Chapter 18 Chapter Seventeen

Alleria and Turalyon were together that night, and the two talked for a long time.All the gaps and differences between them have also disappeared invisible.When the two have nothing to say, they continue to heal each other with their hearts and bodies. Early the next morning, the two walked out of Turalyon's room together, and the friends greeted them not only with tacit smirks, but also with heartfelt happiness.Although they will face death today, they know that if they survive, there will be more joy in the days to come. They will survive.Turalyon would not let her leave him, at least not now, when they were back together again.

He kissed her affectionately.And she, leaving him before daybreak, set out with the other elf rangers.They had discussed the signal and other matters, and finally decided on a time. "We'll snuff out these torches, and if we light them up again after about ten heartbeats, then we've taken the watchtower," she said. "But if we don't take all the towers by the time the sun comes over the horizon, you'll have to come anyway. Because after an hour, they'll be able to see your troops as well, and then the plan will be ruined." He nodded.Even now that Alleria was out of his sight fighting, Turalyon was not disturbed.He knew that she would not take those unnecessary risks, because she had found her true self.

Danath would lead the first charge to bait the enemy, and once the Horde's armies entered the fray, Turalyon would attack with a large force.In terms of numbers, the orcs will far outnumber Danas and his soldiers, but this situation will not last long. "It's going to be a tough time," Turalyon had told Danath in advance. "You need to believe that everything will go according to plan." He hesitated, and continued, "Maybe this will make you feel like you are experiencing the second portal battle, Danath." Danas fixed his steadfast eyes on his officer. "No, it won't. I trust you, Turalyon. This time, we won't fall before those green-skinned bastards again. This time, we'll catch them by surprise. This time, we won't will fight alone, and the children who died will be with us."

Turalyon shuddered and began, "Danas..." Danas ignored him and said, "I don't have a death wish, you don't have to worry about this. I want to bring those children home with me one day in the future. I don't want to write another letter Damn the letter, and start it: 'With the deepest sympathy'." Turalyon grabbed his lieutenant's shoulder and nodded.He believed that Danas could contain those orcs until the second wave of troops completely destroyed them. Kurdran and his gryphon riders, as well as Khadgar and the other mages, will be part of this tidal wave.Turalyon would miss the mage—the two had fought side by side throughout the Second War.It seemed strange to him not to have Khadgar by his side.But if all goes well, they will still meet together and celebrate their great victory.

Now, in the freezing cold before dawn, he waited for a signal from the rangers.Danath's troops move around, shouting and charging at the enemy from behind on their horses.Turalyon's troops walked cautiously and silently to a point where they could see the signal, but the darkness of night could still obscure their presence. He looked at the fortress in front of him, at its solid outer walls that snaked for more than a mile.At intervals, a dimly burning brazier was placed on the wall.In the flickering fire, the stone thorns used to decorate the fortress can be seen faintly.The stone spines are jagged, dark and endless - giving the building a vivid image.

Somehow, Turalyon had the feeling that in addition to the enemies within the walls—the living orcs and those death knights—they needed to defeat the fortress itself.This is a place of complete horror, although it has edges and corners, it seems to have life, as if this is some kind of huge beast, its flesh and blood have been melted away, revealing the bones that gave it its shape. He looked at the watchtower until his eyes ached from the exertion.There... a watchtower's fireworks were extinguished, then lit up again.As the last flames were rekindled, Turalyon heard the battle roars of men and the thunder of horses' hooves.He desperately wanted to charge, but he forced himself to wait.Rangers needed time and opportunity to reach the gates, and those who guarded the gates would only have that chance if they were called upon to deal with Danath's soldiers.

For him, every second was filled with pain.Finally, when he heard the sounds of weapons clashing, the battle cries of orcs and humans mingling, he knew that the moment had finally come. Turalyon raised his own warhammer to eye-level, the dull metal head reflecting the faint morning light. "May the Light give us strength," he said quietly, the hammer in his hand glowing, energy surging from within.Those gathered around him nodded and whispered something. "May it guide us in battle and lead us to victory and glory and glory." At that moment, his hammer looked as if it were made entirely of white light.After that, the white light burst out, bathing everyone present.Turalyon knew that everyone felt the same great power and inner peace as he did.A faint halo hung over his hammer and all those present, set off by the red earth around him.He smiled knowingly, for the blessing of the Holy Light.

