AN: Thank you for the 1k favourites and followers! Happy to see that you enjoy this Warcraft fic.

You can also read this chapter (and all the previous ones) on ptr on, at /grumpywolf, for free, for the pics attached to them (if you are interested in that).

Chapter 6 - Bloody Battle

'So this is where Dar'khan lives, huh? Amazing. He must be loaded.'

Dar'khan was one of the four high elves that Naruto had rescued from the Amani trolls, and the eye-catching spire was his mage tower. The tall, narrow, elegant, pure white building with its golden roof and crimson red adornments shone like a jewel in the bright rays of the sun.

Naruto was broken out of his reverie when Kurama's voice rang in his head:

"Naruto. I'm sensing a large number of hostile signatures coming from the mountains. They're still a fair distance away, but their killing intent is very strong. There must be hundreds of them."

After making another shadow clone and dispelling it in order to inform the original body, clone-Naruto released his Henge to return to his original appearance and rushed towards the Dawnstar Spire in order to warn Dar'khan of the troll's impending attack. Dar'khan Drathir was an esteemed Magister. His words carried more weight than Naruto's. He could order the Farstriders in the village to evacuate the civilians, and they would listen to him.

However, when he reached the courtyard of the spire, the two Arcane Golems, who had been standing still until then, suddenly blocked his way.

The golden, five-metre-tall golems made for an intimidating sight, and the ground quaked with each step they took.

"Magister Dar'khan Drathir does not accept guests at this time. Return the way you came from, citizen, or we shall forcefully remove you from the premises."

The robotic voice coming from the golem took Naruto off-guard at first, but the current situation was too dire to act surprised for long.

"The trolls are going to attack! Tell the magister that it's urgent!"

Unfortunately, either the golems didn't care about his words or they weren't smart enough to understand complex commands because, when Naruto did not leave the courtyard, the two Arcane Golems started walking towards him, their large arms raised to apprehend him.

"I don't have time for this!" clone-Naruto said, and, focusing his chakra into his legs, he sprinted past the golems like the wind.

But when he tried to grab the doorknob and open the door of the tower, his hand was stopped a few centimetres away from it due to a mana barrier. It looked like the elven mage really did not want to be disturbed.

Pressed for time as he was, Naruto did not sit around for long to think of a solution. He started running up the white walls of the spire to the first window he could see.

"Hey! Magister! Hey!" he shouted when he reached the window and knocked on it powerfully.

The elven mage had been in the middle of casting a spell, his hands glowing with dense purple light when Naruto's yell startled him. His surprise only increased when he saw the boy hanging from the window sill that was at two dozen metres high up in the air.

The mage opened the window with a wave of his hand and shouted:

"How in the world did you get there? And what are you disturbing my research for, boy?"

"The trolls are going to attack the village!" Naruto said right away. "We have to evacuate the civilians. I need your help because they wouldn't trust someone like me."

Dar'khan scoffed.

"If you're done with your nonsense, I'll return to my studies. Seeing as you climbed all the way up here, I assume you can go down just as well."

"It's not nonsense! I saw them coming myself!"

"They'd never get past our Runestones. The Farstriders will detect them the moment they're in range," Dar'khan said dismissively.

"It will be too late by then! There are hundreds of trolls! It's an entire army! Please, Dar'khan, you have to believe me-"

"It's Magister Dar'khan to you, boy," the mage said in annoyance.

But Naruto continued speaking without paying any mind to his words.

"-I've already told Lady Liadrin about the trolls. High Priest Vandellor and Prince Kael'thas are flying on Dargonhawks now too; they're coming here to help."

". . . Prince Kael'thas is coming here by himself? How do I know you're not lying?"

"Hundreds of people's lives are at risk, and that's what you care about?" Naruto shouted incensed, having lost all patience.

"Now, now, no need to raise your voice. Here, take this crystal with you and hand it to the mayor. I will speak to him through it and inform him about the trolls," the magister said, changing his tune seemingly out of nowhere.

Naruto took the red, palm-sized gem that Dar'khan levitated towards him with suspicion.

