high elven kingdom of Quel'Thalas.

Doomhammer climbed to the summit of the crag, gasping for air. He wiped his shoulders and brushed the dust from his hands.

"Why must we climb the mountains?" the Warchief’s lieutenant asked, failing to understand Orgrim’s strategy. "The Horde army could have simply taken Aerie Peak, just as we did in Khaz Modan, and taken that road straight to Quel'Thalas. Wouldn't that have been better?"

In his mind, the coalition’s first engagement with humanity had ended in a crushing defeat for the humans, leaving Stormwind in ruins, and their first northern campaign in Khaz Modan had seen the Bronzebeard dwarves collapse before the Horde just as easily.

Therefore, Rend Blackhand, wanting to know Orgrim’s true intentions, asked directly: "We could have bypassed these mountains and struck directly. Why insist on this path? It does shorten the distance, but the climb is brutal. Crossing these peaks only slows us down! Furthermore, the climb is not safe; we have already lost several warriors to the ascent."