As Leylin and Khadgar retreated from the Horde camp back to the front lines, they encountered a small orc squad.
Upon closer inspection, Leylin noticed that the orcs' attire was the same as the warlocks guarding the dragons; they were also warlocks.
The other two mages were surprised to see a tall, two-headed ogre in the squad, closely following the lead warlock. Unfortunately, they had come into direct contact with the mages.
Even under the effect of [Greater Invisibility], Leylin and Khadgar remained vigilant. There were only two of them, while there were nearly fifty warlocks.
And as far as they know, warlocks are quite sensitive to magic as well. Even though they practice fel magic which represents Disorder, it is also the opposite of arcane which is considered as Order magic.
"Cho'gall, you smelled it too, didn't you?"
Ur'dan said sullenly. "Of course."
Ulathek shouted, "It's the smell of mages!"
Ulathek's shrill voice earned him a punch to the head. Gul'dan angrily retorted, "Are you trying to scare them away?"
Gul'dan waved his hand, signaling the troublesome fellow to shut up. Gul'dan, the orc warlock, didn't care whether the hidden mages would escape.
With him standing there, these human mages couldn't get away. He slowly tapped the ground with his withered wooden staff, sending mud and water flying.
The warlock's force wasn't great, but a peculiar shadow power spread from the ground. He precisely controlled this narrow flame, which, like fire drawn from hell, swept across the nearby forest.
The flame dissolved the magical aura clinging to the mages, exposing them to the warlocks' sight.
Prepared, Leylin and Khadgar stood fearlessly before them, circulating their magical energy. Their lack of fear intrigued Gul'dan. He hunched over and took a few steps forward. He lifted his hood, revealing his face, disfigured by demonic power.
Gul'dan's withered fangs twitched slightly, his eyes filled with murderous intent: "Unbelievable! You infiltrated the Horde's camp and even tampered with our dragons!" Judging from the escape route of the two mages, Gul'dan knew what they had done immediately.
Leylin and Khadgar had no intention of speaking to this warlock, especially Leylin, who had nothing to say to Gul'dan.
In the shadowed woods at the edge of the eastern forest, Leylin and Khadgar exchanged a silent, urgent gesture—an unspoken command to retreat.
The battle had reached a critical point, and their survival depended on swift action. Facing the formidable warlocks, especially their ruthless leader Gul'dan, meant certain death if they lingered.
Khadgar, with a fierce determination burning in his eyes, raised his hands and unleashed a deafening barrage of [Arcane Missiles]. Like a storm of deadly arrows, they rained down upon the warlocks, forcing them into frantic dodge.
Their fragile bodies, no match for such potent magic, flailed helplessly as the missiles tore through the air.
But Khadgar did not stop. Following the initial assault, ten more [Dragon's Breath] spells ignited in succession, spewing torrents of searing flames.
The burst of fire, woven from fire magic, danced through the rain of missiles and flames, their scorching heat relentless. Flames licked at the ground and trees, casting an ominous glow over the chaos.
Despite the ferocity of their assault, the warlocks fought back, launching a counterattack in desperation. Their dark spells flickered, trying to resist the onslaught, but their bodies were too fragile against such overwhelming power.
Yet, Gul'dan, the master manipulator, saw the danger. With a commanding presence that cut through the chaos, he raised his hand, summoning a shadowy barrier.
He halted the warlocks' advance, knowing that revealing the full extent of his strength in this moment could spell doom for him and his forces.
Several blazing, agile flames danced in Gul'dan's hands. Without any movement, these soul fires were released from his grasp, their target Khadgar and Leylin.
The soul fires, now free from Gul'dan's grasp, seemed to possess sentience, searching for the mages' location.
It wasn't insurmountable; like magic, this energy corrupted by fel energy was still a form of energy. It could be neutralized by arcane energy.
Knowing the method, Leylin began to control arcane energy using his dual-wielding mastery. Nearly a third of the arcane energy was mobilized, and Gul'dan's soul fires were dissolved into nothingness.
Khadgar found the answer during Leylin's spellcasting, and quickly dispelled the soul fire chasing him. Seeing this, Gul'dan was moved. The mages before him were no ordinary mages.
He sensed that the power of these two spells was insufficient, but he didn't want to unleash his own power on them. He had more important things to do.
"It's up to you, Cho'gall," Gul'dan said, stepping back.
The tall, two-headed ogre mage, though seemingly foolish, possessed an intelligence unmatched by other ogres. He was even more astute than most orc shamans.
Gul'dan had taught him to control the power of shadow, which he had mastered exceptionally well. Without using any incantations, a powerful orb of shadow energy materialized between Cho'gall's hands.
He casually tossed the orb onto the ground, and the purplish-black sphere instantly split into hundreds of smaller orbs. These orbs targeted the mages, swarming towards them.
This was a magical duel between warlock and mage. This time, Leylin felt a significant sense of ease. The two-headed ogre's power was far inferior to Gul'dan's.
Although they didn't know Gul'dan would retreat, Leylin and Khadgar wouldn't let this excellent opportunity to escape slip by.
[Arcane Blast]. Two simultaneous arcane bursts swept away the tiny orbs on the ground. Before Gul'dan could react, the mages had vanished from his sight. He was first puzzled, then glared angrily at the distant forest.
"Idiot, you let them escape!"
"You let them go, you pig!"
Gul'dan tapped the tan ogre's back with his withered wooden staff: "Keep your power; we have more important things to do. Let these mages run. Once we enter the kingdom of the elves from the north and plunder their energy, these human mages will be nothing."
Gul'dan's unique perception of energy is his greatest characteristic as a warlock. Back in Draenor, he was the first to find the demons of the Void and obtain their power.
Arriving in this new world, he sensed another power. He had previously traced the source of this power through a mental link with a mage named Medivh, which is why he returned to Azeroth.
With the Horde's help, he would succeed much faster.
"Yes, Master." Cho'gall said, clenching his fists, his voice filled with resentment.
Gul'dan ignored him, rubbing his withered hands as he slowly walked forward. Zul'jin had rallied with the Amani Trolls, and they awaited the warlock's arrival.
Having just suffered defeat in the troll war, Zul'jin had finally found allies; the moment of revenge had finally arrived.