"Attack!" Danath Trollbane shouted. "Follow me, this way!"
With Marshal Reginald Windsor still recovering from his injuries, Danath had temporarily become commander of the Expeditionary Force's ground troops.
Their soldiers had cleared the ring of hills surrounding the basin and were facing the Dark Portal.
They had encountered few orcs along the way. Clearly, just as Karin had said, the orcs really were retreating...
Overhead, dwarven Gryphon Riders swooped down from time to time, helping them clear the obstacles ahead.
Two warriors caught Danath's attention. He could not even be entirely sure whether one of them was an orc.
He looked much like one, but his skin was tawny rather than green, and he towered over the other orcs. His build also seemed somewhat different from theirs. A war wolf stood beside him, eyeing the Alliance army menacingly.
This was a powerful warrior-Danath could feel it-but he was not the Horde's commander.
The other orc was taller and larger than most of his kind. His black hair was tied in a topknot, his chin was black, and his eyes shone red. His expression was ferocious. He wore heavy bracers adorned with strange symbols, and the sight of the vast Alliance army did not faze him in the slightest.
Judging by his expression, he was the orcs' leader.
Their eyes met, and Danath suddenly saw him raise his battle-axe, seemingly in a challenge.
A fierce urge to fight surged through Danath, and he raised his own sword:
"Destroy these green-skinned monsters!"
The Alliance soldiers charged.
Stormwind City's cavalry rode at the head of the formation, with Ironforge's musketeers and Quel'Thalas's rangers swiftly following behind.
The Horde soldiers were far fewer than the Alliance troops, but every one of them looked like a capable fighter... They were probably among the few