"Now don't just stand there. You said it was an emergency, didn't you? Off you go," Dar'khan shooed him away.

"You're not going to help?" Naruto asked.

Involuntarily, the boy's eyes roamed the interior of the room; he saw the numerous gems glowing with purple light, the purple magic circles drawn on the floor, and the large tome floating in the air by itself and glowing with a dark, ominous light.

"I am going to help. But I'm a mage. I can't just come to the battlefield unprepared. Now quit wasting my time and go already!" the mage said irascibly, and, with a clench of his fist, the large tome shut itself and fell on the floor, the ominous light around it vanishing like smoke.

"Okay, sheesh," Naruto grumbled but, before leaving, he quickly snatched an ornate short sword hanging from the wall near the window.

"Hey! You thieving little human child!" Dar'khan shouted and rushed to get him. "That mage blade is more valuable than your entire lifetime's expenses! Give it back right away!"

However, Naruto just let out a snigger and jumped out of the window before the mage could get to him, letting himself fall in a free fall.

That outrageous action made the mage momentarily forget about his sword, and he rushed to the window, his hands already weaving a Levitation Spell to save the kid, before he became a splash of blood on the pavement at the foot of the tower.

Unfortunately, he was too late. Much to his relief, however, when he arrived at the window, it was just in time to see Naruto land on his feet like a cat, with no signs of injuries or anything that would make one think he had just jumped off a height of nearly 30 metres.

'By the Sunwell, is that really a human child? Nevermind that! He'll wish he died when he jumped off because I'll skin him alive when I'll get my hands on him!' Dar'khan thought in chagrin.

But then he shook his head and grabbed his staff: it was a long, simple staff with a silvery handle and a purple-black conical gem encrusted at the top.

'Sigh. Forget it. If the trolls are attacking, this may really be my chance to stand out.'

Dar'khan had been a Magister for many centuries; he had fought valiantly during the Troll Wars nearly 3000 years ago, and he had worked hard for the Kingdom ever since. For example, Dawnstar Village itself was built thanks to his efforts first and foremost.

Unfortunately, his work had gone largely unnoticed because there were dozens, if not hundreds, of other Magisters just as impressive as him. Even after all these years, he had not managed to be recognised as a Grand Magister.

⁂

After receiving Dar'khan's gem and his magical transmission, the mayor immediately rang the alarm. The peaceful and cosy atmosphere of the village was shattered as all the elves left whatever they were doing and ran towards Elrendar Lake to escape by boat.

As for Naruto, he headed towards the forest at the foot of the Amani Mountains in the west, hiding among the branches of a tall coniferous tree, and used his chakra to protect himself from the cold.

The forest at the edge of the Elven Kingdom was not red and golden but green, coniferous, and hostile. Furthermore, the climate was also much harsher, abruptly changing the moment he left the Runestones' area of influence. It became colder, close to the freezing point.

'I wish I had some Explosive Tags now. . .' he thought.

With Explosive Tags, he could have booby-trapped the field to thin down some of their numbers and make them fear charging mindlessly. Unfortunately, he didn't have any of that.

He didn't know how long it would take his original self and the High Elf prince to arrive by flying on Dragonhawks so he had to be careful not to be dispelled before that. He had to be cautious.

'I hope the civilians will evacuate in time.'

His mind went to the children playing hopscotch on the street and the parents who were teaching their daughter how to craft a wreath from flowers. Those children were the same age as him, but they weren't shinobi. They were not trained for battle. They were just civilians, people who had never seen war and strife.

He had arrived in this world only two months ago, but Lady Liadrin and the high elves had treated him so much better than the people of Konoha ever did.

A desire to protect them bloomed in his heart.

'Kurama, I can count on you, yes?'

"Of course. We made a pact. Just make sure not to get hit until our originals arrive. I'll give you all my chakra, so make as many shadow clones as you can."

Naruto put his hands in a cross seal, and one more clone popped up next to him, among the branches of the tree.

'I'll make more clones after all the trolls pass by me, and I'll attack them from behind. They'll never know what hit them!' he explained to the fox.

"But what if the villagers haven't managed to evacuate? Is it not your purpose to defend them?"

