Chapter 9 chapter eight

"Hurry up! Damn it, hurry up!" Danas twitched the reins violently.His steed neighed in protest, even foaming from its mouth, but it obeyed its master. Danas didn't hear the sound of the galloping horse's hooves touching the hard ground.He heard the crude clash of weapons, the savage howls and howls of the orcs, and the wailing of his soldiers as they fell. Then the darkness receded suddenly, and the waiting orcs led Danath and his men into the trap and surprised them.They have no time to formulate tactics and have to fight without any preparation.Many were slaughtered without even a chance to wield their own weapons as the green tide came upon them.

Danas closed his eyes tightly, but the scene of them falling still lingered in his mind, whether it was horses or warriors, they all died in that cruel and savage massacre.He had seen Farrow knocked off his mount by a giant orc, and he was about to shout to warn him.Danath didn't see Farrow die, but he heard Farrow's scream of pain, and he believed that he would never forget that sound for the rest of his life.Farrow's heart was full of desire for battle and glory. As a young child, he once wanted to kill an orc with his own hands, but at that time he didn't even have the chance to swing his own weapon.

At that moment, Danas had a thought that disgusted him, they lost. His soldiers were aware of this, too, and they knew what to do. "Sir! Go back to Overwatch!" While fighting a tall orc with a sledgehammer, Fann was still urging Danas. "Tell them what's going on here! We'll cover you!" The other soldiers also agreed with one voice.Danas hesitated, he didn't know what he should do.Stay here and fight by their side; or flee back, hoping to save them? "Go!" cried Vann, turning his head to his officer. "For Lothar's—" In that moment of distraction, the orc swung down his sledgehammer and delivered the fatal blow.Before seeing Vann fall, Danath turned his steed around, kicked his mount with spurs, and yelled at it like crazy.The horse galloped away, leading him away from this bloody place, and headed towards Watch Castle.He left Farrow, left Vann, and the rest of the soldiers.It was he who led us all to death.

Danas bit his lip tightly, with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.They were right, anyway, someone had to warn Keepwatch, and his prestige ensured that someone would listen to him.At the same time, Danas' combat experience and leadership skills are also indispensable to them. However, in the name of the Holy Light, Danas has not done anything in his life, and it is more difficult to make a decision than to ignore the soldiers who abandoned him.He cursed softly, shook his head to drive his thoughts away, and yelled at the horse again. In this lifeless land, the road twisted and the red dust flew behind the hooves of the horses.Danath looked up at the massive stone walls of Keepwatch.The guards on the rampart saw him, and some pointed to Danas, warning others of his coming.

"Open the door!" Danas yelled with all his strength, holding up the shield in his hand so that the guards could see the alliance emblem emblazoned on it. "Open the door!" The heavy iron wooden door opened slowly.Danas didn't slow down, and went straight through the gap.Then, he slid off his horse, panting heavily, and asked the nearest soldier, "Who's in charge?" "May I ask your surname? Why are you here?" "I don't have time to do this with you," Danath shouted, pulling the soldier closer by the collar of his breastplate. "Who's in charge?"

"I am." came the answer from behind him.Danas let go of the soldier, turned around, and saw a man with broad shoulders.He wears a purple robe, marking his status as a Dalaran mage.He has long white hair and a matching beard, but his eyes are young and alert in comparison to his wrinkled face. "Danas Trollbane, is it?" asked the mage. "I thought you were with Turalyon." Danath nodded, affirming Khadgar's statement, and at the same time paying his respects.He took a deep breath and said, "Close the city gates and get the soldiers ready for battle! The Horde is coming!"

Khadgar's eyes widened, but he didn't argue.He made a gesture, and the soldiers hurried to follow his silent orders.The gate was closed, and someone went to lure away Danas' poor mount, and someone handed Danas a water bag. "Turalyon sent me to bring half of Stormwind City's soldiers here." Danath gulped down the bag of warm water, and nodded curtly to the person who brought the bag of water in thanks. "When we heard from him, we were off. He said he'd be there with the others." He shook his head and wiped his mouth. "We were too late. The orcs had rebuilt the Dark Portal, and they were there waiting for us. My children...they had no hope of winning."

