Chapter 27 Chapter Twenty Seven

Union troops struggled to regroup.Shandris knew they were pressed for time; if she had been Garrosh—which was the most disgusting idea she could have imagined—she would have turned the Horde, especially the mammoths, back on their way.Though he did not know that his archers had succeeded in bringing down Tyrande, he would not waste the opportunity in the face of the chaos he had caused. Tyrande... Shandris fought back a shiver.Horde archers sneaked in to assassinate the High Priestess unnoticed.Of course, none of them made it back to report to their masters alive; Shandris found them too late to rescue her foster mother, but it wasn't too late for her own archers to shoot them.

The members of the Sisterhood of Elune prayed frantically for Tyrande, who had recovered but not yet.There was something left in her body from the arrowhead.She was able to recover, but it took time. And they don't have time now.With the efforts of Shandris, the chaos by the river has restored some order, but at this moment she heard the sound of horns in the distant forest.It seemed to her that the defenders would undoubtedly face a new attack in a few moments.Dani and several survivors had told her of Commander Hadrisa's valor, but there was no longer another epic charge to save them now.Hadrisa was unsuccessful in killing Garrosh, but her quick wit gave the Alliance a break.The night elves will celebrate her feat for generations... if they have a future.

Shandris looked to the forest to the north; the higher terrain there, with low hills, made for a different environment that would be very advantageous in a counterattack.It would have been nice to have built an outpost there when they controlled the whole area, but that's no longer possible. As the general surveyed the rest of the area, she had to admit that Hadrissa had arranged everything, and no one could have done it better than her.Shandris had long noticed that some of the younger officers, including Dany, had hinted to her that perhaps their commanding officer should be removed for good.But after seeing her heroism, they should give up such an idea.Hadrissa may be old, but she lived to be old because of her excellence.

And after today, many night elves will never age again... "You command!" she ordered to an lieutenant, and turned the nightsaber to walk towards the other priestesses tending to Tyrande.A squire looked up as she passed, but the general was not interested in anyone other than her adoptive mother.Fortunately, Shandris was pleased to see that Tyrande's eyes were open. "My daughter," she said to the general. Shandris jumped off her mount regardless of her appearance, and stepped forward to hug the high priestess.Tyrande hugged her back just as hard. "Are you feeling better?" Shandris asked.

"I'm still in a daze, but yeah... I'm better." She looked into the general's eyes. "Here they come." Tyrande's words were not asking questions, but reminding her.Shandris wasn't surprised by this. "I would expect them to be at the edge of the forest in two minutes at most." The High Priestess propped herself up on her elbows, then had to close her eyes and rest for a while. "No matter what Garrosh told the archers to put on the arrows, it was very potent... but those two arrows hurt me too. The Horde has some good archers." "But our archers are superior. The Horde has paid the price." Another horn sounded, this time that of the Alliance.

"Bring me Ash'ara," said the High Priestess. "You're not healed yet—" Shandris began, but a glance from Tyrande stopped her.The orcs were about to charge towards them, so Shandris didn't argue, but reached out and pulled Tyrande up. A priestess led Ash'ara for Tyrande.She mounted her steed, and Shandris did the same, and together they galloped off to the front. Horns of horns were eagerly sounded from the Alliance positions, echoing those from the forest.Neither Shandris nor Tyrande had seen any enemies yet, but there was clearly something that caught the sentinel's attention.

Things became apparent when they rode up.The treetops in the forest swayed. Mammoths are on the move. "Fire arrows," Shandris said decisively. "We shot a lot of fire arrows to set the forest ablaze and make those damned mammoths run away..." "'Let the forest burn'?" Tyrande drew a breath and straightened up.Then she added, "Perhaps you're right..." "I don't know if I'm right...the flames may only make them more furious...but I don't know what else to do." The general looked at Tyrande. "Unless Elune—"

"The Mother of the Moon does not exist to respond to our every request like a servant." The High Priestess replied. "But since I woke up, I've been praying to her." "That?" "All I know is that we have to fight to the end and accept our fate as life or death." Shandris grunted. "That's what I love about Elune." She checked that her moonblade was secure, and readied her bow again. "And she didn't want to think how lonely she would be without us." "Santis—" The general laughed grimly. "Just kidding."