Kyuubi's question brought Naruto up short.

In truth, staying hidden and then making a large number of clones to attack the army of trolls from behind would have been the most intelligent course of action if killing the trolls had been his number one priority.

'You're right. . . but we're just clones. I can't make many more of us. If we face off against the trolls head-on, we'll get destroyed immediately,' Naruto said. The clones were much weaker than the original.

Kurama did not insist; his purpose was to guide Naruto, not to order him around. In the end, he left the choice up to the boy, all the more so because they were clones, not the original body, so their deaths would not really affect them. It was in this type of situation that Naruto would get to grow up, gain experience, and mature.

The blond appeared to be at an impasse, not knowing what choice to make.

On one hand, he would surely be able to buy enough time for all the civilians to evacuate if he listened to Kurama. On the other hand, he would likely be of no help to Dar'khan and the rest of the defenders against the army of trolls since he would likely perish against the numbers of the troll army.

If he went ahead with his initial plan, he would be able to deal a heavy blow to the troll army by attacking them from behind, greatly helping the Dar'khan and the rest. However, he was unsure of whether the civilians had managed to evacuate in time or not. It would be a gamble.

In the end, clone-Naruto formed a cross hand seal, and 30 more Shadow Clones appeared all over the forest, hidden in the crowns of the coniferous trees. That was the absolute maximum number of clones that he could create while he was a Shadow Clone himself. After spending an entire day away from the original body, the clone would not have been able to make even half that number if not for clone-Kyuubi freely sharing his chakra with him.

Soon, the sounds of a great number of bipedal beasts running through the forest were heard, and the first line of trolls appeared in his sight.

Green-skinned, with enormous tusks growing out of their mouths, standing at 2.5 m tall, and their bodies packed with muscles, the Amani trolls looked just as ugly and intimidating as he remembered them. They were twice as tall as Naruto and two or three times heavier.

But the Shadow Clones were not scared.

Just as the troll army's front line reached their location, the clones dropped from their trees on the heads of the trolls.

Death cries and shouts of surprise came from the trolls as 32 human children suddenly landed on their backs and sank their swords into the backs of their skulls.

"Oy, everyone, pour your chakra into the weapon. This sword we nabbed is hella good!" one of the clones shouted, and the rest quickly followed suit.

A mage blade's main purpose was to conduct mana/magic power. Therefore, even though Naruto's chakra control was not good enough for him to infuse regular weapons with it, the mage blade's special characteristic made it possible for him to do it.

The short swords in the clones' hands were engulfed by a blue light, and their blades seemed to lengthen as they poured their chakra into them.

Letting out shouts to psyche themselves up, the 32 clones made use of their superior speed and agility as they rushed at the trolls head-first, swinging their blades at the enemy with their entire might.

It wasn't the first time Naruto had fought trolls before. He knew how tough and hard to kill they were normally, but now he was startled to see how easy it was to slice them up with his Dar'khan's magic sword.

Another 30-something trolls were butchered, painting the frozen ground red with their blood.

However, just as the clones were inwardly celebrating their success, a hoarse cry came from the middle of the troll army, and the sound of thunder filled the air.

Faster than clone-Naruto could react, a bolt of lightning smashed into him and then chained up with another 8 clones, killing them instantly. Nine shadow clones were destroyed just like that!

It was a troll Shaman's Chain Lightning.

"Scatter!" one of the clones shouted, and the rest were quick to listen to his command, dispersing in all directions, with most of them jumping into the trees above.

Sounds of projectiles splitting the air were heard as many of the axe-throwing trolls below immediately hurled their hatchets at the clones, but they easily parried or deflected them with their short swords.

Another shaman in the trolls' midst started chanting, and one of the clones was suddenly engulfed by fire, out of nowhere. There was no visual sign of a spell travelling; there was no warning! He was killed instantly.

"Shit, go for their magicians!" one of the clones shouted.

A clone jumped from the tree straight at the first Shaman, attacking head-first.

Unfortunately, he had overestimated his speed. A massive greatsword cleaved his entire body in two just as he had gotten into the shaman's proximity, dispelling him. Troll warriors were stationed around the shaman, protecting him from all sides.