Khadgar nodded, his eyes so sad. "I'm sorry for their deaths. But your warning gave us plenty of time to prepare. If the Horde plans to invade Azeroth again, they'll have to get past us first. That's what Keepwatch is for. built, and they will never take this castle lightly." "How do you defend it?" It was obvious that Danas had recovered, and he was looking around at the moment. "It seems that there are not many soldiers here, and I haven't seen trebuchets or other siege weapons on the outer wall." Khadgar agreed. "It's true that we don't have many soldiers. But that doesn't mean we have no resistance, or weapons. You'll see."

"I think I will." Danas grinned. "And when the orcs come, I'll be here waiting for them." An hour later, the orcs came. They filled the road like water flowing through a narrow channel, pushing each other, trying to reach the castle ahead earlier.Danath and Khadgar stood on a higher part of the city wall, looking down at the scene below. "Fuck, there are at least a few hundred orcs." Danas whispered, watching the tribe almost completely occupy the plain in front of the castle, marching forward with weapons in hand.In the previous battle, he did not observe the number of tribes carefully.

"Yes." Khadgar said, the old-hearted archmage didn't seem to care much. "Not as much in the Second War though. Either they lost too many orcs in those battles, or it's just part of the orc tribe." He shrugged. "That's not important. No matter how they want to go, we will give them some color. Don't you want to know about our city defense? Take a look." He pointed around, and Danas saw all kinds of light spots on the wall.Many men and women stood there, dressed in purple robes similar to Khadgar's.The Archmage nodded to them, and the other mages raised their hands in unison.Danas felt his hair stand on end, and heard a very slight hum.Then, the lightning streaked across the air in a curve, hitting the first wave of orcs, and scattered many orcs behind.

