Robbie rejected the idea of biting Yrel's tail, both mentally and physically.
Never mind whether it was hygienic; whether he could even get his teeth around it was a major problem.
After all, the structure of human teeth made them suited to chewing, not tearing with their bite.
Unless he learned Hogger's Head Enlargement...
As the saying went, a master could show you the door, but cultivation depended on the individual. The advantage of being a Discipline Paladin was that he didn't have to be bound by the skills themselves; any skill could be adapted.
After understanding the principle behind Unarmed Disarm, Robbie thought of a way to adapt it.
Paladins had a skill called Execution Sentence, which summoned a giant golden hammer that slowly descended from the sky and dealt limited damage upon landing.
Like most Paladin skills, it was somewhat flashy but impractical.
It had an illusion and dealt damage. That was enough.
Using Execution Sentence as a model, Robbie condensed two mental runes, one to gather Holy Light energy and deal damage, and the other to form a sufficiently frightening illusion.
On the Azeroth Continent, dragons were a much-abused race, frequently brought down by adventurers who killed them and took their treasures. But there was no denying that the five dragonflights remained among the most powerful races.
The strongest of the dragons was, of course, "Big Chin" Deathwing Neltharion. That terrifying, world-ending black dragon was an inescapable nightmare in the hearts of countless living beings in Azeroth.
Next, he only needed to change the starting point and casting trajectory. The speed needed to increase as well.
Execution Sentence descended from the sky and landed slowly.
After Robbie's changes, it flew out from his head along a horizontal path, and he could control its direction.
The two runes finished condensing.
Robbie flung his head, and a small Deathwing head flew out. With a crack, it clamped down on a large tree beside the waterfall.
Better than Execution Sentence, this illusion dealt continuous damage. Robbie tilted his head, and the illusory head bit off a large chunk of bark.
Robbie was very satisfied to achieve such a result on his first cast.
Robbie noticed that the skill was somewhat similar to a Warlock's Death Coil, except it lacked the fear effect and had follow-up damage and control instead.
As for its flaws, Deathwing's head was black, while the one Robbie condensed was golden, making it somewhat less menacing. There was nothing he could do about that; Holy Light was golden, after all.
It was said that blood-colored Holy Light existed. If Deathwing's head were blood-colored, the effect would surely be excellent, and it might even have a fear effect.
Robbie suddenly noticed that Hogger was looking at him differently.
On the Azeroth Continent, Kobolds, Gnolls, Troggs, and the like had an innate reverence for dragons. Fortunately, Hogger, that old rogue, was not among them. In some obscure popular novels, Hogger was even a formidable figure who could go toe-to-toe with Deathwing.
"Are you related to Deathwing?" Hogger bared his teeth.
With Hogger's help, Robbie modified the appearance of Deathwing's head, making it more lifelike and even more ferocious and terrifying.
Robbie didn't quite understand why Hogger knew so much about Deathwing. Judging by how familiar he was with Deathwing, Robbie figured the two must have worked together for a while.
What could Hogger and Deathwing possibly have had to do with each other?
Robbie and Hogger disagreed over what to name the skill.
"This skill came from Unarmed Disarm, so it should be called Deathwing's Unarmed Disarm," Hogger suggested.
"Too long and awkward," Robbie said, rejecting it.
"Then how about Deathwing's Bite?" Hogger thought he had quite a talent for naming skills.
Robbie shook his head again.
In the end, the two settled on a name: Deathwing's Gaze.
After all, the skill could do more than bite tails. It could also stare an opponent in the eye and bite their lips or tongue...
"Heh heh."
Hogger opened his enormous maw and let out a sinister laugh.
"Heh heh."
Deathwing's head, formed from Holy Light, flew around Robbie, trailing a beautiful streak of golden light as it let out a sinister laugh as well.
The two stood in front of and behind Yrel, staring at her tail with ill intent.
Yrel hurriedly tucked her tail tight.