'If only I knew how to cast a Fireball jutsu like Sasuke could!' clone-Naruto thought, inwardly mad at himself for not bugging his former sensei more to teach him ninjutsu. Then again, had Kakashi-sensei taught him anything other than tree-walking?

If there was one upside to the current situation, it was that his attack had stopped the troll army's advance for the moment.

However, while the clones remained stationary in the trees above, trying to come up with a plan to take down the Shamans without losing too many of their numbers, the archers among the trolls below let out a volley of arrows.

"Careful!" one of the clones shouted to warn the others.

But Naruto was a shinobi. He had been training with weapons since before he knew how to read and write. Despite the arrows flying faster than a regular human's eyes could follow, the clones easily parried them with their swords or just dodged them, hiding behind the branches of the trees.

That was not the end of the trolls' attack. The hunters among them let their pet mountain lions loose, and the beasts bolted at the clones in the trees to kill them.

Blood and gore rained on the trolls as the clones mercilessly cut down every single cougar and giant lynx that climbed up in the trees to attack them.

Unfortunately, while the clones were preoccupied with fighting off the hunters' pets and parrying the many hatchets and arrows that were being hurled at them, the shamans did not stay idle either.

Several trees were incinerated, and six clones were erased from existence as a Shaman fired an extremely powerful Lava Burst spell at them.

"Watch out for their mages! They're attacking again!" one of the clones shouted, but, in the next moment, a troll Rogue suddenly appeared at his back as though it had teleported.

"What the-"

The clone twisted his body as fast as he could, and he even managed to parry the Rogue's Ambush with his sword, but the strength behind the attack was so great that he was pushed off the tree branch he had been standing on.

The clone's body did not even get to hit the ground before 3 arrows and 2 hatchets impaled his torso, dispelling him.

But the other clones did not just stand and watch. Right after the troll Rogue Ambushed the clone and pushed him off the tree, a short sword impaled him in the back of his head. Another clone had thrown his weapon like a kunai, killing the teleporting troll on the spot.

With the addition of the troll Rogues who could teleport in the mix, the clones' number started decreasing rapidly.

When there were only 10 clones left, as if they could read each others' thoughts, they split into three groups of three and attacked all the shamans that had revealed themselves until then in a desperate attack.

'We have to kill those troll mages no matter what!'

Most of the clones were blocked off by the Warrior Trolls' large shields and then killed off by the axe-wielding berserkers.

While the 9 clones got themselves killed, the 10th clone, who had stayed behind, pumped the last of his chakra into his sword and threw it at a shaman with his entire strength.

The troll was caught off guard, but Naruto's aim had not been perfect. Instead of nailing the troll in the forehead, the blade stabbed him in the throat.

One of the warriors nearby quickly pulled the short sword out of the shaman's throat, and, in the next moment, Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief as a light came from another Shaman, engulfing the dying Shaman's body and healing the mortal, gaping wound in its throat instantly.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Those were the last clone's last words before another Rogue teleported behind him and sank its jagged dagger into his back.

⁂

Having received all the memories of the clones that died in the battle against the troll army, Naruto started relaying the information he had obtained to everyone, shouting as hard as he could to make himself heard over the sound made by the Dragonhawks' butterfly wings beating the air.

"There are at least 500 trolls!"

He could see how the Elven prince's face stiffened when he heard his words. There had not been such a large-scale troll attack upon the Elven lands in hundreds of years.

"They got mages that can cast lightning and lava spells."

"And some of the trolls can teleport right behind your back."

"They also healed someone after almost dying, just like Lady Liadrin can do."

A feeling of urgency washed over everyone. That could no longer be taken as a mere skirmish but as an actual war.

"Everyone, I'll go there on foot," Naruto said, and, before they could stop him, he threw himself off the Dragonhawk, letting himself fall from a height of over 100 metres.

Kael'thas and his royal guards were all shocked.

"By the Sunwell, is he insane?!" one of the royal guards shouted.

The prince narrowed his eyes when Naruto's falling body was engulfed by a cloak of crimson-red energy.

