The sudden and distorted terrain before them was baffling, yet not without its advantages.
"Well, at least this isn't so bad," Alaric said comfortingly.
"Tracking them across this rocky ground is definitely better than staying in that damp swamp.
Honestly, I couldn't stand the stench there. So, I'm not opposed to a change of scenery."
The others all agreed.
They mounted their horses once more and continued their advance.
That night, the Alliance set up camp on the spot. While everyone else shook off the day's fatigue and prepared to rest, Alaric remained awake, studying the transformed terrain.
He was attempting to understand the residual effects of the Dark Portal, a massive, unprecedented teleportation spell, by observing the surrounding environmental changes.
Through this, he hoped to uncover the portal's magical mechanisms.
Suddenly, something caught his attention. His expression grew serious, and he summoned all the high-ranking commanders.
"I think we have a problem," he began, drawing everyone's gaze. The young mage continued.
"The Dark Portal is too powerful. Its effect on our world isn't static...
In fact, it's spreading over time, the terrain is continuing to transform into Draenor's. It's like it's merging the two worlds."
"What kind of impact will that have on our world?" Alleria asked.
As the eldest of the Windrunner sisters and a leader among the high elf rangers, she had never been especially fond of mages, particularly high elf ones, but Alaric was an exception.
Besides, she was especially attuned to nature and environmental changes.
Alaric nodded.
"I believe it will have consequences," he said.
"Maybe the short-term impact isn't drastic, but over time, more and more of Azeroth will begin to resemble the ground beneath our feet."
"So, their world is made of this red stone?" the elven ranger speculated.
"Not entirely," Alaric replied.
"That world originally had jungles, grasslands, just like ours.
But because of demonic conspiracies and fel corruption, most of that world has turned into this red terrain. Nature itself has been wiped out.
Only a few forms of life survive. And now, that corruption is seeping through the portal. Every time the orcs use fel magic, it makes things worse."
"Looks like we've got one more reason to destroy it," Alleria growled.
High elf rangers revered nature, rivaling even the night elves in that regard, making such a transformation intolerable. "The sooner the better. We can't let this thing remain."
Sylvanas and Vereesa shared the same sentiment.
So did Liadrin, Uther, and the rest of the paladins. All were determined to stop the spread of this evil force.
In short, the desire to destroy the Dark Portal became more urgent than ever.
Three days later, the gryphon riders under Kurdran returned, bringing news: the orcs had ceased moving.
"They've gathered in a large canyon ahead," one of the riders reported. "At the center... there's a structure that looks like a gate."
Everyone's eyes lit up, that could only be the Dark Portal.
"Then inform everyone," Alaric said as he stood, issuing the order. "We strike at the orcs immediately."
The soldiers were already prepared.
Following Alaric's instructions, they tied cloth around their warhorses' hooves to muffle the sound of hooves striking the hard, red rock, ensuring the orcs wouldn't be alerted.
After climbing a slope, the land suddenly dipped into a deep ravine, with towering cliffs on either side.
At the center of the canyon, just as the scouts described, stood a massive gate, not built into a wall or structure, but suspended in midair.
When they finally saw the full structure, Alaric took a sharp breath.
The Dark Portal, it couldn't be anything else, was over a hundred meters tall, and only slightly narrower in width.
It was constructed from gray stones tinged with green. The pillars on either side were engraved with coarse, twisted runes that spiraled around a grimacing skull.
Each side was flanked by two wicked-looking barbs, with the stone columns above adorned with crude decorations.
Within the frame of the gate was the portal itself, glowing with a swirling mixture of green and black energy, radiating a terrifying aura.
As a mage, Alaric immediately sensed that this portal wasn't powered by the arcane magic he was familiar with, it was something far more chaotic: fel energy.
This Dark Portal didn't just serve as a framework for the teleportation, it was something far more dangerous.
Alaric could feel the fel energy from within it extending downward, burrowing deep into the earth and siphoning its power to fuel itself.
Indeed, this was the power of the Burning Legion, an utterly destructive force that devoured all life to sustain itself.
The orcs were gathered in front of the portal, though they appeared uncertain of their purpose.
There were more of them than the group Alaric's forces had been pursuing, clearly, he'd guessed right: the Horde had left some orcs behind to guard the portal.
Even so, the Alliance still held a significant numerical advantage.
These orcs were clustered in small groups, seemingly unable to trust anyone beyond their families or clans.
From that, it was clear: this wasn't an army, it was a rabble.
But that didn't lessen the Alliance's hatred, nor would it halt the coming assault.
"Full charge!" Alaric shouted.
With Lothar absent, Alaric, as acting supreme commander, had no choice but to take the lead himself, even as a mage.
Still, even mages had ways of handling the front lines.
"Iron Bones!"
"Bear's Strength!"
"Bull's Endurance!"
"Cat's Grace!"
"High Arcane Weapon Enchantment!"
...
As a mage already infused with the power of dragons, Alaric's strength and defense, amplified by enchantments, reached superhuman levels.
On the battlefield, few could match him. With such power, he could fight like a legendary warrior, this was the unstoppable might of a combat-variant transformation mage.
In a DND world, there was even a spell known as Tenser's Transformation that could turn a mage into the equivalent of a warrior, matching them in physical prowess, battle instinct, and more.
Such a transformation would be terrifying.
Though Alaric didn't know Tenser's Transformation, he had trained in swordsmanship. Now, wielding the Infinite Blade, he struck with unmatched force and precision.
He spurred his horse over the cliff's edge, charging down the slope, nearly landing on a few orcs.
His sword thrust forward, effortlessly piercing one orc, then followed through with a sweeping slash, splitting the first orc in two and knocking a second to the ground with sheer force.
That orc slammed into a third, toppling all three.
Alleria and Sylvanas rushed in beside him, drawing elven longswords and twin blades instead of their bows, close combat was also part of a ranger's training.
Vereesa followed close behind, while Liadrin and the paladins formed two flanks around Alaric, charging into the fray. The rest of the Alliance forces followed without hesitation.
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