Escaping Highmaul was a major step toward freedom for the former slave gladiators.
But every one of them knew that merely escaping the city did not mean they were truly safe.
The Orcish Horde had now become the most powerful force in all of Draenor. If they wanted true freedom, they had to escape the Orcs' sphere of influence.
Before that, they would be hunted by the Shattered Hand Clan. The Shattered Hand Clan would never allow their slaves to escape so brazenly—especially when the slaves' liberator had personally killed their chieftain.
For an Orcish clan, that was undoubtedly an enormous humiliation.
The bad news was that the Orcish Horde's territory was vast. Of Draenor's seven major regions, Nagrand and Frostfire Ridge had essentially fallen entirely under Orcish control, while nearly half of Gorgrond and Shadowmoon Valley also lay within their sphere of influence.
Only the primal beasts of Tanaan Jungle, the Arakkoa of Arak Peaks, and the Draenei of Talador still maintained control over their own regions. Most other races could only struggle to survive in small corners of the world.
But the good news was that although the Orcish clans had been united under the Horde, that unity was merely an alliance between clans.
Even though the current Orcish Warchief held more authority than the Orcish overlords of the past, he could directly command only the chieftains of each clan and generally could not interfere in their internal affairs.
In human terms, "the vassal of my vassal is not my vassal." The Orcish Horde was not a centralized empire where every region followed the same decrees.
That meant that as long as they escaped the Shattered Hand Clan's territory, the pursuit they faced would diminish greatly.
Although other clans might still try to capture and enslave them if