"Very good, very powerful." Danas admitted, the sound of lightning strikes still echoed in his ears. "But how many times can they do this?" Khadgar smiled. "I guess we'll find out soon." Turalyon leaned over his horse, trying to make it run as fast as possible.Although he knew it was wise to wait for Alleria's rangers to come to their aid, something in his heart told him that by the time they arrived it might be too late—what had happened over at Watchfort. what.He didn't know if it was a soldier's instinct, or his own insecurities.Anyway, the paladin, who was usually kind to beasts, was kicking his horse constantly. Beside him are his soldiers, Alleria, and her rangers.Seeing Turalyon kicking his mount with spurs, she gave him a curious look, but said nothing.He looked at her, trying to explain something, but in the end he said "Something has happened." Alleria was about to mock Turalyon, but when she saw his expression, she shut her mouth.Instead, she just nodded and leaned over to whisper to her horse.He realized that Alleria still believed in him, and at that moment, the uneasiness and fear in his heart were diluted by that warm feeling. It seems like this journey will never end.The army crossed the grasslands and rolling hills around the town of Gold, passed the town of night, and passed the aptly named Deadwind Pass - which is next to Karazhan where Medivh once lived - and came to the muddy and Swamp of Sorrows that smells sick.But now, the landscape is starting to change.When Turalyon discovered this, his heart trembled.Although the surrounding vegetation has begun to rot and emits a foul smell, they at least have signs of life.The ground beneath their feet turned a dry red, almost desert-like. Alleria frowned, and said loudly not to be covered by the sound of the horse's hooves, "This feeling...is bad." Turalyon nodded, feeling that he could barely breathe.The crowd continued on, passing through the barren terrain and climbing up a small hill.There, Keepwatch Castle is like a white mountain, towering above the blood-red land.He tightened the reins to stop the horse, tried his best to see the situation ahead, and whispered, "Something is wrong." Alleria raised her hand to block the sunlight that should have been shining on her eyes.She had much better vision than he did, so when she took a deep breath, Turalyon realized he was right. "It's under attack!" Alleria yelled. "The Horde - Turalyon - is like seeing the Horde from the Second War again! There must be at least hundreds of people!" Her tone was mixed with fear and excitement, and her face was filled with hatred and anger. and become distorted.He recalled the conversation they had had when she arrived in Stormwind, and it was clear to Alleria that she finally had a chance to eliminate the "scum."He didn't want to see her have such a desire to kill, and he was afraid that this desire would make her reckless. Turalyon's commanders approached, and he said to the crowd, "We are not far from them. We will strike from the enemy's rear flank, and put them between us and Keepwatch. When they have overcome them, and we can enter the castle and fortify it in case the orcs come again. Come on." Everyone ran to the last slope, and just as they were about to climb to the top, Turalyon told everyone to stop again.Ahead of them was the last ascent of the trail, and a little further up was a wide plateau.From there, they can see the whole place. The orcs, hundreds of thousands, were pounding on the walls of Keepwatch, though even now it was taking their onslaught with ease.The bodies of fallen orcs were everywhere, and Turalyon saw at least one that had been shot through the throat, and several others that were charred, but a few that did not appear to be injured.He looked up and noticed a group of purple-robed mages standing on the castle walls.Turalyon understood, and despite the urgency of the situation, he smiled softly. "We need to attack, before they see us. Gather the soldiers and wait for my charge cry." His commanders, including Alleria, nodded, walked to their own units and quietly conveyed Follow the order.The soldiers girded their belts, lowered their shields and visors, drew their weapons, and the army began to move forward.Turalyon and the others moved slowly forward towards the plateau, the sound of the horses' hoofs being muffled by the dust.Thanks to the Holy Light, these orcs kept shouting loudly, or muffled, and no one noticed their arrival. It's now.They've sneaked here.Turalyon took a deep breath, raising his hammer above his head. "Son of Lothar!" he shouted, and the Light helped him to carry his voice to every soldier under his command. "For the alliance, for the Holy Light!" Behind him, the soldiers also shouted their own special battle roars.Turalyon swung the hammer down and pushed it forward, and the charge began in earnest. Some orcs on the tail heard his shout and turned around, but unfortunately, they were trampled into meat paste by the continuously emerging horseshoes.Others were caught by surprise, many killed without even seeing the threat looming from behind them.Turalyon and his men charged forward, cutting their way with swords, axes, and hammers, as the guards of Keepwatch cheered.Alleria and her rangers moved their bows left and right, taking arrows, nocking them, aiming, and