Noah hadn't expected to unlock a side achievement.
Conversation Stopper.
After his casual remark to Lothar and the others, no one felt like talking to him anymore.
Even though they believed he wasn't lying.
From a combat perspective, Noah really hadn't lied.
Green skins or gray skins-there was no difference to him.
They had all been taken out in one sweep.
From a cinematic standpoint, though, the green-skinned orcs should have been stronger.
After all, they were products of Fel.
If there was no significant difference from ordinary orcs, why accept that stuff at all?
Orcs were warlike, but they weren't idiots.
The Frostwolf Clan, in particular, seemed quite intelligent.
If it weren't for Orgrim Doomhammer-who truly played the role of a traitor in the movie-perhaps humans and orcs would have allied much earlier.
The journey from Stormwind to the current orc territory was long.
Very long.
Without teleportation magic, Noah felt he was dragging down the group's speed.
Lothar and the others were anxious, but there was nothing they could do.
After all, Noah didn't know how to ride a horse.
And he had zero interest in learning.
Khadgar had asked about it.
The answer left him speechless.
"Why should I learn to ride a horse?" Noah had replied calmly.
"I can teleport anywhere as long as I know the location. Even if I can't, I have carriages."
Combined with Noah's attire and the unintentional noble air he carried, the explanation felt natural.
A noble.
A mage.
Why would someone like that need horsemanship?
For them, magic was the best means of travel.
And if magic wasn't available, there were always carriages.
In the end, it took them three full days to reach the outskirts of the orc settlement under Garona's guidance.
Glacial was an accurate description.
Along the way, a few interesting things happened.
For example, Garona had more or less gained Lothar's trust.
In appearance alone, she was far closer to human.
And her past was tragic enough to earn sympathy.
"That is the Dark Portal."
Crouched in the grass, Garona pointed toward the massive gate ahead.
Around the open portal stood an enormous orc army.
"Why are they taking so many prisoners?" Lothar scanned the area and quickly spotted the humans locked in cages.
He was puzzled.
"The answer's simple," Noah said from behind, squatting casually.
"It's energy."
He spread his hands.
"Fel consumes life as fuel. That energy opens the gate. A very crude method, really. Is opening a portal that difficult?"
"..."
Lothar nearly rolled his eyes.
Not difficult?
Maybe not for a mage.
He ignored Noah and turned back to Garona.
"How many more orcs are they planning to bring through?"
Noah watched with a smile.
He didn't mind the attitude.
As for their safety, he wasn't worried.
While they were scouting, Noah had already noticed an orc watching them.
A massive body with absurdly good stealth.
It had avoided everyone's senses.
Except his.
Once they had gathered enough information, Lothar turned to discuss matters with his men.
The plan was obvious.
Send the intel back.
After seeing this with his own eyes, Lothar understood just how dire things were.
They needed to prepare.
At that moment, Noah stood up.
Pale gold mana surged out and struck Lothar directly.
Lothar was knocked backward before he could react.
When he scrambled up, he froze.
An orc stood exactly where he had been a second earlier.
Perfectly still.
Like a statue.
"Is this the quality of your military?" Noah teased before turning to the orc.
After a moment, he glanced at Garona.
"Who is he? You can translate, right?"
"Yes," Garona nodded, eyes wide.
"I didn't think you could subdue Durotan so easily. It seems you weren't lying."
She paused.
"This is Durotan. Chieftain of the Frostwolf Clan."
So it's him.
Noah looked at Durotan.
"Speak. What do you want?"
"I noticed you long ago. They didn't. If you wanted to attack, they'd be dead already. Why didn't you?"
"What?" Lothar rubbed his chest, stunned.
Then he shut up.
He had almost been caught.
If Noah was right, and the orc had been watching them for that long, he might already be dead.
Sighing inwardly, Lothar realized his mistake.
How had he let someone like this get so close?
"I am here to discuss something. I mean no hostility," Durotan said bluntly through Garona.
"As you said, I could have killed the others. Or returned and brought warriors. None of you would escape."
The translated words darkened the soldiers' expressions.
Noah didn't react.
"What do you want to discuss?" he asked directly.
"Our leader is Gul'dan. He is extremely dangerous. His magic kills all life. It must be stopped," Durotan said calmly.
"My clan alone is not strong enough."
"You want to ally with humans to kill Gul'dan?" Noah tilted his head.
Interesting.
He glanced at Lothar.
"What do you think?"
If the Frostwolf Clan allied with humans, would the First War even happen?
Noah didn't know.
He also didn't plan to figure it out.
Though he respected this chieftain, the man had to survive first.
Should I tell him Orgrim Doomhammer is a traitor?
Noah considered it.
Then dismissed the thought.
Not his place.
For now, he would observe.
With Garona translating, Lothar and Durotan reached a basic agreement.
Truthfully, Lothar didn't trust him.
If Durotan weren't Noah's prisoner, Lothar's first instinct would have been to kill him.
In the end, Noah let Durotan go.
Lothar planned to return and report everything to King Llane.
The meeting location matched the original story.
The only difference was that Khadgar wouldn't have his mouth covered and rendered useless.
Watching Durotan leave, Lothar curled his lip and turned to Noah.
"You should've killed him. He's an orc. I don't think anything good will come from our King meeting him."
"He's your King, not mine," Noah smiled.
"And he was sincere."
He paused.
"I don't know much about orcs, but a violent race usually takes promises seriously."
"Why?" Lothar frowned, then glanced at Garona.
"It's simple," Noah said.
"They worship violence. Order comes from power-and from tradition."
He spread his hands.
"If they don't respect tradition, betrayal becomes inevitable. I could be wrong, but you can ask her."
"It's true," Garona nodded.
"Orcs respect tradition."
She looked at Durotan's retreating figure.
"He is a good Chieftain."
He was.
Sadly, he would later be deceived by Gul'dan and drained by Fel.
Otherwise, the future of the orcs might have been very different.
Noah shook his head.
Today's mission was over.
Time to leave.
Lothar was still uncomfortable, but he didn't argue.
The decision wasn't his.
As the soldiers mounted their horses, Lothar noticed Noah hadn't moved.
Noah was looking at them.
Like they were idiots.
Lothar frowned.
"Master Mage," he said stiffly.
"Are you staying here? You're powerful, but there are many orcs."
"Relax," Noah sighed.
"As long as they aren't top-tier powerhouses, numbers don't matter."
Pale gold light gathered around him.
A golden ring of light formed behind his back.
"And as a mage," he added calmly,
"once I know the exact location, why would I sit on a horse?"
Lothar stiffened.
"You don't mean-"
"No need to guess," Noah said.
"Can't you see where this magic leads?"
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