As the encirclement tightened, the Horde's situation grew increasingly dire.
Though the Horde had successfully seized the capital of Alterac at Broken Ridge, that didn't mean they could hold it.
In truth, the Horde had never been adept at defending cities, especially not human ones. Guarding a human city was an entirely unfamiliar experience for them.
These once-barbaric tribes, who had long lived in clan-based settlements, had not adapted to urban life even after conquering Stormwind.
Few of them chose to reside in the city. Now, living like humans was still alien to them, let alone employing the tactics required to defend such places.
Orgrim himself understood clearly that being trapped in an isolated city meant slow death for the Horde.
Only by breaking out could they grasp a sliver of hope.
And the direction they chose for this breakout was due east, into the territory held by the Barov family.
In truth, the choice hadn't been difficult.
Though they were being attacked on three sides, the south and north housed the elite forces of Lordaeron and the Alliance.
Only the east was defended by scattered remnants of Alterac's defeated army.
Moreover, the Horde had previously conquered these lands and now viewed their defenses with disdain.
Most importantly, the main Horde forces were stationed in the Arathi Highlands, southeast of their current position.
Alaric was well aware of all this. Therefore, in the three-pronged Allied encirclement strategy, his forces were mainly defensive, tasked with blocking the Horde's retreat route.
Only when the other two fronts gained the upper hand in battle would his army take the offensive.
Now that the Horde had decisively abandoned the meager gains at Broken Ridge and aimed to flee Alterac altogether, Alaric, who lacked elite troops, wisely pulled back his forces to fortify Kel'Dalorn County, relying on its city walls to halt the Horde's advance.
In fact, there were many other Alterac villages and towns between Kel'Dalorn and Broken Ridge.
But under Alaric's orders, the Barov family's private soldiers had forcibly evacuated all civilians from those settlements, concentrating them in Kel'Dalorn.
They also took with them anything that might benefit the Horde, including food and weapons.
And it turned out that Alaric's strategy was extremely wise.
It took the Horde several days to wind through the rugged mountain paths and descend into the hilly regions, returning to lands they had once occupied.
But thus far, not a single human had been seen. Every village and town was eerily deserted, like ghost towns.
Not just the people, even a single grain of food had not been left behind.
This dashed the Horde's hopes of living off the land.
Though they had obtained a substantial amount of Alterac's stored grain in Broken Ridge, it wouldn't last long.
As Alterac's capital, Broken Ridge was never a breadbasket. Most of Alterac's food had always come from the deep-pocketed Barov family.
Furthermore, though Alterac had not sent many troops to support the Alliance, they had at least contributed a significant portion of their grain to the war effort.
This had already depleted their reserves and, by extension, reduced what the Horde could loot.
The Horde needed to find more food sources. Otherwise, they'd starve long before reaching the Arathi Highlands, or at least be too weak to fight.
The Horde's quartermasters reported this concern to Orgrim, but their Warchief assured them that the next city would resolve the issue.
He firmly believed that the humans of Alterac couldn't simply vanish into thin air. They had to be living somewhere, and wherever there were people, there would be food.
The next day, at the edge of Kel'Dalorn County, the Horde's vanguard emerged from the mountains like a swarm.
As usual, the Doomhammer marched at the front.
Now, he halted in his tracks, marveling at the scene before him.
A vast lake stretched across the hills ahead, its silver-green waters shimmering in the morning light. This was Lake Darrowmere, the heart of Kel'Dalorn County.
The Barov family's castle stood on a small island at the center of the lake.
On the opposite shore, mountain ranges ran east to west, very much like the ones the orcs had just crossed, differing only in gradient.
One sloped eastward, the other westward. Together, they formed a massive V shape, with the lake nestled in its center. On one side of the lake stood a walled city.
"Kel'Dalorn County."
Doomhammer studied the city carefully. Along the walls, he could make out many silhouettes, likely the defending troops. Boats drifted across Lake Darrowmere as well.
This city was no longer abandoned like the others.
It was clear now: the missing villagers had all been gathered here.
If they could conquer this place, the Horde would control both the food supply and the escape route out of Alterac.
For the Horde, taking this city, which they had already conquered once, shouldn't be difficult, right?
With that thought, he raised his warhammer high above his head and let out a thunderous battle cry.
The other Horde warriors joined in, shouting at the top of their lungs. Soon, the surrounding hills echoed with their rage, joy, and bloodlust.
Doomhammer laughed heartily.
This city would soon know that he and his warriors had arrived. That battle cry would strike terror into their hearts.
Before the defenders even had a chance to react, the Horde would crush them completely.
"Charge the city!" Orgrim roared, once again lifting his warhammer. "Just like we've done before! Advance, warriors! Strike while our battle cry still rings in their ears!"
Doomhammer was the first to charge down the hill and onto the plains, eyes fixed solely on the city ahead. That was his target.
Behind him, the orc warriors followed their leader, roaring as they went. To them, taking this city was nothing more than a charge away.
Last time, when they passed through Gorge and ambushed Alterac, they had conquered Kel'Dalorn County just as swiftly.
Back then, the city guards had fled at the mere sight of them. The walls had provided almost no resistance.
The only serious opposition came from Alex Barov and some of the Barov family's private soldiers.
In the end, the only fate for the defenders was death. Lord Alex had fallen in battle.
Now, the Horde launched another assault on the city.
But unlike before, this time the defenders were not led by the incompetent Alex, but by Alaric, who had been a thorn in the Horde's side time and again.
This time, the battle's outcome might be very different.
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