shooting them at an inhuman speed. A series of actions were done in one go, and their horses kept moving forward.Surprisingly, it took only a short time for Alliance reinforcements to reach the massive front gate of Nethergarde.The guards inside opened the gate as Turalyon approached.He paused, looked towards the battlefield behind, and met Alleria's eyes.Turalyon pointed to the door, and Turalyon frowned.Like him, she didn't want to leave the battlefield, but they were the leaders of their own units, and she and he both knew that they should enter the castle as soon as possible and talk to the commander of the castle. Finally, Alleria nodded.Turalyon kicked his mount in the groin, knocking down an orc who was trying to follow him, and charged into the narrow gap.Alleria was beside him, so close that her arm touched his.After that, the door behind them was closed again. "Oh, very good, Alleria, you brought Turalyon here in time." Turalyon turned to the speaker and smiled.He gave Khadgar a cursory hug.The two had worked side by side in the Second War, and after these days, Turalyon missed the friend he liked and respected more and more.He only hoped that the two would not meet again under such circumstances.Alleria nodded slightly. "I came here as fast as I could," Turalyon said.He saw another old friend, smiled in relief, and said hello to his deputy. "Danas, I'm glad you're not hurt." Turalyon looked around. "But... where are your soldiers?" "Dead." Danas replied briefly. "In the name of the Holy Light...all of them?" Turalyon whispered, after all, Danath took away half of Stormwind City's soldiers.When Danas heard this, he gritted his teeth. "When we reached the valley, those orcs had already designed a good trap for us. Before my children could react, they were all slaughtered by the orcs." Despite Danas' voice Very low, but still trembling. "My boys," he called his soldiers.Turalyon knew that Danath was blaming himself for their deaths. "They sacrificed themselves so that I could return to Keepwatch and inform Khadgar of the Horde's arrival." "They were right, and so were you," Turalyon assured his friend and lieutenant. "Although losing your soldiers is indeed a terrible thing, the first priority is to notify Keepwatch." He frowned. "Khadgar, we need to find out why they attacked." "Obviously, they want to pass through here to invade the rest of Azeroth," Khadgar replied, but Turalyon shook his head. "No, that's unreasonable. Think about it. They don't have enough numbers to take this fortress, and they must know it. I bet you, it's definitely not the strength of the entire tribe, it can't be. Then the other Where are the orcs? Why are they attacking with only part of their army?" Khadgar frowned, "You are quite right." "There is a way." Danas said abruptly. "Bring me an orc. Believe me, I'll make him tell us what we want to know." The tone of his words and the look on his face terrified Turalyon.On Danath's face, Turalyon seemed to see the same hatred for orcs as Alleria.For the orcs' atrocities, for the harm they had done to the world, Turalyon could not but feel a little sympathy for the captive whom Danath Trollbane was about to hear for himself.He only hoped that the orc would confess as soon as possible, for the good of the orc, and for theirs. The crowd awaited his approval.Turalyon nodded reluctantly, and turned to Alleria.Before he could speak, the elven ranger was at a tower, eager to do something, whatever it was.She waited for the order, waited for the reply, and then laughed cruelly. "It won't take long," she said.Turalyon had wanted him down.But she stayed where she was, nodding an arrow to her elegant longbow, aiming at an orc, joining the fray from that vantage point. The elves are right.Within three minutes, someone outside yelled, "We got one!" The thick door opened again.Two of Turalyon's soldiers rode in, half dragging an unconscious orc between them.The two threw the body on the ground in front of the commander-in-chief.His green bald head was covered in blood, his eyes were closed, and despite hitting the ground, he remained motionless. "An orc, still alive, sir!" One person reported. "He was hit hard on the head, but he can survive, at least for a while." Turalyon nodded and dismissed the two in front of him.The two soldiers paid a military salute, then turned their horses, and once again rode into the battle formation. "Let's see what we can get," Danas muttered.He bound the orc's hands and feet with heavy rope, and splashed water on his face.The orc shuddered and woke up with a painful expression on his face.He frowned, and when he realized the restraints on his body, he began to growl. "Why are you attacking us at this moment?" Danas asked, leaning towards the orc. "Why did you attack Keepwatch when you weren't fully staffed?" "Let me tell you what strength is!" The orc warrior howled angrily, trying to break free from the rope on his body, but the others quickly pushed him to the ground. "I don't think you understand the current situation." Danas said slowly, pulled out his dagger, and waved it casually in front of the orc. "I'm asking you questions, and you'd better answer me. Why attack Keepwatch now? Why not wait until all the Horde are here?" A mixture of blood and saliva splattered Danas' face.Frightened, he leaned back and