As Andreas led his army into Shandaral, the situation in Northrend, which had been peaceful for over 2,000 years, began to surge with turbulence.
The great war between the Furbolgs and the Trolls alarmed all nearby races. Even the Vrykul of Voldrune temporarily slowed their assault on Venture Bay, sending out numerous scouts to the periphery of the battlefield to gather intelligence.
Although the Trolls were equally high in morale, they found it extremely difficult to withstand the Furbolgs' fearless and suicidal charges.
The two sides clashed desperately around the city gates; for the moment, neither could gain the upper hand.
Hakkoa, the Snow Leopard Loa who was being targeted, was infuriated by the Furbolgs' insolence. She dispatched a large number of her offspring to join the battle. These snow leopards, moving like ghosts under the cover of the environment, caused significant trouble for the Furbolgs' advance.
"Strange."
Chief Drakuru gazed out at the stalemate on the front lines, puzzled. "After such a long deadlock, the Furbolgs should have a clear idea of Drak'Agtra's defensive strength by now. They can't possibly break through the gates in a short time. Why are they still so obsessed with this frontal assault?"
"Report!"
A Troll scout rushed in from outside and knelt on one knee. "Chief, the Night Elves have kept their promise and released General Kilix. He has just arrived at the camp. Shall we summon him?"
Drakuru snapped out of his contemplation, his eyes flickering before he said, "Let him in. I want to know exactly what methods the Night Elves used, and how Kilix lost Gundrak so easily."
A few minutes later, General Kilix, wrapped in numerous bandages, strode anxiously into the main tent.
Without even pausing to salute, Kilix spoke urgently: "Chief! We might have been tricked!"
"The Furbolgs' main attack at the Drak'Agtra Path is likely just a diversion. They might be concentrating all their Shamans to the east of the Great Bear Demigod's lair, using earth magic to blast through the wall's defenses in the shortest time possible!"
"What?!"
Drakuru didn't have time to scold or question him. He stood up in shock. "Where did you get this information? Why haven't I received any reports of this?"
Kilix smacked his lips and replied with some displeasure, "The Night Elves told me. And their explanation was very logical."
"Chief, have any Furbolg Shamans been spotted on the battlefield?"
"No..."
Drakuru's expression changed instantly after answering subconsciously. "Quick! Order the defenders on the eastern wall segment to heighten their alert! Report any sign of Furbolgs immediately."
"General Kilix, I will hand over a quarter of our forces to you. Please head to the eastern wall to support them at once. We cannot let them breach the wall easily!"
...
Meanwhile, Andreas, who had been overseeing things from the rear, had arrived at the front of Drak'Tharon Keep in full battle gear.
Leticia asked in confusion, "Are you certain the Furbolgs will try to break through the eastern wall after such tragic sacrifices on the frontal battlefield?"
"The number of fallen Furbolg soldiers has already exceeded 20,000. If they fail to succeed in one strike, won't they have to live with their tails between their legs for the next few hundred years?"
Andreas tapped Leticia's head with his staff. "You should use your brain more. I shared all the intelligence Prissem gathered with you. Didn't you notice anything strange?"
"Ugh~ stop hitting my head."
Leticia rubbed her head grumpily. "I noticed it. The Furbolgs haven't deployed any spellcasting classes on the frontal battlefield, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're going to launch a collective sneak attack on the eastern wall, does it?"
Andreas rolled his eyes. "A brain is a good thing to have; it's a pity you don't seem to use yours."
"If the Furbolgs really intended to go all-in on the gates of Drak'Agtra, wouldn't it be more effective to include Shamans with their excellent support abilities? Why would they hide their Shamans at this critical juncture?"
"Also, considering the straight-line distance between the Great Bear Demigod's lair and Hakkoa's altar, do you think it's faster to force a way through Drak'Agtra or to secretly blast a shortcut?"
To the east of the demigod's lair lay Thor Modan and the Boulder Hills, inhabited by Stone Giants and Earthen. Ordinary people wouldn't think of looking in that direction; after all, neither the Earthen nor the Stone Giants were to be trifled with, and their attitude toward mortal races was cold and detached.
However, Andreas compared the wall to his own memories and realized that there should have been a path leading to Zul'Drak above Thor Modan, but it didn't exist yet.
While he couldn't be certain if this battle would lead to the creation of a new path, with this clue, his logical deduction, and the current intelligence, he reverse-engineered the conclusion that the Furbolgs planned a sneak attack.
"Get ready."
Patting the head of the still-confused Leticia, Andreas said with a serious expression, "If my prediction is correct, the most intense part of the war hasn't truly begun."
"Move out. Maintain a silent march as much as possible. It's time for us to get to work."
Arranging for Nawaz to lead the main force to guard the keep, Andreas personally led two thousand elites south to the banks of the Blue Sky River. Using small magical boats that had already been prepared, they moved upstream and entered the island in the center of Blue Sky Lake.
After a brief rest on the island, this special operations team continued silently southward. Any small Furbolg settlements encountered along the way were forcefully locked down by Andreas, preventing any news from leaking out.
Avoiding Furbolg reinforcements heading to the front lines, Andreas's strike team finally arrived at the foot of Frostwhisper Ridge. One of the Furbolg main bases, the Enraged Fang Shrine, was now in sight.
With the Trolls and Furbolgs clashing on the main battlefield, Andreas had no intention of rashly intervening to interrupt their passionate close-quarters combat.
His goal was not to wipe out the Furbolgs, but to stop them from using twisted methods to resurrect Ursol.
Ursoc had previously made repeated requests through Malfurion, hoping the Night Elves could bring the straying Furbolgs back to the right path. He guaranteed that once he and Ursol reclaimed their authority among the Furbolgs, they would form an alliance with the Night Elves in Northrend.
Andreas never intended to trust the Drakkari Trolls from the start. Telling them the Furbolgs' true goal was merely a way to pin down the vast majority of both races' attention on the frontal battlefield.
Due to the heavy fighting at the front, the guard force at the Enraged Fang Shrine was very sparse, and most of them were guarding the entrance to a cave.
Andreas took the Staff of G'Hanir from his back and pointed toward the cave. "Do you see the target? Move out!"
"Yes!"
As soon as Andreas gave the order, Onyxia was the first to return to her original form. Leticia nimbly leapt onto the black dragon's back, and the Dragon Princess quickly flapped her wings to take to the sky.
The sudden appearance of the black dragon drew the attention of most Furbolgs. From the air, Leticia chanted an incantation, guiding a purple-black meteor shower to rain down on the Furbolgs below.
The special operations team, led by Andreas, charged out from behind the mountain peak. The Furbolgs, busy dealing with the falling meteors, were caught off guard, and a gap soon appeared in the defense guarding the cave.
"Collapsing Star."
Andreas used a crowd-control spell to pull a large group of Furbolgs together. Celeste took the opportunity to charge up and release a Pyroblast. A fireball the size of a washbasin slammed into the clustered Furbolgs, and the exploding flames left them howling in pain.
Andreas even found the time to critique Celeste's spell: "Casting speed is good, but the power still needs improvement."
Swinging the Blade of the Black Empire to drive away the Furbolgs in his path, most of those wounded by the blade clutched their heads and wailed.
The Furbolgs, whose minds were already fractured, reacted significantly to mental magic. Leticia, in the air, noticed this as well and quickly shifted her attack strategy; a large-scale Mind Blast instantly incapacitated a large swath of Furbolgs.
Leaving the battle outside to the special operations team and Leticia, Andreas and Celeste broke through the encirclement like an arrowhead, finally entering the interior of the Enraged Fang cave.