"The Alliance forces have also advanced into the Hinterlands. It's time to offer Sir Lothar our assistance," said the Archmage standing atop the Dalaran Tower, gazing at the massive magic circle in the sky.
The six members of the Kirin Tor, having received the Archmage's order, began gathering magical energy in their hands. They were all elites from their respective schools of magic, each possessing the ability to cast supernatural spells.
Archmage Antonidas, as their leader, began guiding this powerful magical energy, using his divinity and the giant magic circle he had drawn to send it towards the Hinterlands.
Soon, a torrential downpour of lightning and thunderstorms invaded the Hinterlands, forcing the orcs to temporarily retreat to their camps. In the downpour, the orcs' immense strength and physique easily slid into the muddy ground.
Unlike human soldiers, they lacked agility and nimbleness in battle.
Gavinrad spread out their lines; they were not hindered by the rain. Once their forces were fully assembled, he would launch the attack.
Before that, however, the two mages had already taken advantage of the storm to sneak into the forest ahead. The sound of the rain lashing the forest masked their footsteps; they had an important mission.
Simple leather coats served as shelter from the rain. As they traveled, Leylin and Khadgar continuously released their magical energy to locate the imprisoned dragons.
They needed to bind these dragons to the ground with arcane imprisonment spells once they ascended into the sky. The orc warlocks and shamans lacked the energy to neutralize these forces; even if they managed to escape, it would take them some time.
"Prepare, the orc camp is ahead." Leylin reminded Khadgar.
Wiping the rain from their faces, Khadgar and Leylin confidently stepped out of the deciduous forest. Without the forest's cover, they vanished completely. Under the effects of [Greater Invisibility], the orc soldiers couldn't possibly detect them.
The orc tribe stationed here had cleared all the deciduous forest in search of open land before establishing their garrison.
Of course, the felled trees were also put to use, with many towering watchtowers erected within the tribe's camp.
"You sensed it, didn't you?" Khadgar whispered.
"Yes, northwest. Let's go."
The thunder grew louder, and the sky seemed to expand further. Taking advantage of the orcs' concealment within the camp, Leylin and Khadgar circled the area around the tribe's camp to where the dragons were imprisoned.
The tribe's camp was enormous; they circled it for nearly an hour.
The orcs valued their dragons highly, placing them at the very back of their camp.
The dragons' low growls reached Leylin's ears. The dragons' roars seemed somewhat weak in the rain; Leylin could sense they disliked the weather.
However, when Leylin and Khadgar saw the dragons, they understood that their growls weren't due to the storm. The dark rune-inscribed chains on their legs were the culprit.
The dragons looked to be in pain. Within the tribe's camp, these dragons were never alone. Warlocks accompanied them and controlled them.
These warlocks weren't Gul'dan's men; they were under Nekros Skullcrasher, the clan chieftain of the Dragonmaw who wielded the dual powers of shamanism and warlock.
However, he disdained associating with Gul'dan, as did his subordinates. They preferred the immense power they now controlled to the fanatical force Gul'dan sought.
When Leylin and Khadgar infiltrated the area, four warlocks were sheltering from the rain under a makeshift tent. Unlike the orc soldiers, who were bare-chested, these warlocks wore tattered robes.
They preferred to remain in their protective gear, unwilling to expose themselves to the rain. Besides, they could sense that this inexplicable storm wasn't caused by the natural laws of this continent.
"We made great sacrifices in capturing these dragons, but now it seems those sacrifices were worthwhile," the orc warlock said proudly, looking at the red dragons bound to the ground, only able to wail.
"That artifact granted us immense power, power far greater than any shadow force we know."
"Indeed, with the help of these dragons, this will be our new home."
"Yes, but only if we kill that madman! Gul'dan destroyed our home; he must pay the price!"
The orc warlocks were engaged in a heated exchange, unaware of the two humans breathing inside the tent. It wasn't until rain suddenly filled the air that they realized what had happened!
But in an instant, arcane energy and frost engulfed them.
A clap of thunder, and Khadgar and Leylin dispelled [Greater Invisibility].
"These dragons look like they're in pain," Khadgar said pityingly.
Leylin activated [Evocation], arcane energy circulated, and [Arcane Surge] was activated.
"It's not time to save them yet, Khadgar. Draw the sealing circle; we must complete this task as soon as possible," Leylin said calmly.
Magical energy swirled, and the arcane imprisonment spell was completed in sequence. An hour later, Gavinrad's cavalry vanguard charged towards the orcish camp.
The war has begun!
With the final magical hand seal complete, Leylin and Khadgar vanished from the orc camp.
The well-trained orcs began to assemble, and soon, orc soldiers were gathered, wielding great axes and hammers, charging headlong into the heavily armored warhorses of the knights.
The Alliance's attack did not surprise Orgrim; like any warrior, he stepped out of his tent, Doomhammer in hand.
He didn't rush to the battlefield immediately, but instead said to the hunched-over, ugly warlock beside him, "Take your ogre minions north. Zul'jin will meet you there. Of course, you'd better fulfill your promise to me; I want to see you achieve visible victories for the Horde after we advance north."
"That's right, Warchief. But I must remind you, the Alliance army is currently riding high. To ensure a complete victory, the later the decisive battle, the more advantageous it will be for the Horde," the warlock reminded Orgrim.
"Gul'dan, I am the Warchief! I don't need your reminders. I know exactly how I should take this land," Orgrim retorted.
Gul'dan nodded respectfully. He didn't care about the position of orc warchief. He didn't care while he was still in Draenor, and he still didn't care here in Azeroth. He has another objective, and he will do everything to achieve it.
Gul'dan's relentless pursuit of power led him down a darker path. Gul'dan believed that true power was the only thing that truly mattered.
For him, position and titles were fleeting—mere illusions that could be taken away in an instant. But terrifying strength? That was eternal. With power, anything was possible!