Do You Wish to Defy Me?

Orgrim followed the old Orc into his command post. Watching the elder enter, Orgrim instructed his lieutenant to secure the perimeter tightly; no one was to approach without his direct order.

The old Orc plopped himself into Orgrim's chair, stretched comfortably, and squinted as he said, "I've been traveling for days and I'm exhausted. Do you have anything to eat here?"

Orgrim called in a warrior and gave a low-voiced command. Moments later, the Orc warrior brought in a large piece of roasted meat and placed it on the table. The old Orc suddenly grabbed the warrior, a flicker of Fel light glowing in his eyes.

"Let him go!" Orgrim roared. He lunged forward in a single stride, pulled the warrior behind him, and said in a deep voice, "Say what you have to say, but don't you dare touch my men!"

The old Orc chuckled dryly and replied, "Fine, fine. I don't need this one anyway. Besides, if Gul'dan found out about that, I wouldn't fare too well myself!"

"You're not needed here anymore, get out!" Orgrim dismissed the warrior, then stood before the old Orc and demanded, "Why have you come?"

The old Orc grabbed the roasted meat from the table and chewed greedily. After a while, noticing Orgrim beginning to channel his energy, he set the food down and wiped his hands carelessly on his robes. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Agmar, and I belong to the Shadow Council. I have come as Gul'dan's advance envoy to have a chat with you."

"The Shadow Council!" Orgrim gritted his teeth. After glaring at the old Orc for a moment, he suppressed his anger and asked, "What does Gul'dan want with me?"

At the mention of Gul'dan, Orgrim felt as though he had been dragged back to those dark days of the past.

In Orgrim's homeland, just like in this world, there were many races and living beings. It was once a peaceful land where the Orcs held vast territories, firmly suppressing other races, yet war was rarely a common occurrence.

However, all of that changed because of the Orc known as Gul'dan. Gul'dan was a Warlock who had somehow learned dark magic and gained the power to control Fel energy, becoming as infamous as his teacher, the old Shaman Ner'zhul.

But Gul'dan's power was immense, and with the support of a being he called a god, his influence grew until he finally seized control of the Horde. Gul'dan backed Blackhand, chieftain of the Blackrock Clan—the largest in the Horde—to ascend the throne as Warchief, effectively keeping the power of the Horde entirely in his own hands.

Wherever Gul'dan went, he brought his wicked magic, turning the land into a wasteland. Any region touched by Fel energy became desolate and barren; not only was there no meat to be found, but even crops and grain could no longer grow.

Until one day, Gul'dan claimed he had the power to lead the Horde away from that dying world, and proceeded to infuse the Orc warriors with Fel energy. More and more warriors underwent this transformation, becoming far superior to ordinary Orcs in both strength and physique.

Gul'dan ordered the construction of a massive portal, which he called the Dark Portal. After consuming the lives of all the captives from other races the Horde had seized, the portal opened, and the Orcs crossed over into this world.

Ever since his chieftain, Durotan, had tried to violently resist Gul'dan's rule and was shamelessly murdered for it—followed by Blackhand slaughtering the rest of the Frostwolf Clan and leaving the newborn son of the chieftain to wander lost and unknown—Orgrim had harbored a deep hatred.

Thinking of this, Orgrim could no longer control his emotions. He slammed his hands onto the table, nearly shattering it, and shouted, "Do not speak of Gul'dan again! He is a sinner against the entire Horde!"

"Orgrim, Gul'dan is beyond question!" Agmar stood up, his expression stern. "And he is certainly not someone a minor chieftain like you can insult!"

"Am I wrong?" Orgrim laughed harshly. "Gul'dan's power may be great, but he brings only death. Everywhere he goes, he leaves nothing but a wasteland!"

"Gul'dan will bring glory to the Horde!" Agmar's face flushed slightly as he said coldly.

"Hmph, glory?" Orgrim acted as if he had heard something laughable. "Gul'dan is worthy of the word 'glory'? His honor was lost the moment he cowardly murdered Durotan! He does not deserve honor, nor does he deserve to be a member of the Horde!"

"Durotan brought it upon himself; he has no one else to blame!" Agmar retorted. "He betrayed the Horde, and traitors deserve the fate of a traitor!"

"Gul'dan is the true traitor; he betrayed the entire Horde!" Orgrim leaned into Agmar's face, enunciating every word. "It was Gul'dan who led the Horde to this point—this is a path of no return! Gul'dan bears full responsibility for the current state of the Horde!"

"Orgrim, how dare you!" Agmar was clearly at a loss for words.

"What do I have to fear?" Orgrim said. "Since I dared to lead my people out, it was to break away from him forever. Since we cannot go back, we will find a place to thrive!"

"A nice thought, but you are thinking too simply!" Agmar sneered and sat back down.

"Say what you will, but Gul'dan's honor is ruined; no one will truly obey him anymore!" Orgrim pointed toward the door of the command post. "Now, I demand that you leave immediately. The further away, the better!"

"Ha!" Agmar suddenly laughed. "None of that matters. I am the advance envoy. Lord Gul'dan will descend upon this place soon enough, so you had best prepare to welcome him!"

"How could he possibly come here?" Orgrim was startled. If Gul'dan were to arrive in person, the situation would become truly dire!

"Why couldn't he?" Agmar gave Orgrim a mysterious look. "If I could come, why couldn't Lord Gul'dan? Let me tell you, thinking you can escape him completely is nothing but a pipe dream! Lord Gul'dan long ago planted a curse within the warriors; he can use the power of that curse to pinpoint your location, and then he can cast a spell to teleport here!"

"Why is he coming?" Orgrim asked, his face darkening.

"The portal on the other side was destroyed. Lord Gul'dan needs to open another to bring the rest of the Horde over!" Agmar smiled. "You had better prepare to welcome the holy presence of Lord Gul'dan!"

Agmar laughed heartily and walked toward the door, seemingly intending to leave.

"I will not prepare to welcome him, and I will not obey!" Orgrim's stance was resolute.

Agmar stopped at the door, turned back to look at Orgrim, and said gloomily, "Orgrim, think carefully. Do you really want to defy his command?" A faint flame began to burn in Agmar's hand.