Upon learning that Magtheridon had been abandoned by the Burning Legion, Kargath sat stunned in his chair, at a loss for what to do.
The room reeked of a foul odor, but compared to Kargath's terrible mood, it was nothing.
If Magtheridon is abandoned, Kargath is not far from death.
"Is the information reliable?" Kargath asked uncertainly.
Habudash nodded both heads in unison. "I have a connection with the Pit Lord Mannoroth, and I won't hide it from you. I'm responsible for cleaning his toenails. There's nothing shameful about it. Not everyone is qualified to serve a noble Pit Lord; he told me that himself."
"What should I do?" Kargath asked.
Habudash shook his head. "I don't know. You've always been smarter and more resourceful than me; you'll surely come up with a solution."
"Explain the situation to Lord Illidan and seek his protection." This was Kargath's first thought.
Habudash looked at him with Mercy in his four eyes. "As far as I know, Illidan and his Demon Hunters have lost their usefulness, and Lord Kil'jaeden is about to abandon them."
Kargath turned deathly pale.
Magtheridon and Illidan, his two most important backers, are both about to fall.
"This is a cruel situation. Let me think about it carefully." Kargath frowned. "I know Mannoroth is in Orgrimmar. He's Thrall's backer. Thrall and I are sworn enemies. Even if I give up the position of chieftain of the Orcs, Thrall, with Thrall personality, won't let me go."
Habudash remained silent. According to the plan, he should persuade Kargath to join Thrall and assassinate Magtheridon, thereby sowing discord between the two.
Unexpectedly, Kargath saw through Thrall's true colors and held no hope for him.
"It's not a hopeless situation; there are still ways."
Kargath paced anxiously back and forth, then quickly came up with a plan. He grabbed Habudash's right hand again and said:
"Thank you for bringing me this important news, otherwise I would be finished. Get out of here quickly, don't say anything, just pretend we never met. By the way, you should know that Nazgrel is preparing to send 100,000 adventurers to me as military provisions."
"What?"
Habudash was so angry he almost cursed.
He was originally a Quartermaster in Thrallmar, though it was a low-ranking job where he resold some old military equipment from Dazar'alor to make a little money.
His identity was accidentally discovered by Eitrigg, and in order to survive, he had no choice but to betray Kargath.
I never imagined I'd been tricked too; I knew I'd die a violent death sooner or later.
Habudash remained expressionless, then nodded solemnly. "Nazgrel, well, let's not talk about him. All Orcs are like that. Sorry, but you're different from other Orcs."
Kargath chuckled easily, "It's alright. Thrall and Nazgrel can't be trusted. I foresaw this day. You should leave quickly."
After Habudash left, Kargath opened his palm, holding an eye in his hand.
The Eye of Magtheridon.
Both Thrall and Eitrigg severely underestimated Kargath.
Kargath, the chieftain of the Shattered Hand Clan, has survived to this day not because of his savagery, but because of his exceptional cunning.
Habudash's warning was not unfounded; Kargath believed it might contain some truth.
Kargath had no choice but to trust the Pit Lord over the unreliable Thrall.
In Magtheridon's lair, Kargath recounted Habudash's words in detail.
This is a dangerous attempt; if Magtheridon in a bad mood, he could very well crush Kargath like a bug.
Upon hearing Magtheridon first closed his eyes and coldly said:
"Your old friend didn't return to Thrallmar, but fled towards the Dark Portal, and it seems to be in a hurry."
Kargath breathed a slight sigh of relief, "It seems this was indeed Horde conspiracy."
Magtheridon shook his head. "I've been imprisoned here for many days, and Mannoroth hasn't come to rescue me. It's very likely he's truly given up on me!"
"My lord, what should we do?" Kargath pleaded.
"Hmph, the Burning Legion isn't ruled by Mannoroth alone. Go find Illidan and tell him I have important intelligence to provide, on the condition that we cooperate on an equal footing."
Kargath scratched his head in confusion. "Could it be that the claim that Illidan was abandoned was a hoax?"
Magtheridon's eyes gleamed with cunning. "I am one of the few Legion commanders who have directly clashed with Illidan. I see an unusual Destiny in Illidan; beneath layers of mist lies a behemoth, larger than Azeroth itself. His origins are extraordinary. Go forth, and have faith in Illidan."
In the Black Temple, Illidan stood silently on the steps, holding the Skull of Gul'dan in his hand.
Kargath knelt on the steps and honestly confessed everything.
Illidan's expression remained calm.
Although some of Kargath's actions, such as releasing Magtheridon's clone, were tantamount to betrayal, Illidan didn't take them to heart.
"Kargath, your performance surprised me. If you hadn't been so open with me today, I would have already given up on you."
Kargath secretly chuckled with relief; at least his gamble had paid off.
As an Orcs, Kargath was aware of his own limitations; neither in terms of his level of existence nor his strength could compare to Magtheridon and Illidan.
Illidan said slowly, "Akama's betrayal was within my expectations. He's been fooled by Velen for tens of thousands of years, yet he always thinks he's so clever and overestimates himself. The Army of the Light wants to deal with Magtheridon, so we'll set Magtheridon free. The Horde will exchange 100,000 adventurers for this victory; you can just accept it."
Kargath hurriedly said, "The Horde's ambitions go far beyond this; they're after the entire Hellfire Peninsula."
Illidan chuckled and said, "You're overthinking it. The Horde only wants the adventurers' flesh and blood and their wealth. Hellfire Peninsula is barren and arid, lacking precious minerals, and has no strategic value. Instead, it wastes a lot of logistical supplies and can be abandoned at any time."
"My lord, why give up?" Kargath was stunned. He had devoted a great deal of effort to studying the Fel Orcs.
Illidan calmly replied, "I ordered you to study the Fel Orcs simply to tap into Orcs potential. It turns out the Orcs are a foolish race, easily manipulated by ambitious figures like Blackhand and Thrall. They lack personal judgment, are devoid of skepticism and resistance, have no potential, and are utterly worthless."
Kargath was stunned, as if struck by lightning; after all, he was also an Orcs.
"I've already made the arrangements." Illidan grinned wickedly. "Considering your loyalty, I can transform you into a higher life form—a mechanical being, an elemental being, Legion Demons —the choice is yours. Or perhaps, like Talon Bloodlord—oh, he was a failed creation; I'll make you better."
Kargath was overjoyed and knelt on the ground, saying, "Thank you, Lord Illidan."
"Go, stage a fake death. The Horde has sown discord between you and Magtheridon, just as they wished." Illidan waved his hand and said, "Hopefully Magtheridon can provide me with useful information."
The thunderous sound of war drums rang out.
Thrallmar's 100,000-strong army marched out, covering the mountains and plains in a vast and mighty procession, heading towards Hellfire Citadel.
Under the watchful eyes of the Black Temple and the Horde, 100,000 unsuspecting Horde adventurers embarked on the Path of Glory.
They didn't know that this road paved with the bones of the Draenei was also their road to death.
Life is about to fade away.