The Orcs had landed, the Alliance had come under attack, and troops were being redeployed. For a time, the Alliance command was thrown into chaos. By the time reinforcements reached the Wall of Thoradin, the Orcs had already withdrawn, leaving behind nothing but scattered scraps of armor and weapons, along with heaps of bodies that had yet to be cleared away.
Afterward, thousands of Orcs vanished without a trace in the Hillsbrad Foothills, as if they had sunk beneath the sea. If not for the lingering stench of blood beneath the Wall of Thoradin and its increasingly battered ramparts, even the soldiers who had fought in the defense might have thought they had only lived through a nightmare.
At that moment, one question nagged at every Alliance general: where had the Orcs gone? But as the fighting grew ever more intense, the Alliance commanders had no time to ponder it. Word came from the Arathi Highlands: Thandol Span was under attack!
With the Alliance fleet now controlling the surrounding waters, Thandol Span was the only route connecting the northern and southern halves of the Eastern Kingdoms. It was only natural that the Orcs, having lost so many ships in the previous naval battle, would focus all their attention on this area.
As long as the Alliance held this vital passage, it could keep as many enemies as possible at bay. But if the bridge fell, the Orcs would overrun the entire Arathi Highlands, and the Alliance's position would become perilous.
In light of this, Anduin Lothar decided to personally lead two legions to reinforce the Arathi Highlands. The command center would follow the Alliance marshal east soon afterward. Since this would be a true frontline campaign, Lothar had no intention of bringing the boy Alvin along.
Moving the command center