Turalyon led the soldiers towards the outer wall.The fortress loomed in front of them, and as they gradually approached, the fortress became larger and more oppressive.Now, he could see the gate of the fort, which looked like a bloody mouth. At that moment, when he was still wondering if he had miscalculated the charge time, the door was slowly opened. "She did," one whispered. "Of course, of course she can," Turalyon said softly. "She's Alleria Windrunner." By the Light, he really loved her. However, they were not the only ones who noticed that the gate had been opened.As Alleria and her rangers rushed towards Turalyon's forces, several orcs pursued them.In the dim light, Turalyon caught a glimpse of Alleria's golden hair, and he ran at full speed.His hammer straightened up almost on its own, and began to shine a blinding white light on his head once again.

An orc noticed what he was doing.It left the ranger alone, turned around, and charged at Turalyon.At first he thought the unarmed orc was pure madness, but then he noticed the orc's prosthetic limb made from a scythe. "For the son of Lothar!" Since he no longer needed to hide his whereabouts, the paladin yelled loudly so that everyone could hear him.He slammed down his hammer, and an orc's head was crushed in an instant.At the same time that the orc fell, Turalyon had pulled the hammer back, struck at one orc directly in front of him, and then swung it with all his strength at another two steps away.Another orc rushed forward, but an arrow shot through its left eye suddenly, and it fell without a sound.The fifth orc snarled and swung its heavy hammer, but Alleria leapt forward and easily dodged the swing.She thrust out her saber, and the blade pierced the green-skinned creature's throat and exited from the back of its head.Turalyon had dealt with the orc he had knocked out just now.He turned and ran up the steps at full speed, followed by his soldiers and Alleria and his rangers.

When he was halfway up the stairs, a group of orcs blocked the way.They have the advantage of location, but also their size and strength.But Turalyon's drive and determination couldn't be ignored.He raised his warhammer to his chest and charged through the orcs.The force made him a little unsteady, but he knew he couldn't back down.The orcs were either knocked against the wall by him, or knocked down and rolled down the steps, eventually falling to the ground below.Those orcs who were not frightened and knew to attack him found that they were shot into "hedgehogs" by bows and arrows, and these were gifts from Alleria's elf rangers.Those orcs who were only stunned by Turalyon were all dealt with by the soldiers who followed.

