The warmth emanating from the Heart of Valoran on his chest startled Aiden from his meditation. He used his consciousness to probe the small object and discovered that it had suddenly absorbed more energy than even convincing the kingdom to exterminate the Cult of the Damned—the abundant energy was already enough to support a summoning. And he clearly remembered that before this, it had absorbed less than half that amount.
Something big must have happened, something comparable to the impending annihilation of the Cult of the Damned!
Andorhal was still peaceful.
"So, is it related to the orcs?"
Aiden wondered to himself. Could Thrall's failed rescue of Eitrigg have such a big impact on history?
He wasn't sure.
However, at daybreak, cavalry from Stratholme brought astonishing news.
In the garrison's council hall, the cavalryman reported to Grand Summoner Dathrohan: "The orc leader who participated in the prison break died in a duel with General Gavinrad. The orc Eitrigg did not escape."
Then, he described the situation in detail:
Broxigar felt his axe, imbued with all his strength, strike the human leader's shoulder. Immediately afterward, his chest suffered a violent blow from the opponent's warhammer. He gripped the axe handle tightly, refusing to let go. He wanted to see the human crushed before he died.
The berserk axe tore through Gavinrad's thick shoulder armor, then ripped apart the chainmail beneath. A torrent of blood gushed out, mixed with unbearable pain, and his left hand, holding the hammer handle, instantly lost all sensation.
Gavinrad thought he was going to die. Darkness and fear filled his heart. But the next moment, he realized he was still alive. The giant axe was stuck in his shoulder, not completely tearing him in two—but it was close. He could feel blood flowing into his left lung, and he could barely breathe, coughing up large clots of blood from his mouth and nose.
Before his consciousness faded into darkness, he saw a clear depression in the Orc's chest where he had struck him. He could imagine that the ribs and internal organs inside must be a mess. The Orc was also spewing blood from his mouth.
Both leaders fell to the ground.
The young orc warrior carrying Eitrigg on his back placed him on the ground, then let out an angry roar, picked up an axe from the ground, and charged towards the knights surrounding them, and then… was torn to pieces.
Afterward, with the help of healers and priests, Gavinrad survived. The physician examined his wound and the giant axe, telling him that the large gap in the axe blade and his excellent armor had saved him.
But the great paladin might not be able to step onto the battlefield again. His internal organs were severely damaged, and even after recovery, it was uncertain whether his left arm would be able to extend freely.
Aiden fell silent upon hearing the news of Broxigar's death.
This was an Orcish hero. In the original timeline, he and his unit fought bravely against the Burning Legion in the Battle of Mount Hyjal, buying precious time for the main force. After the war, he even accidentally traveled back to the War of the Ancients with Rhonin and Krasus, helping the Night Elves repel the Burning Legion. And this hero sacrificed himself at the hands of the Burning Legion's leader, the dark Titan Sargeras.
But he, in his mortal form, left a scar on this Titan, who even gods could not contend with, which was an unparalleled honor.
Without a doubt, he was a hero of all of Azeroth—but now, this old warrior had died in Stratholme before he could become famous.
When Aiden obtained the energy points for distorting history, he also felt a sense of guilt—if it weren't for his reminder, Eitrigg might have already returned to Thrall's side, and Broxigar wouldn't have died in a failed prison break—a perfect supporting male character with plenty of scenes, who was now getting a lunchbox before he could shine…
Then he began to think, if there would still be such a time in the future when Azeroth would travel back to the ancient times to save Azeroth, then who would replace Broxigar and become the hero who fought Sargeras?
…
Warchief Thrall received the news later than Aiden. Gaskco, the young warrior who set the fire with two other Orcs, quickly rushed to the front of the prison after completing his task to meet them, but he only saw the scene of Broxigar falling to the ground. Although bloodlust and anger wanted to drive him to charge towards the enemy, seeing the two warriors who followed him, his reason finally extinguished this suicidal impulse.
They had to sneak back to the camp and report the situation here to the Warchief.
The operation did not go smoothly. After quelling the prison riot, the human cavalry began a massive search for the arsonists. Both Orcs who followed Gaskco sacrificed themselves to cover his actions, and he finally escaped by sneaking into the sewers. By the time he returned to the camp, it was already the evening of the next day.
Thrall had been estimating the time required for the operation, but he had not waited for the warriors who had completed their mission to return all night. Until dawn, he had to send people to scout. Although he knew in his heart that the operation must have failed, he still held the illusion that Broxigar and the others were still carefully hiding before receiving news.
Until evening, Gaskco, scarred and covered in blood and stench, returned to the camp. He looked extremely tired, with traces of blood on his chapped lips. There were huge, still-bleeding wounds on his thick arms and chest.
