Theramore Infiltration

Khadgar's mages awaited Jaina's instructions, but Akazamzarah was taken by Sylvanas to a secluded spot for a private conversation. The Ranger-General waved his hand, signaling his soldiers to keep watch. The Female Elf looked down at the Goblins and said bluntly, "I have absolutely no trust in the Sunreavers."

"Salen is already in Lady Proudmoore's meeting room..." Akazamzarah said. "If he really is a traitor, the Horde will know everything about Theramore in an instant."

"I will keep a close eye on him myself." Sylvanas felt a growing unease as she watched the Sunreavers mages integrate into Theramore's defenses. "As for you... don't disappoint me." She handed the scroll Nathanos had given her to the diminutive figure before her.

The Goblins unfolded it and was astonished by the text descriptions and magical formulas. "This must be the work of a master. I have never seen such a complete teleportation spell in Dalaran."

"So, can you complete this spell?"

Akazamzarah considered for a few minutes before assuring him, "Yes, but setting up the magic array will take a lot of time and will require at least ten powerful mages."

"The Silver Covenant's strongest spellcasters have all arrived, along with Archmage Vargoth, who will also assist you. I have only one question: how long will it take you?"

"At least one day!" Akazamzarah held up one finger.

"One day!" Sylvanas raised her voice, her displeased expression making the Goblins swallow hard.

"Please forgive me, General. I just took a good look at this spell and found that its casting range is far too long."

Where will I be teleported to in Theramore?

A safe place.

Sylvanas recalled Nathanos's promise, "Can you tell me the teleportation location?"

"Uh, I don't know the specifics, but I can tell that we'll be going to the Eastern Kingdoms."

The Eastern Kingdoms? Sylvanas nodded. That place was basically under the control of the Alliance, so it was the safest place to go.

"General, did you consult Lady Jaina's consent before making this decision?" Akazamzarah suddenly asked. The Female Elf glared at him dismissively. The Goblins hastily retreated.

Sylvanas wasn't trying to avoid the issue, but she wasn't the master of Theramore, nor was she Jaina.

Theramore is a nation. Jaina built it with her own hands, making it shine like a beacon of hope for peace in this world. Jaina will do everything in her power to protect it. Looking at the diverse cityscape around her, Sylvanas worried that Jaina would never abandon it. Theramore needs her.

As Sylvanas returned to the meeting room door, she heard the Sunreavers's voice. He seemed to be complaining.

"Lord Aethas also asked me to prove the value of the Sunreavers through my actions. I will do so, but with a formidable enemy at hand, I think allies should not keep secrets from each other."

"Do we have to tell you every single step of the battle before you take any action?" The Ranger-General standing outside the door heard Baine's voice; the Night Elf clearly shared her dislike for the Sunreavers. "Should we also dictate what spells you should use, or the specific times to cast them?"

Perhaps these questions were too harsh, and a moment of silence fell over the meeting room. After a while, Jaina's voice rang out. "Now is not the time to argue. Mage Salen is right; we should trust each other, after all, the enemy outside the city gates will soon be attacking."

At that moment, Sylvanas quietly opened a corner of the door and peered inside through the crack.

"Please explain in detail how the Horde will attack, Jaina." Khadgar broke the silence, and all eyes were immediately drawn to Jaina, unaware of the Ranger-General was observing the overall situation of the meeting.

"According to our intelligence, in addition to leading a formidable army, Garrosh also possesses a powerful bomb capable of destroying Theramore, but we don't know when he will use it."...

Sylvanas saw the shocked expressions on everyone's faces, which was expected, but Salen the Songweaver's expression made her particularly wary. The other people in the meeting who were unaware of the situation, such as Vargoth and Melis, quickly turned worried after hearing the news, but the Songweaver was different; he seemed to be pondering why Theramore knew Garrosh's true purpose.

'I'll keep a close eye on you, Sunreavers.'

The war plan was almost immediately codified into orders. Ballistae and other siege weapons were transported to the main gate of Theramore. Riders were assigned to sentry posts not far north of the city, to immediately send back an alarm if Horde were spotted.