Nevertheless, the elves did not stop their flight, nor did they try to catch Naruto with their Dragonhawks. They continued flying towards Dawnstar Village.

The elves' shock was renewed when a flicker of red light suddenly flashed through the golden treetops, stirring a powerful wind in its wake.

It was Naruto.

Amped by the bijuu's powerful chakra, he started running atop the trees at a speed that the elves had never seen in their long lives. He did not only keep up with the speed of the Dragonhawks' flight but he even left them behind, quickly disappearing into the horizon.

⁂

The Shadow Clones' stalling tactic and their valiant resistance against the troll army had not been in vain. By the time the trolls came down from the Amani Mountains, the civilians had long since evacuated the village and embarked on numerous boats to cross the Elrendar Lake, escaping towards the Suncrown Village.

Only Dar'khan and a handful of rangers stayed behind to fight against the troll army.

As a Magister, Dar'khan would not be able to run away even if he wanted. . . unless he preferred to be charged with treason and sentenced to prison. Nevertheless, the mage had no intention of leaving his precious Spire behind. His entire life's research was at stake.

As for the Elven rangers who stayed behind, despite their few numbers, they did not waver. There was a good reason why the Farstriders were held in such high regard by the entirety of Quel'Thalas' population.

High Elves could easily live 4000-5000 years if they aged in peace. Some of them lived even longer. Yet the Farstriders risked dying in the line of duty every day for the sake of keeping their people safe. Their sense of duty and self-sacrifice was the stuff of legends.

The savage scream of the horde of trolls running down the mountain made the elves' faces twist in grim determination. Just from the sound of it, they could tell that there had to be hundreds of them or more.

"Do not falter," Dar'khan said. "I am here, with you."

His words were not an empty boast. He was a magister.

"Reinforcement is also on the way. The Prince himself is coming to our aid. Just hold on. Fight to survive until our help arrives."

As Dar'khan said those words, 15 Arcane Golems came from the hangar behind the Dawnstar Spire. The golems were powered by arcane cores; an arcane core's selling price was high enough for a human peon to live off it for an entire year or more without working. The Magister had spent a fortune to activate all his golems for the sake of the upcoming fight.

The Arcane Golems' apparition and the Magister's words made hope bloom in the rangers' hearts. They had been preparing themselves to die in battle, but now they dared to hope that they get to see another day.

Right as the first line of trolls came out of the forest, Dar'khan raised his staff high up in the air.

The blue, crystal-clear sky abruptly darkened as black, heavy clouds covered the sun. A cold wind blew, and then, one by one, small icicles started falling from the sky.

At first, the trolls charged through the magically induced blizzard intent on toughing it out, but the icicles falling down from the sky increased in size, turning from small splinters to stake-like shards of ice the size of daggers.

The Shamans among the trolls waved their hands and chanted in their wretched tongue, asking for the help of the Loa spirits to disperse the Magister's Blizzard Spell.

Alas, the spirits they worshipped could not readily answer their call because the high elves' Runetsones greatly weakened their power. Not only did the Runestones protecting Quel'Thalas weaken the enemy's magic, but they also empowered the elven mage, increasing the strength and deadliness of his spell.

Nevertheless, there was only so much that the Blizzard Spell could do. Raising their tribal shields above their heads, the troll Warriors started charging through, relying on their racial regeneration to heal the flesh wounds they sustained on the parts of their bodies that their shields could not fully protect.

"Rangers, take aim!" the Ranger Lieutenant ordered, and four dozen elves notched an arrow in their bows before pulling their string.

"Fire!"

Dozens of trolls fell dead or grievously wounded as the elves' arrows hit true.

But then, the Shamans in the back chanted their spells, and a healing light engulfed the still-surviving Warriors in the front line like a chain. It was a well-known Shamanistic healing spell, Chain Heal.

Unfortunately for the trolls, unlike a few minutes ago when their healing spells could bring someone from the brink of death to make a full recovery in an instant, even healing a hole in the throat, the Shaman's Chains Heals were greatly reduced in efficacity after entering the territory of Quel'Thalas. The healing spell did not regenerate the trolls instantly, nor could it save those who were on the brink of death.