The tops of the trees closest to the river also began to shake.The general gave the herald the order to fire arrows, and they galloped off to inform the archer commander.When the backs of the riders disappeared, a familiar but still terrifying roar sounded from the forest ahead.Then, five equally terrifying roars echoed. "Keep praying, mother," Shandris said as she rode forward. "Keep praying..." "I never stopped," Tyrande replied.The High Priestess followed her daughter to battle...and perhaps to their doom too. The Mammoths had already cut their way through the woods to the Alliance position, but that didn't matter.Those fragile trees can be knocked down easily.These gigantic creatures from Northrend trampled their way through the forest to the river.And their masters don't care about that.The Horde wanted Ashenvale primarily for its lumber, and the devastation wrought by these angry trolls only made it easier to harvest the lumber once the enemies were gone.

The orcs and their allies followed, though at some distance behind.Some died as the mammoths retreated, creatures who didn't care if they stepped on trees or limp bodies that would rot under one foot.After being deceived earlier, the Mammoth and the warriors who followed were eager for blood.These trolls may be Garrosh's slaves, but like orcs or tauren or even goblins, they don't want to be thought fools. And here's a lot of Alliance blood that could be used to satisfy them. At this time, the leading male mammoth had rushed to the river, and countless burning arrows flew towards it.Several bolts hit nearby trees, but failed to ignite them.However, the arrow that hit the mammoth was brushed aside by it like a stinging insect, which made it even more annoyed.Even so, the rain of arrows did not stop, and at the same time shot at other mammoths who rushed to the river.