The Seventh Legion's warships turned and sailed out of the harbor to patrol within Theramore's territorial waters. Although there was no indication that the Horde would attack from the sea, no one could guarantee that Garrosh wouldn't suddenly change his mind.

Despite the apparent chaos, everything proceeded as planned. Just as Sylvanas had predicted, the Horde launched a simultaneous attack from two directions. The sounds of war were deafening and terrifying—a near-constant barrage of cannon fire, explosions from the north, and the clash of swords and shouts of battle from the west.

Sylvanas stood atop an archway above the main entrance. Jaina was at the west gate; the Female Elf wasn't worried about her safety, as Khadgar was with her. At this moment, she was more concerned with the fierce battle unfolding before her.

As the horns sounded, Sylvanas shouted to the defending soldiers, "Get ready. Do as we said before."

Some soldiers nodded, while others swallowed hard. The Ranger-General raised his hands, awaiting the opportune moment. The Horde's first wave of troops was now in sight. And awaiting them was Theramore.

"Now!" she cried. All those at the city gate who fought with magic instead of swords launched an attack. The Tauren and Orcs, Blood Elf and Troll suffered a fierce barrage of arrows and magic. Cries of pain echoed everywhere.

"Aim the cannons at those catapults!" Sylvanas shouted. "Stop their siege engines!"

She quickly ran down the steps to the city gate. Hundreds of the Alliance soldiers stood ready. Sylvanas walked through them and ordered the gates closed.

The gates slowly closed, emitting a dull thud. The Gnome mage Mimik cast a defensive barrier on the gates. The other mages joined him in casting spells, and the air around the gates seemed to shimmer, briefly turning a pale blue.

"Lord Mimik, you and your men stay here. Keep an eye on the city gate. If the barrier starts to weaken, strengthen it."

"What? But I want to..." Mimik wanted to object. Rather than simply defending, he wanted to turn magic into fireballs and smash them at the enemy.

Sylvanas spoke quickly and urgently. "Mimik, if this gate collapses, the Horde will flood into the city. There will be unbelievable casualties. You must keep it safe as much as possible."

Mimik nodded, turned to look at the city gate, pursed her lips, then spread her arms and shouted, "Didn't you hear the Ranger-General's order? Get moving!"

The members of the Kirin Tor began to unleash their power.

Sylvanas nodded, just as she had expected. The Horde was met with a heavy blow from Theramore's defenses. A group of Gnome demolition experts had also placed appropriately powerful bombs a few feet outside the city gates. That should hold them off for a while.

"For a while, "Sylvanas thought, "Not forever."

"Lansber!" The Ranger-General summoned his adjutant.

"General?" The High Elf saluted his superior.

Sylvanas walked up to him and whistled, "Keep an eye on Salen the Songweaver. Don't let him spot you and be wary of him doing anything treacherous."

"Yes, General."

Sylvanas turned her attention to the sky. Just then, a Covenant soldier riding a harpy returned.

"Report on the situation," Sylvanas asked.

"No trace of the Goblins airships has been found, General. But the Horde has sent out many Wind Rider, who show no signs of attacking, but are simply circling above their army."

"They're covering something as they approach," Sylvanas said with certainty, and she knew what it was. "You've done well, soldier. Now have everyone back to defend."

More hand-to-hand combat is coming. The number of wounded will also increase rapidly.

The Horde surged forward like a black tide. The bridge had been blown up, and large chunks of rubble and corpses floated in the water. Some Horde swam in the water. Others turned over the bodies of their comrades and continued onward.

Looking at the scene before her, Sylvanas recalled the Second War, and the Third. The Horde now was no different from the Old Horde and the Burning Legion. Their cruel and murderous nature disgusted the Female Elf, and what made her even more abhorrent was that some Blood Elf were among them.

You really should come and see the Horde you serve, sister.

Sylvanas raised her hands and fired an arrow. An Orcs carrying a banner behind her was killed instantly.

"Garrosh." Her sharp gaze spotted the figure at the very back of the Horde army, issuing commands from outside her attack range. The demonic fangs used as shoulder armor were particularly conspicuous. Just then, the figure raised his head and met her gaze. A mocking smile appeared on his lips, and he raised Gorehowl, pointing it at her.

