Warcrat IV: War of Legends

Chapter 5: Advance to Theramoore

Nazgrel was bored. During the last five years, only disaster had fallen upon the Alliance-Horde relations. He had helped Rexxar during the first part of his journey, which had ended with the death of Daelin Proudmoore, and the breaking of the pact. Now he led a large group of mounted and unmounted orcs to investigate the only major Human city in the area of Kalimdor. This was supposed to be a minor incidence, a mere investigation to see the threat to Durotar the Scourge posed. He knew that the Warchief was rarely emotional. However, he had been among the orcs who had been stuck in the internment camps, and had seen Thrall's rage first hand. He had been one of those who had seen Taretha's head. As he had soon learnt, that was the man's last mistake.

Nazgrel thought of the great fortune he had, serving under the son of Durotan. He had been raised by a human noble (the man Thrall slew later, whose name Nazgrel could never remember), and so knew of their strategies. He had made this point time and again, even just a short time before becoming allies with the humans under the leadership of Jaina Proudmoore. His thoughts were broken as a peon came to him. "Lord Nazgrel! We have found a goblin laboratory!"

"Good. We can use their telescope to see the island and get home!"

Nazgrel and several raiders rode to the the doorstep of the laboratory. Dismounting, they pushed their way through the goblins standing outside. Nazgrel dropped a small sum of coins into the head goblin's hand as he went to the telescope. The goblins ran away while he inspected the damage done to Theramoore. He saw several shades that were not trying to be hidden at all, unless a footman came along. That was rather rare, but there was a patrol. The occasional ghoul that he spotted would quickly be hunted down and slain. Only once did he see an abomination, and it was fallen. Then he looked more inland and gasped.

The damage was much more extensive than the shore revealed. Theramoore Citadel was damaged, and blight spread across much of the ground. Every gate was broken by the power of the Scourge, and any true invasion force could have destroyed them. He knew many of those with him would prefer to destroy Theramoore Isle than report it, but they were not nearly strong enough to deal with the defences, ruined though they were.

His shock turned to panic as he saw Frost Wyrms and Gargoyles destroying the three remaining human ships. He knew most had escaped, due to the lack of wreckage, but far too many had been sunk. He only needed one more sign to convince him of a possible threat to the Horde, and that came a moment later.

He ran out of the laboratory to find the orcs fighting the Scourge. Those raiders he had left outside had slowed them, but their corpses remained. The attack force was made mostly of Abominations and Frost Wyrms, along with a few Meat Wagons. The Abominations were being killed by the large amounts of well-trained Grunts during war time, but he had only a few weak units. He ran into the forest that bordered the laboratory, and thought he was alone. He reached a clearing and then realized he was not alone. He looked around and found the peon who had alerted him to the laboratory. The peon drew Nazgrel's mount beside him.

"I escaped them by running into the woods. I found your mount and led him here. They must have released your mount so they could not find you."

Nazgrel was relieved to find his mount alive, but still noted how vague the peon was. "My raiders sacrificed their lives and saved mine. I shall not let their memory die in vain." With that, he mounted his wolf. "There is enough room on my wolf to let you ride back as well! Get on!"

The peon shook his head sadly. "The undead will catch you unless I help to hold them back. Good luck, Nazgrel!" The raider general noted the peon no longer called him 'lord,' which was not an orc title at all.

As the orc raider rode away, the 'peon' grinned. He was growing, beginning to resemble a troll. He slowly grew into his true form, a massive blue dragon, and froze the Frost Wyrms before they could strike. 'Now,' he thought to hismelf as the Abominations were crushed under frozen corpses, 'Where could she be?'

AN: Trust me, Thrall cares that Jaina's been taken. That's why he's going to Grim Batol during his next part. However, a major part of the story will shock you, and is coming soon...