slowly wiped the saliva off his face. "I'm too lazy to play with you anymore." He roared, grabbing the dagger and lunging forward. "Wait!" Turalyon ordered.He didn't approve of torturing captives, and he was beginning to think that even if he allowed Danas to continue, the orc wouldn't have anything useful to say, since orcs were very pain-tolerant.More likely, the orc could have passed out like this before he could say anything. "Maybe there are other ways to get him to talk." Danas stopped his hands.He felt the anger in Alleria's eyes, as if she wanted to see the orc hurt as soon as possible.But that doesn't solve the problem. Turalyon closed his eyes, breathed slowly, and breathed air into his dantian so that no matter what was going on in his head or his heart, he could remain still.In that peaceful place, he asked the Light for help.Shengguang responded to him, and he felt a slight tingling sensation on his skin.The Light gave him strength, and its unspeakable kindness.Turalyon heard the panting of his friends and the panicked screams of his captives.He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and watched the familiar light flicker in his hand.Danath and Khadgar stared at him, shock in their eyes.For that orc, he had curled up into a green ball, sobbing indirectly on the ground.When Turalyon spoke, his voice was calm and controlled.Here, there is no room for hatred or anger, at least not in front of a man shrouded in the Holy Light. "Now, in the name of the Light, answer our questions with sincerity," Turalyon intoned, placing his palm on the orc's forehead.A sudden and dazzling holy light flashed.He seemed to see sparks emanating from the orc.The orc screamed.When Turalyon moved his palm away, a black handprint was left there, as if someone had burned him.The orc fell to the ground trembling, weeping.Turalyon hoped he hadn't knocked the orc unconscious. "Why attack?" he asked again. "To...to distract you," the orc whimpered. "Don't let you find out about the theft." The orc had been stubbornly silent until then, but now he seemed afraid he couldn't speak any faster. "Ner'zhul needs something. A fetish. He ordered us to attack the castle. The Alliance is busy here, and there is nothing else in sight." Khadgar stroked his white beard.He recovered a little faster than Danas, who was still staring at the young paladin.Turalyon looked up at Alleria to see that she was looking at him in disbelief as well.When their eyes met, she blushed slightly and looked towards him. "A simple plan, but simple plans are often the best," Khadgar suggested. "But what artifact? And why is he looking for it from our world instead of his own?" The orc shuddered and shook his head. "He doesn't know," Turalyon said. "If he knew, he would tell us." With the mark of the Light, the orcs will never lie. The door opened slightly, just enough for the two elves to squeeze in, before it was closed together again.The two walked towards Turalyon. He looked up, his eyes narrowed, and found that both of them looked tired. "Any news?" "From Stormwind, Your Excellency." An elf replied. "Someone has broken into the Royal Library. The guards found the bodies of the two guards outside the library and one of the people in the library. Appears to have been killed by an orc's tomahawk, Your Excellency." "The orc? In the Royal Library?" Turalyon turned to look at Khadgar, then at the orc.The orc flinched. "The fetish..." he whispered, trying to connect these clues. "Perfect smack," Khadgar had to admit. "Damn it. Did I say, simple plans work better. We're busy fighting the orcs here, and they're taking..." He turned to the elves who were coming. "Did they steal anything?" Now the two elves looked even more unhappy. "Unfortunately, you are right, mage. Something is missing." "What is that?" Turalyon asked. The elf cleared his throat. "Uh... Book of Medivh." "In the name of the Light," Turalyon whispered, feeling his stomach twitch slightly.Book of Medivh?The greatest mage in the world, the one who helped the orcs open the original gate of darkness, his spell book?That book that holds the secret that all mages covet, and now it's in the hands of the orcs? Khadgar, who was beside him, also looked taken aback. "Turalyon... I need that book! I need it to close the Dark Portal!" "What?" Turalyon called. "Medivh and Gul'dan created the Dark Portal. That spellbook can tell me how to close it! But—if the orcs have it, they can use it against us. It's not good, very bad it is good." Turalyon shook his head, trying to keep his composure once again. "I understand. But that's not what we should worry about right now. There are a lot of orcs out there, and whether they're disturbing us or not, they're a big threat to us. Our job is to defend the fort from them Spread from here to all of Azeroth. After we've dealt with them, we'll... well, we'll go." He looked at his friends, who nodded slowly.He looked at Alleria and saw a glint of approval in her emerald green eyes.Then she raised the bow and arrow in her hand again and started shooting. "You are quite right, General," Khadgar said, bowing his head. "We need to defend Keepwatch. If we don't survive, we can't take care of other things." Turalyon smiled, with a heavy and worried heart.Once more he mounted his steed and rushed back into the maelstrom of battle.