Sylvanas clenched her fists, unleashing her fury upon the Horde soldiers. The main gate's defenses were impregnable.

Jaina chanted a spell, and a blizzard descended like rain. She swiftly cast another spell, freezing several Horde Warrior in place. Then, a fireball exploded within the ice-sculpted humanoid figures. The sorceress repeated these actions with a steady rhythm, each methodical attack felling multiple enemies.

"Your magic reminds me of my past self," Khadgar commented.

Jaina was somewhat impressed that the white-haired mage still sounded so relaxed.

"Which war were you in?"

"The Second War, and when we crossed the Dark Portal," Khadgar replied. "Time has passed, and I never imagined that one day I would still have to face the Horde, only now I am the only one left of the Sons of Lothar."

Jaina summoned several Water Elemental to help her fight the Horde, and while catching her breath, she said, "The Horde will tremble at the mere mention of this name."

The Horde's first wave of attacks had temporarily receded. This outcome infuriated Malkorok. Although he knew the Warchief's plan, the fact that they had been repelled by the Alliance was hard for him to swallow. He ran to Garrosh's side, Great Chief was watching him.

"I request a change of tactics, Chieftain," he said. "Those Dalaran mages have claimed many Horde lives. The soldiers Charge have suffered even greater casualties. The siege engines have also been subjected to artillery and ballistae fire."

They did need another tactic. Grommash nodded and ordered the retreat horn to sound, signaling a temporary withdrawal for the soldiers at the front. "It will be difficult for us to break through their defenses in one fell swoop," he said, raising a hand to silence the protesters around him. "Therefore, we must dismantle their defenses. Send out all those skilled in tracking and assassination. Organize the next wave of attacks in twenty minutes, helping the assassins draw fire from the walls. Once the assassins have quietly approached those Alliance worms safely hidden behind the defenses, plunge their daggers into their necks."

Malkorok let out a cheer, convinced that Garrosh's strategy could not possibly fail.

The Horde had advanced to the north gate, and the clamor of the battlefield was now punctuated by the terrifying, rhythmic rumble of battering rams. With the bridge destroyed, some of their Shaman prayed to the Water Elemental for help in transporting the cumbersome machinery across.

The city gates, protected by powerful magic from the Kirin Tor members, would not be easily breached by that thing. This formidable defense bought time for the others inside the city to act.

Akazamzarah was setting up a teleportation array. This array had to cover the entire Theramore and even the docks. Several Covenant mages had to take on oxygen equipment and dive underwater to complete the array.

The Goblins was extremely nervous. He didn't know how the battle was progressing; he only felt the constant shouts of battle around him. Suddenly, a dark shadow enveloped him. Akazamzarah didn't turn around, because the shadow on the ground already told him who was behind him.

"Why aren't you reinforcing the city gates? What are you doing here, Sunreavers?"

"That's what I should be asking you," Salen said, his eyes glancing at the magical runes beneath the Goblins's feet. They were some kind of teleportation runes, and he'd seen members of the Silver Covenant setting up similar runes in some hidden places, even Archmage Vargoth. In that instant, the Songweaver understood what Sylvanas was up to. A powerful Arcane Energy coalesced behind his back, and he asked with murderous intent, "What are you doing here again? What are you holding?"

Akazamzarah suddenly turned around and unleashed a powerful wave of Arcane Energy at Salen the Songweaver with all his might.

Arrogance caught the Sunreavers off guard. He was sent flying like a stone and crashed to the ground. Just then, Lansber stood behind him, longsword in hand, hilt pressed against the Blood Elf's neck.

"The Ranger-General was right, you really are a spy."

For a moment, Salen seemed about to claim innocence, but then his white eyebrows furrowed, and he raised his hands with a cold smile. Lansber and the Goblins mage thought he was about to surrender, but instead, he detonated a miniature smoke bomb. The thick smoke caused the two Silver Covenant to cough incessantly. Salen had vanished.

"I should have just killed him," Lansber said.

"Never mind him," Akazamzarah said. "Go tell the Ranger-General that the Sunreavers has escaped. He'll definitely tell Grommash what's going on here."