Gul'dan's Hand in Shadowmoon Valley was originally named Doom Volcano.
After Gul'dan's rise to power, this active volcano, in addition to erupting Lava, also spewed out large amounts of Fel.
Maiev Shadowsong hid behind a rock, while the three hundred Watchers following behind her shrouded in shadow.
Fel is everywhere.
Maiev recalled an old saying, but couldn't remember who said it.
A layer of Fel network surrounds the volcano; this should be Illidan's first layer of defense.
The Watchers carefully traversed the network, unnoticed by the mages atop the mountain.
Brown-skinned Fel Orcs stood guard inside the mountain, each with blood-red eyes and sharp fangs.
There were too many of them; there was no gap to squeeze through.
Rumble.
A green meteor fell from the sky and struck the mountain, causing the massive volcano to tremble.
Maiev frowned; this was not a good sign.
They had been warned by "Atani" that this was a trap set by Illidan and Akama.
The Pride Maiev did not believe in "Atani" or Akama; she only believed what she saw with her own eyes.
This is Illidan's trap, but it's also Maiev's opportunity.
To lure Maiev into the trap, Illidan couldn't afford to deploy too many men to ambush her.
What gives Maiev the most confidence is that the Demon Hunter she hates most isn't here.
As the saying goes, "the enemy is among us, and we are among the enemy," some of the Demon Hunters are loyal to Maiev and regularly provide her with intelligence.
Besides Vandel's elusive whereabouts, Demon Hunters have been dispatched to the world of Mardum on a secret mission.
Maiev pondered how to slip silently past the Fel Orcs guard line, only to see Akama leading hundreds of Broken up the volcano.
The Broken all carried large cloth bags, which, when opened, revealed tender, fresh meat.
The Fel Orcs swarmed forward like flies, crowding together to fight over the limited amount of fresh meat, completely ignoring Lord Illidan's orders.
These Fel Orcs were created using the blood of Magtheridon, and can be considered the precursors to Demon Hunters. They were failed attempts, their brains burned by Demon Blood, resulting in generally low intelligence.
Maiev took the opportunity to lead the Watchers through the Fel Orcs guard line, where they could already see the mountaintop.
At the mountain peak, Illidan and his evil mages, including Elves, Naga, Ogres, were preparing something.
The sorcerers divided into groups of a dozen or so, and cast spells together as a group, with Fel leaping between them.
The meteor that had just been summoned created a large crater, and dense Fel energy scattered, gradually forming the shape of a portal.
Illidan himself stood beside the central Altar, guiding Fel to form countless bizarre symbols that flew toward the illusory portal.
Maiev glanced at Akama, Akama Broken squad was right across from her, forming an encirclement.
"An interesting trap."
Maiev has located the ambush site, which consists of thousands of Elite Fel Orcs, hidden in a tunnel inside the mountain.
Maiev raised her armored hand and launched an attack.
The Watchers pounced on the evil mages who were casting spells. Maiev chose the perfect moment, precisely the crucial instant of the spellcasting.
The sharp blade sliced open the back of the evil sorcerer's neck. Some of the sorcerers reacted in time, but the interrupted magic caused them to suffer a backlash, with blood gushing from their mouths and noses.
Maiev brandished her weapon and charged toward Illidan at the edge of the Altar, a silver rope materializing between her hands.
Illidan stopped casting and quickly retreated, only to be Maiev by a Demon Hunter.
"Vandel!"
Maiev guessed that Vandel might appear, so she put away the silver ropes aimed at Illidan, and the blade wheel made a crisp clinking sound as it clashed with the Demon Hunter's Warglaive.
Not far away, Illidan, protected by Akama and the Broken, spoke in a loud voice:
"You have fallen into my trap; there is no escape."
Thousands of elite Fel Orcs had been lying in ambush in the mountainside, surrounded the summit. Their leader, Gurtugh Bloodboil, was enormous, yet as agile as a monkey, and in a few leaps, he reached the top.
Bloodboil spotted Maiev immediately and pounced from behind, joining forces with Vandel to attack Maiev.
Maiev simply smiled faintly, as if everything was under control.
She took out a silver ring engraved with countless tiny symbols.
The ring rippled with a silvery halo, spreading out like waves from the mountaintop to the foot of the mountain.
Blood boiled, his eyes turning red in an instant, and he launched an attack without distinguishing friend from foe.
Maiev deftly dodged, and Blood Boil lunged at Vandel, the two becoming entangled.
"Those are Titans Relics," Akama whispered to Illidan.
"That's quite audacious." Illidan nodded approvingly.
The silver ring is a relic from an ancient Ogre Empire. After being refined by a certain witch king, it can drive Orcs mad and is an Ogre artifact used by Orcs to enslave them.
Maiev anticipated that Illidan would use the Fel Orcs as an ambush, so she borrowed this silver ring.
The Fel Orcs charging up from the mountainside were thrown into chaos, turning on each other. Illidan gave a soft shout:
"Stop it, all of you!"
As if by magic, thousands of elite Fel Orcs staggered and collapsed to the ground, as if drunk.
Illidan stared at Maiev, a slight smile playing on his lips, and slowly raised his right hand.
The Skull of Gul'dan in his hand gleamed with an eerie light; it was a magical switch that activated a hidden Magic Circle.
From the mountaintop to the foot of the mountain, countless Portals opened, and swarms of Naga glided out of Portal.
The unconscious Fel Orcs was carried away through the Portal by the Naga rushed towards the Watchers on the mountaintop.
Maiev was taken aback; her understanding of magic was her weakness, and she hadn't been able to detect Illidan's plan beforehand.
I'd heard that Vashj had transformed the local creatures in Zangarmarsh, twisting them into Naga.
These Naga weren't particularly strong, but their sheer numbers made them formidable. Maiev glanced at Illidan, who was protected by the Broken, and knew that the situation was hopeless.
"This attempt failed, "Maiev shouted.
"We need to break out of here; we must get out of here."
Three hundred Watchers gathered together, using Maiev as their spearhead, and charged down into the volcano.
Maiev faces a brutal situation; she must fight her way out of the Naga encirclement.
The Watchers were incredibly strong overall, and they quickly fought their way through to the heart of the mountain.
Countless Naga corpses were left behind in their wake.
Vandel was surprised by the Watchers' combat prowess and eager to try it out, saying to Illidan:
"Give me an elite force; I'll go and stop Maiev."
Akama retorted, not to be outdone. "Lord Illidan, the Broken will surely capture Maiev."
Illidan chuckled and shook his head, "No need. These Naga are just cannon fodder; we can have as many as we want."
At the foot of the mountain, countless Naga appeared again, stretching as far as the eye could see. Maiev gave a bitter smile; this was the simplest human wave tactic, to wear down the Watchers until they were dead.
The Watchers suffered losses, and Maiev herself was injured. With no other choice, Maiev tore open a scroll.
"They've arrived." Illidan said, as if he had known all along.
A silver cube appeared in the sky, scattering a large amount of silver light, carving a path through the countless Naga and relieving the pressure on the Watchers.
"What is this?" Akama asked in alarm.
Vandel asked in surprise, "Could this be..."
"The Night Elves ' Secret Mage Corps," Illidan replied. "Numbering no more than a hundred in total, each one Archmage."
There are twelve Elf mages inside the front; two mages are responsible for maintaining flight, and ten mages are responsible for unleashing magic on the Naga.
Their magic is simple, yet highly effective.
Illidan gazed at the mountain hollow not far away and muttered to himself:
"Maiev is about to escape. I wonder what they'll think."