After listening to the report, Thrall slumped to the ground, tears welling up in his eyes, and he sadly blamed himself: "It's all my fault. I killed Broxigar, my good brother, and these warriors who followed him…"
Drek'Thar said in a hoarse voice, "No, Thrall, the humans are too cunning. This is too unexpected."
Thrall shook his head: "No, it's just that our actions have been too smooth all along—attacking so many shelters and rescuing so many of our people, but the humans have been slow to act and slow to react… This has confused me and made me fall into blind arrogance. But I forgot that everything I learned, military command, tactical deployment, all came from humans. We must learn from this lesson and be more careful in the future. Alas, I am ashamed of them. If I had listened to you, they would not have sacrificed in vain."
"They will not have sacrificed in vain," the old shaman patted the young chieftain on the shoulder: "We still have a long way to go, Thrall, you must not be so depressed. I heard that Broxigar has a brother named Varok Saurfang who is being held in a shelter, I think we—"
"Yes, we must rescue him at all costs!" Thrall touched the Doomhammer beside him, his eyes firm.
...
In the afternoon, Uther led a team to Andorhal's temporary headquarters. When he entered the meeting room, he went straight to the point:
"King Terenas has authorized me to command this operation to wipe out the Cult of the Damned. Archbishop Faol fell ill after returning to Lordaeron. I brought a team of combat priests according to Aiden's request. Admiral Daelin, how is your navy prepared?"
Admiral Daelin said: "I have mobilized all available warships nearby, a total of 21 ships of various sizes. Although not as good as the elite of my Kul Tiras navy, I can guarantee that those 'things' will not escape from the water."
Uther nodded in satisfaction, then turned his gaze to the respected Archmage Antonidas: "What about the mage troops?"
"They are already in place."
Then he looked at Aiden who was present: "Aiden, do you have anything to add?" His gaze lingered on Kayle beside him for a moment. Although someone had reported to him the day before yesterday that Aiden had an angelic companion, when he saw her for the first time today, he still couldn't hide his surprise—he could feel the pure and majestic power of the Holy Light from her, stronger than anyone he had ever seen before.
Aiden replied: "Everything that can be said has already been said. The Cult of the Damned has trained a large number of acolytes and warlocks underground. Many of you here have dealt with orc warlocks before. They are basically the same type, but many of these warlocks have practiced necromancy, which is more dangerous than orc warlocks. In addition, one point must be emphasized: Kel'Thuzad is not fighting alone. Behind him is the Lich King, and some powerful dreadlords, so before the situation is settled, no one can take it lightly."
Uther nodded to show that he understood, then he looked at Prince Arthas and said very sincerely: "Prince, this operation is very dangerous. As the future heir to this kingdom, I hope you do not risk joining the front line of battle. As a good leader, you should learn how to command. As for combat tasks, please leave them to us!"
Arthas was a little unwilling. He looked at Jaina and argued: "This is not an ordinary battle. As a prince, how can I retreat in the face of battle? The Proudmoore family is fighting for us, and I cannot stand idly by. Besides, Father has agreed, hasn't he?"
Uther said: "The king's order is for me to protect you, which does not include letting you personally go into battle—otherwise I will be unable to fulfill my duty."
"Alright, alright, I know, I won't be impulsive." Arthas interrupted Uther's persuasion. But he was not reconciled. After the battle began, he had his own plans. He was not a coward hiding behind others.
Uther mobilized more than three thousand troops to prepare for this battle. Most of them were members of the Silver Hand Knights, plus more than eight hundred naval troops, about one hundred combat priests, and about the same number of mage troops from Dalaran and the Lordaeron court. According to the Eye of Surveillance, it can be estimated that the number of Cult of the Damned in Scholomance is about three hundred—this is the number of acolytes and warlocks. As for the number of undead troops, it is about one thousand, including some gargoyles and abominations that have just been created—a giant undead creature created by sewing together various corpses and then casting necromancy.
...
Kel'Thuzad had been feeling a little abnormal recently. He checked the intelligence collected by his informants in the past two days: the Silver Hand Knights sent a large number of people to clear out the orcs near Andorhal; the nearby navy gathered together to prepare for an exercise; a small team of orcs failed to break into the prison in Stratholme; Prince Arthas left Lordaeron and is heading here…
Putting all this together, he immediately realized: something was wrong!
He felt his soul trembling. If it were still his original human body, he would definitely be sweating profusely now—but now this body, undead, which had been transformed by the Lich King, could no longer feel cold or warmth, nor could it feel pain.
—But now it is obvious that these large armies, the navy and the Knights, are all coming for him!