Regardless, the Amani did not fear death.

Letting out savage screams of rage, the forest trolls braved all the the volleys of arrows fired by the elves and threw themselves at Dar'khan like a pack of rabid wolves, to kill him.

It was then that the massive Arcane Golems stepped into the fray.

A loud bang was heard as a tall and muscular troll Warrior's body was flung back like a cannonball when an Arcane Golem's enormous metallic fist smashed into him.

There were only 15 Arcane Golems, but their might was overwhelming. With every swing of their enormous punches, a troll would die a horrible death, their body smashed to a pulp. They were like lions in a pack of dogs, causing a massacre in their midst.

"Keep firing!" the Ranger Lieutenant shouted at his subordinates, and the arrow that he had just notched into his bow glowed with a blue light as he infused his mana into it.

It was an Arcane Shot.

The arrow flew through the air like a comet and nailed a troll Shaman right between his eyes, killing him on the spot.

Things seemed to be going well for a while, with Dar'khan keeping the bulk of the troll army at bay with his Blizzard Spell and the Arcane Golems and the Elven Rangers destroying the Warriors who managed to slip through the ice storm.

That was the case until a Shaman let out a cry and the rest of the trolls' eyes turned blood red. The Shaman's spell drove the rest of the army into a frenzy.

It was Bloodlust, a Shamanistic spell that made the target go into a frenzy and lowered their mental faculties by filling them with a desire to kill in exchange for drastically increasing their agility.

At the same time, a Shadowhunter sprung up from Dar'khan's shadow in front of him and kicked the mage staff out of his hands.

The Blizzard Spell broke when Dar'khan lost his staff and the rest of the troll army was finally able to charge towards the elves again.

But the mage's problem was far more urgent because, after kicking his staff away, the Shadowhunter swung his dagger at his neck wildly to Eviscerate him.

Still, Dar'khan was a veteran of the Troll Wars. He was not one to get done in so easily. Before the Shadowhunter's dagger could slice his jugular, the elf thrust his hand forth, and a powerful gale of icy wind burst towards the troll, blasting him away violently. Then, he also cast a Blink spell, teleporting himself 20 metres back, away from the Shadowhunter's melee range.

Unfortunately, in the meantime, the troll army had managed to close the distance. With the Bloodlust Spell still in effect, the trolls were far faster and more agile than normal.

A troll Shaman fired a Lava Burst at an Arcane Golem, greatly injuring one of its arms. If it had been outside the borders of Quel'Thalas, that spell would have obliterated the golem, but that was the best his Lava Burst could do now. Still, it was enough. A troll berserker followed up with an attack of his own and swung his heavy waraxe at the middle section of the golem, destroying the large gem that held the golem together.

The elven rangers started Disengaging, making large jumps backwards and notching 3-5 arrows at a time, firing them like a machine gun, mowing down any trolls that got in range.

Unfortunately, even with their substantial superiority in skill and knowledge of battle, the first casualty among the elves appeared eventually.

A troll hunter's giant lynx had sneaked upon a young elf and jumped on his back, sinking its fangs into his neck. In addition, a troll Warrior followed through with an attack of his own, his greatsword beheading both the elf and the giant lynx that had attacked him.

In his lust for blood, the troll Warrior picked up the elf's fallen head and raised it above his face, opening his mouth greedily to suck the blood dripping from it.

"Disgusting savages!" Dar'khan screamed, and, with a flick of his wrist, he flung two ice lances at the Warrior, impaling him in the heart and in the head.

However, a moment later, the Shadowhunter that Dar'khan had previously blown away with a Cone of Cold spell had zeroed on him again, and, this time, it was not a melee attack but a shadow spell he attacked with.

It was Shadow Word: Pain.

Excruciating pain erupted in Dar'khan's head, so agonising that he fell on his knees, clutching his head as he screamed.

At the same time, another elven ranger fell to a troll Hunter's poisoned arrow.

Three Arcane Golems were also ensnared by a Shaman's Earthgrab Totem, which had made powerful vines grow out of the ground and coiled around them like snakes. Now immobilised, the golems were hacked and torn apart by the Troll Warriors.

