For the Horde!

Orgrim lay motionless in the boat, working out a plan. Before they set out, no one had told him there were others here. Even when they'd encountered a brown-haired, pointy-eared fellow at sea, nothing had suggested he was from this continent.

Orgrim said to a burly orc behind him, "Get the boys ready to fight. Tell the Shamans behind us to cast some spells and make fog to cover our landing! Also, send the Ogres on the boats behind us into the water to clear the obstacles. They've definitely put something in the sea!"

The orc behind him acknowledged the order and crawled toward the stern. Orgrim's orders were carried out swiftly. In less than fifteen minutes, thick fog had risen over the sea ahead. It was hard to see even ten meters away!

Then came several splashes from behind, followed by the sound of bodies breaking through the water and arms stroking through it. Several enormous blue heads surfaced, and in the blink of an eye, they reached the spot where the warships had run aground.

As the towering Ogres cleared the wooden stakes beneath the water, Orgrim's warships turned around and slowly moved forward.

"Why is the fog so thick?" The old general Andona stared out over the sea. With fog this dense, they couldn't even tell where the enemy was, let alone shoot them.

"It must be the enemy's mages at work!" one of Andona's subordinates said. "Didn't Lord Malfurion say they had mages too?"

"They're not mages. They're Shamans!" When the fog rolled over the sea, Andy had left the ruins where he'd been hiding and moved to the front. Andona and the other officers, both high- and low-ranking, were now huddled in some ruins, pointing toward the distant sea.

"They must have had the Shamans make the fog to cover their landing!" Andy gripped his bow and stared ahead. "Did you hear that? They've already started destroying the stakes we put down!"

At that, Andona listened carefully. Sure enough, the faint sound of someone paddling through the water reached his ears.

"How are things going?" Tyrande asked as she approached. When she saw the thick fog, her expression grew grave.

There were no spellcasters in the Sentinel Unit, only archers and Warriors. This situation was indeed a difficult one. No priest or Druid had come along this time, so it seemed she would have to act herself.

"Andona, tell the Warriors to prepare for battle. I'll disperse the fog!"

Andona immediately sent someone to relay the order. The others quickly put on their helmets and drew their weapons.

Tyrande spread her arms and raised her head to the sky. Difficult, incomprehensible incantations suddenly poured from her lips.

A light breeze stirred the strands of hair beside Tyrande's ears. It gradually grew stronger, until it became a violent gale.

Seeing that his plan had worked and that no more arrows were coming from the shore, Orgrim hurriedly ordered his Orc Warriors to bring the ships closer to land.

Before the ships had even come to a stop, Orc Warriors began leaping out. The shield-bearing Warriors went first, while those in leather armor with steel blades in hand stayed behind them.

Orgrim gripped his enormous Doomhammer and surveyed his formation. Five or six square formations stood in a row, with even more Orc Warriors surging up behind him to form additional ranks. Orgrim sighed. There was no other choice. He didn't have any ranged troops!

Orgrim had been fuming for long enough. Not only had he spent all those days at sea, but after finally spotting land, he'd been attacked by an unknown enemy before he could even disembark.

I'd like to see who's standing in my way! Orgrim thought. I brought my people here to find a place to settle, not to fight. I'm no Blackhand, that brute with his insatiable thirst for conquest!

Although Orgrim's goal was to let his people rest and recover, the sudden ambush had made him furious! He hadn't brought many people, and now the enemy had shot several of them dead!

The gale summoned by Tyrande made it hard to keep their eyes open. The fog the Shamans had worked so hard to conjure vanished in a matter of seconds. But the sight on the beach was one the Elves would never forget.

Rank upon rank of disciplined formations, tightly packed shields, and one deafening orcish roar after another made the long-peaceful Elves' scalps tingle.

Most of the soldiers in the Sentinel Unit had been recruited during peacetime and had never witnessed anything on this scale. Some began to tremble as they gripped their weapons. Andy fared a little better. He'd imagined this scene in his mind several times, but now that it was really happening, he couldn't help feeling tense.

Orgrim had been waiting for his Shamans to lift the fog so that he could catch the enemy off guard and send the Horde's young warriors charging forward. He hadn't expected a gust of wind from Tyrande to blow it away.

Well, that saved him the trouble of giving another order. The instant the fog disappeared, Orgrim pointed his enormous hammer forward and roared, "Charge, boys! For the Horde!"

"For the Horde!"

To the Elves, the Orcs' roars sounded like a pack of beasts howling. The words meant nothing to them. Still, these beasts knew how to use weapons and armor. Look at that big oaf—how many times could he swing a hammer that huge?

With the Monster Spirit translating for him, Andy had no trouble understanding them. When the Orcs roared, "For the Horde," he'd nearly blurted out, "For the Alliance!"

Fortunately, he managed to stop himself. Otherwise, the Elves would have been stunned. The Alliance? With who?

Andy watched Orgrim swing his hammer, rallying his warriors again and again.

So it was him! Andy thought. Orgrim Doomhammer!

After that cry of "For the Horde," the formations began moving slowly toward the Elves, protected by their shields. At first they advanced at a crawl, but gradually they broke into a run.

The Orcs' charge gave the Elven archers an opening. No matter how strong a person was, they couldn't run while maintaining a perfect defense.

"Archers, ready!" the officer shouted. He waited for the Orc formation to come a little closer, then called out, "Loose!"

A vast volley of gleaming arrows traced graceful arcs through the air and landed right in the Orcs' formation.

The falling arrows caused a commotion among the Orcs. Some slipped through gaps that opened as the Orcs ran and pierced their necks. Others struck Orcs in the thighs, sending them tumbling to the ground with cries of pain.

As soon as that volley landed, another was already soaring into the sky, arcing toward the Orcs' formation.

Orgrim had no time to adjust his formation. With the enemy position right before him, he suddenly roared over his shoulder. The towering Ogres at the rear of the formation raced past the other ranks and crashed headlong into the shield wall formed by the Elven Warriors.

"For the Horde! Charge!" Orgrim bellowed. Only when he reached the front did he realize that the ones he'd thought were blocking his way were not humans at all, but a group of pointy-eared folk!

Andy was floored by that "For the Horde" again. If you're going to fight, just fight. Why keep shouting? Afraid no one will know you're the leader?

I don't care who you're fighting for. I'm fighting for myself. You can all die for your Horde!

A green-glowing arrow shot from Andy's bow. "Serpent Sting!"

The magical arrow struck an Orc near the front of the charge. Its tremendous force and added magic blasted a gaping hole in the Orc's neck, and he fell dead on the spot!

"All attributes increased by 0.2!" the Monster Spirit announced.

...Huh? What was going on? Did killing Orcs earn points?