After a few minutes, Turalyon reached the top, though he knew it might have been a little longer.Before him lay the walls of the fortress, much longer than the outer walls of Honor Hold, but not as smooth.It seemed weirder and more chaotic by comparison.Some orcs stood on the outer wall, holding heavy spears in their hands, ready to push down any army that dared to charge forward.But Turalyon also saw that most of the Horde soldiers had rushed out of the front door and rushed to the Alliance army to fight head-on.Also, those black figures hovering in the air.He knew that the black dragons were just waiting for the perfect moment to enter the battle. "Alliance!" Turalyon shouted, holding up the warhammer in his hand, and ran towards the outer edge of the city wall. "Alliance!" From here, he saw Danas riding in front of his team, and he saw the warriors who responded raised their weapons.His body was soaked in blood, but it wasn't red human blood; their casualties weren't many.The Light be with them! The orcs on the walls attacked Turalyon.Now he's busy saving himself and clearing the defenders from those walls.The sound of war is everywhere: the friction of metal and metal, the collision of stone and plate armor, the collision of flesh and blood, and all kinds of roars resounding through the sky.The corpses were piled on the ground, the most obvious shades being the green of the orcs, the pink of the humans, the brown, black, and gold of the horses, mixed with the light of the armor and the shadow of the axes and hammers.At one point, Turalyon was able to take a moment to look around, and saw Danath again. Danath impaled one of the charging orcs with his longsword, yanked it from its carcass, and slit the other orc's throat with a whirling swing of the sword. When Turalyon had slain the last orc, he heard a scream from above.Turalyon looked up and saw a black cloud drifting toward the keep, and with it a puff of heat.He felt the sudden wetness and laughed.The cloud parted, forming a mist over the fortress, obscuring its edges. There were also voices in the fog.When Turalyon heard a loud call, he was not able to identify the exact source of the sound.But it seems that those dragons are not good either.The black dragons hovered in the air, twisting their necks and looking around, trying to find the source of the sound.They didn't take long to find, though—a small figure burst out of the mist, flying like a stone toward a terrified dragon.Just when they were about to collide, the figure stretched out and spread its wings, changing from a rapid descent to a powerful dive.The griffin - and only a griffin is worthy of such abilities - flew diagonally around the frightened black dragon.The black dragon tried to catch the griffin like a dog chasing a small insect, but the half-lion, half-eagle creature was too fast.The black dragon's huge jaw is still closed where the griffin was just now, but now the griffin has dodged under the black dragon.The black dragon followed the griffin, and it stood upright, spouting hot magma from its mouth and nose, forming a long and narrow flame breath. Once again the griffin and its rider showed their swiftness.The dragon's fire inadvertently ignited dozens of orcs, leaving nothing but their screams of pain.These black dragons were so focused on the griffin that they didn't even realize the direction of their attack. Howling angrily, the dragon crashed into the fort with a thud, crushing the solid outer wall.Before it could rally and attack again, the Wildhammer dwarf atop the griffin stood on his stirrups and slammed his stormhammer on the fearsome beast.At the same time it hit the dragon's eye, a rumbling thunder sounded, breaking up the mist in the sky, and bright sunlight poured down.The Wildhammer dwarf yelled, and the Stormhammer was back in his hand.The griffin flew high into the sky again, its feathers faintly reflecting the sun.The dazed dragon tried to take off, but the ruthless Wildhammer happily chased after it, smacking its eyes until the nearly blind black dragon crashed into the fortress wall once more, and the wall It also collapsed due to the unintentional attack of the dragon.The black dragon slid to the ground, its weight making the ground tremble, and the dragon ended up a victim of its own violence. Gryphon Rider turned around to face the other dragons in the air.They roared angrily and rushed towards the knight.But just as they approached the griffin, more griffins suddenly appeared from the clouds and attacked the black dragons.Each black dragon is at least four times the size of a griffin, but the griffin has speed and agility.Black dragons tried in vain to catch the cunning aerial dancers, while griffins circled the gigantic beasts, luring them into the castle, trying to knock them into each other, or directing their fiery attacks in another direction. party. It looked at Turalyon, as if to justify Kurdran's earlier boast.His Wildhammer dwarves have vanquished the black dragons, and they're ready to join the main battle and do their bit for the Alliance. A griffin flew away from the group, heading for Turalyon.Riding on it were two men, one smaller and the other much taller.While they were still some distance away from the wide stone walkway, the latter jumped off the griffin's back.Turalyon grinned happily.That's Khadgar! The mage waved his thanks to the Wildhammer dwarf who carried him.The griffin flapped its wings and rose again to join the battle in the air.After that, Khadgar turned his white-haired head towards the main tower, narrowing his eyes. "I'll come back to help you when I'm done," the archmage said to Turalyon.He grabbed his staff with one hand, and with the other he pulled out the saber hanging on his body. "There's a man in there - an ogre mage. I need to get to him first." Turalyon nodded.In the past few years, Turalyon has seen Khadgar's magic many times, and he has always respected Khadgar's views on magical issues.He turned around and saw two soldiers stationed on the stairs in the distance rushing towards