Uther's warhammer crushed the head of a troll in front of him, and the great knight effortlessly carved out a wide space around himself. The Power of the Light strengthened Uther's physique; while it didn't grant him world-shattering destructive power, and ordinary swords could still harm him, transcendence was still transcendence. Common trolls were simply no match for Uther.
Under the relentless charges of the Lordaeron cavalry and the precise arrows of the elves, this troll vanguard finally showed signs of collapse. An old troll hunter sensed their disadvantage. After wielding two battle-axes to repel a Paladin's attack, he lunged towards Uther, clearly identifying him as the linchpin of the human forces. The Lightbringer watched the fierce troll hunter, calmly tightened his grip on his warhammer, and prepared for battle. The immense Power of the Light condensed on the hammer's head, ready to unleash a heavy blow at any moment.
Unfortunately for the troll, he hadn't fully taken his stride when a warhammer, seemingly condensed from pure Light, streaked across the battlefield like lightning. Before he could even react, the glowing weapon slammed violently into his face. The tall, headless body slowly toppled, its neck charred black as if scorched by extreme heat. Not only that, but the Light warhammer still retained power after felling the troll hunter, causing a violent explosion among the surrounding trolls. Uther's lips curled into a faint smile. He twisted his arm, and his heavy hammer effortlessly knocked a troll pouncing from behind to the ground, crushing its head with a decisive blow.
Arthas, who had arrived on the battlefield, led twenty Privilege Knights, cutting through the troll formation like a hot knife through butter. The Power of Menethil was imbued with scorching Light, and every time Arthas swung his arm, two or three trolls screamed and fell to the ground. Their boasted self-healing ability was useless against Arthas and his Privilege Knights, because their attacks were precise, lethal, and consistently delivered one-hit kills. As more and more trolls fell, the troll vanguard finally shattered. They swiftly retreated into the dense forest, leaving behind hundreds of bodies as they fled in disarray.
The brilliant Light around Arthas slowly dissipated. He rode his horse back to Uther's side. "Sorry, Teacher, I arrived a bit late."
"You're just in time, Arthas," Uther leaned on his warhammer, showing no signs of fatigue. Compared to the intensity of the Orcish Wars, the pressure these trolls could exert on him was minimal.
"Have the soldiers clear the battlefield. We need to go to headquarters; the situation is a bit complicated," Arthas dispatched soldiers and elves to clear the battlefield and instructed the Paladins and Priests to remain on standby in case the troll corpses carried voodoo curses.
Upon entering the tent, Uther immediately noticed the curse on Sylvanas. He frowned, understanding that this affliction seemed very difficult to deal with. "What happened to Lady Windrunner ?"
"She might have been cursed by a high-ranking troll priest, but I have a way to dispel it; it just needs time," Arthas briefly explained. At this time, all the commanders from both the human and elven sides gathered in the tent to discuss their next plan.
"Thank you for Lordaeron's assistance. I won't waste words. Based on the intelligence and speculation from my scouts, the number of trolls has exceeded our original expectations," Sylvanas, whose complexion had improved significantly after initial treatment by Lilian, stated the current situation swiftly and decisively.
"How many of them are there now?" Uther asked.
"Currently, it's very likely over twenty thousand." Sylvanas's tone seemed a bit low, as the numerical disparity between the two sides was simply too great. "Therefore, with the defense level of the outpost alone, we cannot withstand the troll attack. We must retreat within the Bandinoreil Barrier and use the barrier and the fortress to block the troll attack. We have already repelled another wave of their attacks, and without significant losses. But we must evacuate before their next attack." Sylvanas drew a line on the map, pointing out their retreat destination.
"I have a question, Lady Sylvanas," Uther raised his doubt. "We still haven't figured out why the trolls are gathering so many people. If it's just to attack Quel'Thalas, they could easily abandon our heavily guarded fortress and attack other places."
"That's also what worries me," Sylvanas shared the same concern, but the Farstriders' lack of manpower was also a fact. "Fortunately, there are teleportation arrays in the other fortresses. If the trolls attack other fortresses, we can provide support at the fastest speed."
Arthas stared at the map on the table, his brows tightly furrowed. He said with some uncertainty, "No… that's not right. The troll attack isn't without purpose."
"Oh?" Everyone present, upon hearing Arthas's statement, turned their attention to him, eager to hear the prince's thoughts.
"You just mentioned that the Farstriders are short on manpower, and as your old adversaries, the trolls must be very aware of this," Arthas analyzed. "If I were the troll commander, I would definitely feign an attack here while you're deploying troops, and then send a large force to attack other places, especially since their numbers are at least ten times ours."
Sylvanas nodded in agreement after listening. "Indeed, no matter who is leading these trolls, he can't be a fool. There are clearly easier places to break through; they shouldn't be here fighting us to the death."
"And now the Farstriders have been tied up at this outpost for several days, and if the trolls haven't attacked other fortresses yet, it means that what they're doing here is very likely not a feint, but their main force…" Arthas's gaze drifted to Sylvanas, and coupled with the fact that Sylvanas was cursed, he felt he was very close to the answer. "Lady Windrunner, I think I know what the trolls' target is."
"What is it?"
"Their target is nothing else; they simply want to lure you and your troops out of Bandinoreil."
Arthas's answer stunned everyone. They instinctively wanted to refute him, but Sylvanas herself spoke first. "That sounds a bit absurd? Their goal in war is greater casualties?"
"It might sound absurd, but it's very consistent with the trolls' bizarre behavior," Arthas explained. "Otherwise, they could have chosen to attack other places. If they merely wanted to pillage, burn, and loot, or seek revenge, there would be no need to engage the main force of the Farstriders here in a head-on battle. So they gathered here, even at the cost of using several tribal witch doctors as bait, either to capture or kill you, or to completely annihilate the Ranger Corps. Given that these trolls are very likely commanded by their High Priests, I guess they are very likely seeking sacrifices for the revival of their loa. Lady Windrunner , as the leader of the Farstriders and also a powerful ranger, this aligns perfectly with the trolls' usual sacrificial methods."
The officers of the Ranger Corps lowered their heads thoughtfully. The trolls' behavior was indeed different from before; they usually chose to attack the weakest defensive points, but this time they waited until their forces were fully assembled and chose the most difficult place to strike. If they had previously believed the trolls were confident in their numerical advantage, after Arthas's words, they involuntarily began to analyze this possibility.
"But how can you be sure?" Sylvanas asked after a moment of silence.
Arthas replied without hesitation, "Of course, I can't be sure right now, but we can test the trolls. If they take the bait, it means my speculation is correct."
Sylvanas narrowed her eyes, her slender eyelashes trembling slightly, and a playful expression appeared on her delicate, pale face. "How do you plan to test them?"
"They set a trap with bait, and we can do the same," Arthas's smile became meaningful. "After all, trolls prefer live sacrifices over corpses."