But those giant monsters aren't getting the signal to stop.As Shandris guessed, Garrosh never wanted to give the Alliance more chances to rally.The Warchief will now crush his foes, taking Ashenvale with a swift and complete victory. The tribe's archers began shooting as soon as they reached their intended position.Their counterattacks forced the Alliance archers to turn their fire on them, and the fire arrows used to drive the Mammoths were thinned out. Shandris fired at a grinning troll, and the arrow hit the enemy's chest.But at this time she finds that the task of driving the mammoth away is not going well.They also need more fire arrows. Suddenly the moonlight shone on the Mammoth's face, even though there was no moon in the sky at the moment. Shandris laughed, but her smile froze when she saw that the Mammoth was unaffected at all.They are creatures from Northrend, originally living in a place full of ice and snow that blinds people.They have adapted to survive in such an environment, thus rendering the defenders' other powerful weapons ineffective. The leading male forded the river without difficulty.When it reached the river bank, the spearmen charged, trying to knock the mammoth off balance by wounding one of its legs.But their role may also be no different from that of mosquitoes.The mammoth grabbed two large cats and crushed them, along with the rider on their backs, into an indistinguishable and disgusting ball of meat.Then it threw the thing at the defenders. At this moment a horn came from the Horde.Garrosh's warriors roared with frenzy and eagerness as they finally got their chance to charge forward. "We have no choice but to fight!" Tyrande yelled at Shandris. "I know!" she signaled. The long-awaited Union Legion rushed to the river.At the same time, the archers at the front retreated under the cover of their comrades in the rear.More spearmen joined the Union offensive. The two armies met at close quarters, and the sound of weapons colliding rose and fell one after another.Night elves and orcs fell to the ground dead.Although they constitute the main force on both sides of the enemy, there are many allies who have lived and died with them: tauren, human soldiers from Theramore, dwarves of the Three Hammers clan, troll warriors, and so on.Shandris could not see the entire battlefield, but she knew that dozens of people died in the first few seconds. But worst of all are the unstoppable Mammoths.They easily tore apart the sentinel lines, as if these well-trained warriors were pieces of wheat ears, and the mammoths were like sickles.Dead bodies can be seen everywhere, in various ways.The night elves tried in vain to focus their fire on the trolls, and the Horde's archers tried their best to hold back the attack on the mammoths from the start.And so these unhindered monstrosities continue to wreak havoc. Priestesses of Elune attend battle as well as heal the wounded, so they and their leaders are the targets of special attention for archers of all the Horde.Despite the blessing of the Mother of the Moon, the priestesses are not invulnerable, and Tyrande almost proved it herself.As a result their numbers dwindled rapidly, and those who remained were forced to fortify themselves and were thus unable to effectively aid their comrades. Despite being the leader of the Sentinels, Shandris did not shy away from battle.When she couldn't use her bow effectively, she threw her Moonblade time and time again, and she rarely missed, no matter which weapon she used.But she also had to dodge arrows and other weapons.The enemy wanted to get rid of her, for Shandris was one of the most important people in the struggling defenders' hopes. Tyrande was also fighting.Having faced demons, shadow creatures, orcs, and more foes throughout her long life, it was easier for her to get into the rhythm of the war than she thought.But every time an enemy fell, another dozen seemed to rush up. Then again because of the Mammoth, always because of the Mammoth. The Sentinel line finally crumbled. "We can't take it anymore!" Tyrande yelled. "The bank is lost! Retreat!" Shandris grabbed the trumpeter. "Signal! We retreat to the second line of defense!" The trumpeter blew her horn hard, and the other surviving trumpeters repeated her call.Tyrande and Shandris had set up a reserve position not far away, where the undulating terrain could provide a natural defense.This is insignificant to the mammoth, but at least it can delay the attack of the tribe. Sentinels and their allies are on the move.They fought their way, archers struggling to put distance between defenders and attackers.And the Mammoths, preoccupied with their desire for destruction, failed to keep up with the Horde's actions in the first place.That bought the league a few precious seconds. But it was only for a few seconds, and as Tyrande and Shandris retreated with the others, they were both acutely aware that behind their second line of defense... there was no going back. up. Ashenvale is about to fall. Ashenvale has fallen, Garrosh Hellscream thought with growing foreboding.Ashenvale has fallen, Father! Garrosh wondered what his father would think of the victory.Would he be proud? Even eight mammoths would be enough to easily destroy a dying alliance.With them alone he broke the balance of power once and for all. This land will make us strong, he thought, as he strode forward with the Guardsmen.Suddenly, a sentry jumped up from among the dead bodies and attacked him.She was left behind as the troops broke, and now wanted more glory before she died.She briefly blocks his progress and is thus a respectable enemy.As Gorehowl split her breastplate and torso, Garrosh hoped that her soul would find peace in the afterlife. This war will be used forever to teach the young.Every family has its own hero to celebrate in the aftermath of the triumph. Even Garrosh's predecessor, the great Thrall -- even the Thrall who would not bring Azeroth back to war -- would no doubt call Garrosh the champion of the orcs, the champion of the Horde . Ashenvale is ours...and the rest of Azeroth will follow...No power is stronger than the Horde...There is no way the Alliance can change what fate has called for this new world... Deathwing created a new Azeroth, and he must be strong if he is to survive.The Alliance was once strong, but that was yesterday.Tribes are the future. Garrosh is the future. He almost felt pity for the night elves and their kind.They fought valiantly but had no chance of winning.They seem to be holding out hope, but that's clearly not the case.Garrosh was using the summit as an opportunity to bring his enemies together and catch them off guard.Other forces in the alliance provided a small amount of assistance to the night elves, but this was within his calculations.By the time Theramore and other nations were able to send more troops, Ashenvale would be firmly under the Horde's control. Ashenvale is ours, the warchief said to himself again, delighted.Ashenvale is— A mysterious howl came from the forest to the north.The great chief stumbled and turned his head to look in that direction.He was familiar with wolves, dire wolves, and most of their kind, and this didn't sound like any kind of wolf howl. The howls sounded again, louder and more challenging this time.And Garrosh knew immediately that he was challenging the Horde.Furthermore, he is not alone.All over the battlefield, the orcs and other soldiers looked at the forest hesitantly, holding their weapons tighter.Even the mammoth looked up curiously in the direction of the howling. Similar howls echoed in the woods.Even at a distance, Garrosh could hear the rustling of leaves and bushes, as if the mammoths were approaching the battlefield, and a large army was rushing towards them. Garrosh came to his senses, he raised his Gorehowl, and opened his mouth to command. The warriors near the north let out screams as they rushed through the forest to where the night elves were.And the shouts were mixed with growls and screams. "North, you fools!" Garrosh ordered. "Towards the north—" A dark river of death swept towards them.It was a group of graceful figures with thick fur.Garrosh saw the orcs, trolls, and tauren who stood in front of them fall under the flashing weapons and claws.Swift as the wind, the demons charged the Horde's armies in all directions. But most astonishingly, the one rushing ahead of them was a human being.However, he did not run like a man, but more like a wolf than the terrible warriors who swarmed around him.He carried a shining sword, which Garrosh recognized from afar. "Excalibur Saramani..." Garrosh growled, his anger rising rapidly. "Varian Wrynn..."