It was chaos.

And the trolls had yet to stop pouring out from the mountains; their numbers were well over 700 by now.

Despite the overwhelming odds stacked against them, the Elves fought tooth and nail, aiming to take as many trolls with them to the grave. The closer to death they were, the faster they moved, the more precise their movements became, and the deadlier their blades.

The Ranger Lieutenant pulled the bowstring of his longbow, and his arrow flickered with lightning as he fired a Stormshot at the Shadowhunter who had cast a Shadow Word: Pain on the mage. The Shadowhunter died on the spot, a hole the size of a fist in his face.

Finally freed from his agonising pain, Dar'khan stood up in a rage, and a ball of fire took form between his hands.

"Flamestrike!" he shouted, throwing the ball of fire into the middle of the troll army.

A massive explosion erupted from the ground, killing over 50 trolls and burning them until only their bones and weapons remained.

Unfortunately, that number was like a drop in the ocean. All that Dar'khan could see in front of his eyes was a disgusting sea of green, an endless army of savage trolls.

'Am I really going to die here?'

Another elven ranger fell at that moment, an axethrower troll's hatchet having split her forehead open.

Dar'khan clenched his teeth. Blink was a mentally draining spell, but he had regained his focus. If he Blinked away now, he could escape from the battlefield. He could retreat into this Spire, into his Mage Tower, and survive.

'Should I make a run for it?'

If he left at that moment, his ranger comrades would all perish, unquestionably. And he would be called a traitor.

Despite his thoughts of retreating, Dar'khan did not stay in a stupor. His staff lit up with his magic power as he started firing bolts of arcane magic at a very fast speed, each one of his attacks leaving holes in the bodies of any troll they hit.

A troll Rogue teleported behind him like the Shadowhunter from before, but a dome of purple light exploded from Dar'khan. The Arcane Explosion made the troll howl in pain and squirm on the ground like a worm after his skin was melted off, revealing the raw flesh underneath.

'I'd have to leave Quel'Thalas and live in exile. I'd have to watch out for the assassins they'd send after my head for decades. . . but that's still better than dying.'

However, just as the elven Magister was about to make a run for it, something akin to a meteorite landed in the middle of the troll army and what appeared like a massive tail of red energy swept dozens of trolls away, sending them flying and screaming.

Then, a shout in a language that neither the elves nor the trolls could understand reverberated over the battlefield:

"Tajuu Kage Bunshin on Jutsu!"

AN: If you want to join my Discord server, you can do it at /x7xdd53WqE. It is a small server for now, but I am active there if you have any questions or if you just want to talk about fanfiction. You can find more information and pics about Orcbane there too, in this fic's dedicated channel, [Orcbane].

For those of you who wish to support me, you can find [Chapter 7] and [Chapter 8] ahead of schedule, on ptr eon, at /grumpywolf.

⁂

Check out my other Naruto fics and crossovers:

- [Samsara]: Naruto/Bleach (my newest fic, Naruto/Rangiku pairing)
- [Hope in Ruination] Naruto/League of Legends (Naruto/Ahri)
- [Eclipsed]: Naruto/Justice League (Naruto/Starfire/Supergirl throuple)

- [The Renegade]: Naruto/Konan pairing. Complete.
- [Caterpillar]: Naruto/Justice League (Wonder Woman pairing). Complete.
- [The Fox and the Hare]: Naruto/My Hero Academia (Mirko pairing). Complete

If you are also a fan of Harry Potter, I have quite a few fics for you too:

- [Living for Tomorrow]: AU, aged-up Harry. Harry/Fleur pairing.
- [Emissary]: Harry Potter/Justice League (Harry Potter/Powergirl pairing)

- [The Nexus]: Harry Potter/Nier Automata (it is a Sci-Fi, post-apocalyptic fic. 2B pairing)
- [Ashwinder]: Harry Potter/Warframe (also a sci-fi, post-apocalyptic fic. Warframes pairing).

- [Back? Not Really]: time+dimension travel fic. Harry/Fleur pairing. Complete.