Potential Allies

They could smell the stench wafting from afar, and the air was also filled with the acrid smell of thick smoke from the ruins that had burned a few days earlier.

The Night Elf successfully withdrew from the battlefield, but lost some territory, suffering considerable losses. Kutalos Ravencrest's lieutenant, Desdale Stareye, publicly declared it a minor setback.

"How could he say such a thing? Ravencrest is dead! Dead! Dead at the hands of a despicable scoundrel. And that Star-Eye guy actually said it was just a minor loss!"

"Stop talking!" Nathanos stopped Broxigar from continuing his rambling. The two of them knew the inside story perfectly well. Desdale Stareye, though of noble birth, was ignorant of military strategy and only knew how to talk about war on paper. The generals around him were also mediocre.

Since Ravencrest's assassination, no one has dared to directly confront this tall, powerful nobleman, and it's difficult to find many Night Elf as battle-hardened and experienced as Blackrock Lord. While Desdale Stareye also harbors great ambitions, if things continue as they are, his incompetence and folly will inevitably lead his ambitious aspirations and his people to destruction.

Nathanos wasn't only worried about the army's precarious future. Another matter weighed on his mind, causing him to turn his gaze to the Blackrock Spire's council chamber on the other side of his line of sight. At that moment, the commander was receiving a distinguished "guest"—the Red Dragon that had descended from the sky—but not alone, but with three! One of them was someone Nathanos knew very well: the mage Rhonin. He hadn't seen this mage in a long time, and wondered if the other had heard of him. If they met, would the other recognize him? Nathanos hoped the answer to these questions was no.

"We can't put our hopes on Desdale, Undead, think of something."

"I have observed the society of the Night Elf and found that, like humans, they advocate hereditary succession. Logically speaking, once Ravencrest dies, his daughter should inherit Blackrock Spire."

"You mean that Female Elf named Illysanna Ravencrest? Didn't you see? She had a mental breakdown the moment she heard the news of her father's death."

Nathanos sighed helplessly after hearing Broxigar's words, "In that case, we can't place our hopes on the Night Elf. We must go and find other races."

"Other races?" Broxigar looked at him in surprise.

"Yes, other races. Although there are no humans or Orcs in this era, there are Dwarf. I once learned about the history of the Dwarf from my Dwarf mentor, and I am certain that they must be somewhere in this world." Nathanos finished speaking and turned to Broxigar. "Do you have any good suggestions?"

The Orcs rubbed his forehead, gently touching his hair. "There is one."

"Speak quickly!"

Broxigar glanced back at the door, sensing no eavesdroppers. Most of the army harbored hostility towards foreign races. After the Battle of Blackrock Spire Hold, Ravencrest's indifference towards Orcs and Undead had vanished, but now that their lord was dead, the two of them began to worry that the newly appointed commander wouldn't treat them kindly.

"It's Tauren!"

"A new member of the Horde?"

Broxigar nodded. "The Tauren Great Chief Cairne Bloodhoof once told Thrall that their race is the oldest in Azeroth, with a history spanning tens of thousands of years."

"I see." Nathanos clasped his hands together. "I have witnessed the power of the Tauren. They are not only strong, but also intelligent. Most importantly, they are not arrogant. They are easier to get along with than the Night Elf."

"There is just one problem that is difficult to solve."

"What?"

"They are a nomadic people, like the Warsong Clan in the Horde, with no reliable settlement at all."

The Undead immediately shook his head. "Then let's go find them. Nomads don't usually appear in forests or rugged mountainous areas. We must go to the plains or plateaus. Only there can we find traces of nomads."

Plains or plateau? Nathanos and Broxigar simultaneously turned their gaze to the map on the wall. "Look there." Broxigar pointed west of Blackrock Spire. Although the map showed it to be only a few feet away from Blackrock Spire, both of them knew how far away that place was.

"That place is a plain, but... it's still too big."

"We can only rely on luck now, and the Burning Legion cannot be defeated by the Tauren race alone. We need to find more allies."

Broxigar knew he was talking about Dwarf, but could the addition of the Dwarf really be enough to deal with the Burning Legion? The Orcs was highly skeptical, but he had absolute confidence in the Dwarf's fighting prowess, after all, the Dwarf had caused the Horde considerable trouble during the Second War.

Where are you going to find the Dwarf?

"Let's go south. I don't know either, but there are large tracts of unmarked land to the south. A place that has been empty for too long will eventually see a new civilization emerge. I can only try to find out. I hope the Dwarf are there!"

The Burning Legion launched a new offensive, its momentum undiminished. The Night Elf, on the defensive, needed sleep and food to replenish their strength, but this became their weakness. The demons, however, had no such need; they could fight day and night, tirelessly, until they perished on the battlefield, only retreating when they were at a complete disadvantage. Even then, they would return with renewed force, staining every inch of land with blood.

Meanwhile, the Night Elf garrison was weakened. Garrid Shadowsong couldn't find Nathanos and Broxigar; he asked the guards on duty and learned that his two reliable allies had left. Shadowsong knew they hadn't left Blackrock Spire Hold out of fear of demons, but rather because of Desdale Stareye, that arrogant noble who had made a mess of things. Garrid had tried to persuade Lord Stareye to accept new allies, but this prejudiced noble had turned what should have been a shared cause into an unwelcome squabble. The Night Elf had never truly joined forces with other races to fight side-by-side. The Night Elf only knew how to deal with their own kind.

"The Undead and Orcs must have left because of Star Eye."

Nathanos and Broxigar played a crucial role on the battlefield, but Garrid's contributions were no less significant. Garrid personally handled every matter, large or small, meticulously coordinating the deployment of various units and striving to ensure everyone worked towards a common goal. Like the self-important Star-Eye, he greatly influenced the army's strategy.