Harry Potter: Journey to Godhood

The entire valley was engulfed in flames, fire and smoke everywhere. The sudden surge in temperature created violent gusts of wind in the enclosed terrain, which in turn fueled the blaze even further.

Many orcs were instantly turned into human torches. Before long, the scent of roasted flesh filled the valley air.

Orgrim, worthy of being called an exceptional commander, quickly gathered nearly half of the orcs and cleared a patch of land within the inferno, an area devoid of flammable material, for temporary refuge.

Yet, he knew full well, trapped in this firestorm, it wasn't just the flames that could kill them. The suffocating smoke and intense heat were equally deadly.

This tiny safe zone merely bought them a few extra moments of life.

Orgrim looked toward the deeper part of the valley, where yellow miasma lingered thick in the air.

Though the wind from the fire had dispersed some of the poison fog, the depth of the valley was clearly immense, and the breeze couldn't blow away all the toxic vapors.

Still, it was likely due to this poisonous fog that no plants grew in the inner valley, and the fire couldn't spread there easily.

Weighing the inferno behind him, Orgrim finally made a decision.

Advance deeper into the valley.

Compared to burning alive, the poisonous fog seemed the lesser evil, and perhaps their only chance at survival.

Casting a deep glance toward the mountaintop where a human mage stood, Orgrim buried the sting of defeat and led the remaining twenty to thirty thousand orcs, barely four tenths of his original force, into the mist-shrouded valley.

And under the cover of the blaze, only Alaric noticed this.

For some reason, the mage didn't stop them. Instead, he smiled, a mysterious expression playing at his lips.

As someone familiar with the original timeline, Alaric knew exactly what lay beyond the valley, something no one else was aware of.

Luring the Horde into the toxic gorge had been part of his plan all along: to guide them through this secret passage into the heart of the Alliance.

Because of Alaric's involvement, the Alliance had held the upper hand throughout their conflict with the Horde. Only Stromgarde Kingdom had been unfortunate.

Now that the advantage had become overwhelming, the Horde had suffered blow after blow.

Some in the Alliance began dismissing the orcs as little more than a minor pest, with the war seen as a nuisance more than a threat.

In truth, Alaric's goal in helping the Alliance wasn't just to protect its strength or crush the Horde he despised.

He also needed the Horde as a symbol, a reminder to the entire continent of Azeroth.

Disaster had never truly left this world.

If the Alliance continued to treat the Horde with disdain, his efforts would be in vain.

And that, he would never allow.

So Alaric devised a plan, one that would shake the Alliance deeply without breaking it entirely.

For example, the destruction of a small kingdom.

…

But for now, Alaric's scheming could wait.

After the dry wood and grass had been reduced to ash and the heat finally began to dissipate, Alliance troops were able to enter the valley and assess the aftermath.

At the entrance, they found orc corpses riddled with arrows and boulders.

Within the charred remains of the firestorm, they discovered even more burnt orc bodies, many reduced to mummified husks or blackened silhouettes, dying in grotesque agony.

To professional soldiers, such sights were hardly new. But after a thorough inspection, they reached a conclusion.

The numbers didn't add up.

Only thirty or forty thousand orcs had died in the valley. The rest were gone.

Based on tracks and other signs, it was clear they had fled deeper into the gorge.

Yet no one wanted to follow. The toxic miasma wasn't something anyone wished to test.

So, after stationing a small force to guard the valley's entrance, the rest of the troops withdrew.

In Alliance intelligence, the missing orcs, including Warchief Orgrim Doomhammer, were classified as "missing."

The report was sent to Anduin Lothar and the kings of the other Alliance nations.

No one paid much attention. No one saw the missing orcs as a real threat.

With no one knowing the true nature of the gorge, the entire Alliance celebrated, hailing the event as a glorious victory.

The orcs, at least for the moment, had lost their leader. Their threat was greatly diminished. The light of triumph was near.

Some kings, like Aiden Perenolde of Alterac and Genn Greymane of Gilneas, had already begun discussing how to divide the spoils once the war was over, despite having contributed little to the conflict.

Nobles, too, rushed to send their sons and private forces to the front lines, hoping to snatch some last-minute merit.

Previously, they had been too afraid of the Horde to risk their own power.

Such laughable actions were everywhere.

Lothar found himself deeply troubled.

These "supporting" nobles stirred up trouble in camp and constantly pressured the Alliance to leave the safety of the Thandol Span and go on the offensive, eager to earn some glory for themselves.

But the Alliance's defensive strategy had been carefully laid out. There was no way it would be changed on a whim.

Alaric, meanwhile, remained in camp, instructing Jaina and watching events unfold with cold detachment.

It was worth mentioning that during this time, Miss Onyxia, Alaric's maid, was unusually absent, much to the delight of his two personal guards, Vereesa and Garona.

Jaina, the young girl, had learned much during her time by Alaric's side.

Exposed to the ugliness of the nobility and royalty, she became indignant and tried to convince Alaric to teach them a lesson.

Alaric simply smiled at the naive request, but he did teach Jaina a few prank spells.

The little devil soon took great pleasure in using these spells to torment the noble brats seeking glory.

Rumors of ghosts in the military camp became rampant, and many noble sons were scared witless.

In this manner, a week passed.

Then Onyxia returned to Alaric's side.

The Black Dragon Princess brought with her a secret piece of intelligence.

The previously missing Orgrim Doomhammer and over twenty thousand elite orc troops had appeared, in the Kingdom of Alterac.

And the Kingdom of Alterac, surrounded by the Alterac Mountains, was secretly preparing to surrender to the orcs.

No one in the Alliance knew this. King Aiden had kept it tightly under wraps. Only Onyxia, embedded among Alterac's nobles, had caught wind of the betrayal.

If this information got out, it would cause a massive uproar within the Alliance.

Because if Alterac surrendered, Orgrim would gain access to the true heartland of the Alliance, and could strike directly at Capital City, Lordaeron.

Lordaeron, the Alliance's strongest kingdom, had committed most of its forces to Lothar. Its vast territory required guards on all fronts.

The number of troops protecting the capital itself was minimal.

Which meant that even with just twenty thousand or so elite troops, Orgrim could seize the city.

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