The two mages didn't have the extra energy to defend against Dal'rend's thrown battle axe, so Kurdran's resistance was crucial.
The black battle axe, accompanied by a ball of purplish-black flame, struck Kurdran's Storm Hammer. The intense vibration sent the black battle axe flying.
At the same time, Kurdran's Storm Hammer also flew backward against the stone wall behind him.
His arms numb, Kurdran was still searching for the Storm Hammer when it flew back and smashed directly into the Sun's Radiance.
Arcane energy instantly leaked out; Khadgar couldn't control such powerful arcane energy. The two mages' expressions changed drastically. Khadgar raised his hand, and a gust of wind blew all the elves back into the fortress.
Alleria stood in front of Leylin, sacrificing her chance to be swept into the fortress by Khadgar's magic in order to better protect him.
"Get out of the way, Khadgar!" Leylin shouted, grabbing Alleria tightly as they jumped off the fortress. Kurdran knew he'd caused trouble; he and Sky'ree quickly left the fortress platform.
The Sun's Radiance lost control, massive amounts of arcane energy leaking out, the instantly fused arcane energy exploding.
The entire fortress platform, connecting to the jutting mountain of Aerie Peak, was blasted apart. A deluge of mud and boulders, mixed with rainwater, slid down into the orcish ranks.
Dal'rend was stunned by the explosion, but the warlock beside him quickly brought him back to his senses. The orc soldiers began to retreat, trying to avoid the effects of the explosion.
The orcish advance was temporarily slowed. The massive amounts of boulders and mud blocked their progress.
The only remaining route to Aerie Peak was to the east. Faced with this sudden turn of events, Dal'rend roared incessantly,
"Continue the attack!"
The dwarves, who already held higher ground, now found their defensive line even more cramped. This was good news for the Wildhammer dwarves.
With fewer routes for the orcs to attack, the pressure on the dwarves lessened.
Falstad, overwhelmed by the unexpected turn of events, shouted excitedly, "Praise be to our ancestors, warriors! Our chance has come!"
Kurdran, seemingly unfazed, joined the battle at the western fortress. The recent blunder hadn't diminished his courage and strength as a warrior.
The orcs' attack began to falter, and Aerie Peak weathered the crisis. But Leylin and Alleria were struck by arcane energy and swept off the fortress. They were now hanging precariously from the blasted cliff face.
Instead of Leylin embracing Alleria, the roles were reversed; Alleria clung to Leylin's waist with one arm and gripped a protruding boulder with the other.
Leylin's weight wasn't heavy for the ranger captain, but the problem was they were in the middle of a precipice.
"Wait for me, Alleria, I'll be able to use [Slow Fall]." Leylin's magical energy was half depleted, and he needed time to recover.
Alleria's arms were strong enough to hold him for at least half an hour. But that wasn't the main issue; Leylin was nestled against her soft chest. This left Alleria speechless.
She felt Leylin's face shift slightly, and she was both ashamed and angry: "Believe me or not, I'll throw you off right now!"
"I didn't mean to," Leylin said seriously.
"You!" Despite his words, Alleria was terrified of throwing the mage, who had exhausted his magical energy, off the cliff. Without magic, he was just a human; if he fell, he would have nothing left.
She would accept whatever he did, however despicable it may be.
After enjoying a moment of weakness and warmth from being interrupted while casting Sun's Radiance, Leylin began to sense the magical energy around him. With [Sage Body], his energy manipulation and absorption were much faster than that of an ordinary mage.
"That's enough." Leylin's left hand removed Alleria's arm from the boulder, and the ranger and mage slowly descended below the cliff.
Once on solid ground, they quickly faced a new problem: how to deal with the orc soldiers surrounding them.
"It seems better to just hang there," Leylin said helplessly.
Alleria blushed, but said firmly, "Don't worry, I'll protect you."
Her words sounded warm, but how could a single ranger captain possibly resist hundreds of orcs? That was the biggest problem.
The dwarves on Aerie Peak were still defending; even with half their defensive line gone, they were still under pressure. At most, one dwarf would come to their aid. And indeed, he did.
Kurdran rode Sky'ree to Leylin's side. He looked very restrained; indeed, he felt guilty towards the lad.
If it weren't for his mistake, that powerful artifact would still be effective.
"Come on, greenskins!" Kurdran taunted the orc soldiers, brandishing his warhammer. Leylin was completely defeated by this stubborn dwarf. Couldn't he just give it a rest? Maybe these dwarves would have a chance to fear this mage and let us live a little longer.
The orc soldiers slowly surrounded them, and after a series of heavy breaths, they suddenly turned.
Silver-clad human warriors charged forward. The shouts of the Human Alliance soldiers made Leylin breathe a sigh of relief.
"Damn! I almost died here."
Kurdran gasped, gripping his warhammer tightly. "It seems sometimes luck is the most reliable thing."
Turalyon led his soldiers to the top of Aerie Peak, roaring, "Surround them! Leave these orcs here!"
The enraged Dal'rend knew the situation had reversed; he knew his objective had been achieved, but his anger still wanted him to stay.
However, the warlock beside him reminded him that the Warchief didn't want an orc openly defying his orders.
Orgrim and Saurfang's plan was excellent. After Turalyon's reinforcements arrived, Orgrim repelled Gavinrad's knights, and the Horde immediately aided Dal'rend.
This also put Turalyon's reinforcements in danger from the rear. After a brief engagement, Dal'rend Blackhand's army withdrew from Aerie Peak, Turalyon averted the crisis, and the orcish Horde continued its advance. Sir Lothar's confident first wave of attack ended there.
That night, Sir Lothar entered Aerie Peak and confirmed the signing of the alliance with Chief Thane Kurdran. The Wildhammer dwarves joined the Alliance.
The elven forces did not linger, but instead set off again under the cover of night, alongside Tirion's army, as the advance party.
The storm had subsided, and the Hinterlands night was chilly, but the advance party had to move on, closely following the orcish advance route to gather the timeliest combat information.