them with obvious smiles on their faces.Just before Turalyon asked them, he heard footsteps coming from that direction.After that, several figures, all wearing Alliance armor, walked up the stairs to the walls of the fortress. "Sir!" When everyone approached, one person shouted. "We've cleared the north wing!" Turalyon nodded and returned a military salute to the soldiers. "Very well. I'll leave a few here." He looked to Alleria, who had her longbow ready by the elven ranger. "The rest of you, come with me. We will sweep the fort, remove all orcs, and then open the gates wide for the rest of the soldiers." The crowd cheered.He led the people up the path Khadgar had just walked, turning halfway and descending the stairs.As he had expected, the road led them to the heart of the orc stronghold.Soon after, Turalyon was too busy fighting the remaining orcs to worry about Khadgar. Khadgar walked slowly down the corridor, expanding his senses to study the area ahead.The ogre was still there, he knew, but he didn't seem to be doing anything—no spells being cast, no rituals of any kind.He is just waiting. Waiting for Khadgar's arrival. The walkway ends just before the tower.Khadgar walked in.The room he entered was very tall, but also of a strange structure, as if it had been carved from something rather than built by human hands.At the far end of the other end stood a monstrous seat that seemed to be cobbled together from gigantic skeletons—he shuddered, thinking what kind of beast could possess such a specimen.Its high back almost touches the vaulted ceiling above.The shadowy light of the torches flickered on either side.But the throne was empty. "My master has left," came a deep voice, and a huge figure emerged from the shadows, stopping Khadgar.Of course, Khadgar had seen ogres before, but only when hordes of ogres appeared on the battlefield, and he stood in the distance with the other mages.It was the first time he had been this close to an ogre.As he looked up... and up, he began to breathe heavily.The creature's head brushed almost to the ceiling, and despite its savage features, its deep-set eyes shone with intelligence. Then he understood what it said, and felt a little grateful for the ring in his heart.It was the ring that allowed him to understand other languages. "left?" The ogre laughed, his teeth small and sharp, and his canines huge. "That's right," he replied. "He's been away for a while. Now he's on his way to the ceremony, and you allies are still here fighting us." The creature scowled, jaw clenched. "We may die here, but our sacrifice will ensure that the Horde lives on, conquering other worlds endlessly." "Shit!" Khadgar cursed.He already understood what happened before: the orcs played them tricks!They let the Alliance attack so easily, just so that Ner'zhul could escape. "Nevertheless, if we are fast enough, we can catch them," he told the ogre defiantly. "You can," the ogre agreed. "But first, you have to get past me." It held up its hands, each larger than Khadgar's head.Its hands began to glow with a disgusting green light that seemed to seep from its skin. "I am Dengta, from the Shadowmoon Clan." So it will be an honorable duel. "Khadgar, from Dalaran." Khadgar raised his staff, and a bright violet light began to emanate from its tip. The ogre bowed awkwardly before attacking.Its two large hands struck forward, as if to push Khadgar back.Green light poured from its hands, a wave of energy that seemed to surround and crush the human mage.Khadgar raised his staff, and the purple light intensified.Green light waves spread out in front of him, gradually turning into nothingness. Next it was Khadgar's turn.He pointed his staff at the ogre's chest.The violet light thrust forward, stabbing the ogre in the heart.But Dengta swung that wave of light aside with his hands, which were still glowing green, protecting him from any negative effects. "We're evenly matched," the ogre commented, clapping his hands.When it spread its hands, the darkness rolled like a tidal wave, engulfing the entire room. "Perhaps," Khadgar replied.When darkness fell, he did not move.Within seconds, he, like everything else, was out of sight.His other senses were still able to help him locate the ogre.Khadgar waited again, remaining still, before slamming his staff against the floor.The shock wave from the staff shattered the darkness like a shattered black mirror, leaving tiny shards on the floor, and the ogre was knocked to the ground.The impact received when climbing the tower was almost the same as the shock wave just now.The ogre groaned in pain. Khadgar quickly closed the distance between the two.The light around his staff grew until it was a solid beam, and although it still had a violet hue, it was too bright.He slammed the staff surrounded by purple light hard, and pressed it against the ogre's throat.Climbing the tower screamed, and everywhere the tip of the staff went, there were traces of scorched flesh and blood. It was not magic that saved the ogre's life, but his instinctive attack.He pushed Khadgar away and managed to get to his feet, still with a burning black mark on his neck.Denta roared, bared his fangs, and charged at Khadgar, head bowed.But the human mage took a step across and dodged his attack.As the ogre charged, Khadgar swung his sword, slashing the ogre's upper arm. Denta's roar of rage turned into a wail of pain.Green light was produced from his hand again, although this time the light was constantly trembling, and at the same time, there were dots of scarlet light flashing in it.Dengta raised his hands again, filling them with energy, until finally a ball made of magic was formed, and the power of hatred was constantly churning in the ball.With all his might, he hurled the orb at Khadgar. Khadgar watched the rapidly approaching orb calmly, then drew his own sword from its sheath.He held out his hand, palm outward.The orb of light touched his flesh, hitting the palm of his hand—and then it disappeared, completely absorbed by Khadgar. "Thank you," he said to the startled ogre. "I feel better now." He stomped his foot forward, and the slight concussion caused Dengta to fall again.The ogre fell heavily to his knees, bowing his head.He knew that his enemy was much stronger than himself.Khadgar didn't want to embarrass him again.He raised his sword, swung it down, and slashed at the ogre's exposed neck with all his might.The mage took a step back, watching the flesh and bone being cleanly separated.The ogre's head rolled on the ground, leaving a pool of blood. At that moment, he held his breath and looked around the throne room.Although he already knew that what Dengta said was true.He looked down at the ogre's body and nodded, feeling very satisfied.Cadde hurried out, looking for Turalyon. They need to act fast. "Good news!" Turalyon began to shout to the mage when he caught sight of Khadgar for the first time. "We have control of the fortress!" "We've been tricked," Khadgar said bluntly. "Ner'zhul is not here. He left before the attack began, and took the fetishes with him. I don't know if he took the Skull of Gul'dan with him." Turalyon stared at him. "So, these are all tricks." "And we fell for their tricks," Khadgar confirmed. Turalyon frowned, wondering if they had gained any favors. "Anyway... There is no doubt that most of their warriors are here, and we have wiped them out. We have also taken their citadel, and although Ner'zhul is no longer here, it is still Their stronghold, which now belongs to us. The fragmentation of their military strength gives us a great advantage." "Yes, they have been unable to muster another army," Danas said.He came to them just in time to hear Turalyon's last statement.There were many dents on his armor, and there were several scars on his arms, legs, and face, but judging from the way he jumped off after reining in his horse, he was in a normal state.Glad to see his lieutenant back alive, Turalyon patted Danath on the shoulder. "Nice job," he said to Danas. "But Khadgar has some bad news. Ner'zhul is not here - it seems he knew we were going to attack, so he left the fortress before we arrived. We think he took the fetish with him .” Now they are joined by Alleria and Kurdran.Turalyon also informed them of the news. "Okay, then we'd better go after them, huh?" Kurdran replied. "Do you know where they went?" Alleria said. "I don't know," Khadgar said. "But I can feel it." He laughed. "From the war, I learned about Gul'dan's magical aura, and I also know the magic contained in the Eye of Dalaran." He closed his eyes and whispered something incantation.Seeing this, the others took a few steps back.There seemed to be a shimmer of light in the air around Khadgar.A gust of wind came from nowhere, shaking their hair and clothes.Then, the mage's eyes suddenly opened.At that moment, his eyes shone with a bright white light, and some strange sights were faintly visible in the eyes.Turalyon shuddered and looked away.When he looked back, his friend's eyes had returned to normal. "I found them," Khadgar said, leaning lightly on his staff. "It's not easy though. It turns out they appear in two very different orientations." Alleria shook her head. "The Skull of Gul'dan and the Eye of Dalaran aren't together? Why would Ner'zhul keep an artifact out of his sight?" "I don't know, but he did. The head is in the north, and the Eye of Dalaran is heading southwest, and it should be passing through Terokkar Forest now, I think it should be called that. I sense Medivh The Book of Gul'dan was there too, which made me think that's the way Ner'zhul should go. I thought he needed the help of the Skull of Gul'dan in his mind, just like I needed the Book of Medivh and the head Like to close the portal. But now he sent the head somewhere else, don't know why." "And you need these two things? The head and the book?" Turalyon asked. "Yes," Khadgar replied. "Without them, I can't completely close those space rifts." Turalyon nodded. "Then we need to go after those two things," he decided.Turalyon looked at the others, making choices in his mind. "Danas, I think you want to kill some more orcs." "Of course, sir. Yes, I think." Turalyon sighed.It pains him to watch those he cherishes driven by a desire for vengeance.But why should he criticize others?He did not have personal experience of all his soldiers being slaughtered while he himself had to flee to seek help.Danas needs to use his own way to drive away the pain in his heart and regain inner peace, just like Alleria finally did.He needs to understand that when you fight, you can't have hatred in your heart—to fight for something, not against something. "Then, you go after Ner'zhul. He's already one step ahead of us, so Kurdran, you and your griffin riders go scouting ahead to find Ner'zhul and his accomplices. After seeing them , attack immediately - kill them, or at least delay their movement, and then report back to Danath. He will follow with ground troops." "Take some of my rangers to scout together," Alleria said. Turalyon thanked her with a slight smile, and then said to Danath, "Your task is to kill Ner'zhul and retrieve the three artifacts." "Just think I've done this, lad," Kurdran replied, turning back to his griffin.Danath nodded, saluted Turalyon, and then left the crowd to gather his soldiers and prepare them for the long journey. Turalyon turned to Alleria and Khadgar, "It is my duty to retrieve the Skull of Gul'dan and close the Dark Portal. Khadgar, you are the only one who can track that damn thing .Alelia..." He pursed his lips into a smile, "I promised you that I would never leave you behind and leave you alone." "Yes, you promised me, my love. I will never let you go again." He stretched out his hand and let Alleria hold it tightly.The two of them will never be separated again...until death at last. Maybe not that long. She smiled happily and said, "Let's go." The three turned and left the fort already occupied by the Alliance and the Dark Portal in the distance.They'll find that damned relic, close that rift, and be done.Or, sacrifice yourself in the process.