With her tail tucked away, Yrel lacked its balancing effect and couldn't use her sharp kicking techniques. Without Hoof of Radiance, her strength would surely drop considerably, and defeating her wouldn't be difficult.
Strangely, Yrel didn't look very alarmed. She studied Robbie's Deathwing head, then suddenly asked, "Are you related to Deathwing?"
Robbie thought that perhaps Yrel and Hogger were related in some way nobody knew about.
"That's a nice skill. It looks pretty good. Can you teach it to me?"
Yrel remained perfectly calm, without the slightest hint of panic. "In exchange, I can teach you Hoof of Radiance. It's a skill I comprehended myself, not one the prophet taught me, so I can pass it on to anyone I like."
I don't have hooves. What would I learn Hoof of Radiance for? Robbie couldn't help grumbling inwardly.
Something was clearly wrong with Yrel's reaction. Judging by her attitude, the little filly didn't seem to be putting on an act. Robbie hesitated.
"Yrel, at a time like this, you should be calling for help."
Yrel took a deep breath and shouted, "Help! Help! ...Like that?"
Is it really all right for you to be so calm?
"Yrel, this is the Brotherhood's fortress. You can shout until your throat breaks, and it won't do you any good."
"I even have to shout 'broken throat'? How troublesome." Yrel took another deep breath.
"Broken throat! Broken throat! Broken throat!"
This time, Robbie couldn't stay calm. He felt uneasy.
Yrel must have something to rely on.
Hogger, standing nearby, also sensed that something was wrong and began quietly backing away.
"Were you calling me, Yrel?"
A hoarse voice rang out, as though from a damaged throat, and someone emerged from the inn.
He was a strong Draenei man, clad in ornate Vindicator armor and carrying a two-handed hammer with a huge purple crystal bound to its head.
The Hammer of the Naaru, a hammer said to have been blessed by the Naaru.
"Impossible."
Robbie cried out, "Vindicator Maraad, what are you doing here?"
Robbie was a meticulous man. He had arranged all the defenses in the fortress himself, with guards at every turn and a combination of visible and hidden sentries, leaving absolutely no blind spots.
To deal with Yrel, the fortress had closed its gates to visitors today and was under heavy guard. A Magic Shield protected it from above, and Brotherhood officers guarded the walls. Not even a mosquito could get in.
"Impossible!" Hogger cried out as well. "You... you're Vindicator Maraad?"
Maraad laughed heartily. "Filthy Gnoll, you fell for it."
"Hogger, what's going on?" Robbie demanded.
Hogger ground his teeth in fury, sparks flying as they rubbed together.
"On the same day Yrel checked in, this Draenei came to me and called himself Artisan Romuul, a jeweler from Embaari Village. I figured our fortress was just short of a jeweler, so I wanted to introduce him to the commander. He said there was no rush; he needed to make a piece of jewelry as a first-meeting gift for the commander to show off his skill, so I put him in the inn's basement."
"Oh, come on!"
No matter how many precautions one took, an inside thief was hard to guard against.
Needless to say, Hogger had a little selfish motive of his own. He had planned to make an impression on Commander Vanessa and earn some credit, so he hadn't told Robbie about it.
As for why Maraad had done this,
Robbie would have been an idiot not to guess, seeing the burning look he gave Yrel.
According to one account, in Maraad's timeline, Yrel was her lover and died in battle in Shattrath City.
More likely, Maraad had deliberately made up that story to get close to Yrel.
Yrel was exceptionally attractive and highly talented. Even by human standards of beauty, she was a stunning woman.
A fair lady was a worthy match for a gentleman. Draenei neither aged nor died, so the difference in their ages was no issue at all.
Having fooled the poor Gnoll, Maraad was beaming and looked especially pleased with himself.
"Defiler Kapol, I didn't expect we'd meet again after the battle at the Dark Portal," Maraad said with a cold smile. "I certainly didn't expect you to escape the Iron Horde's prison."
"Damn it!"
Although Vindicator Maraad was a heroic figure in the game World of Warcraft, dying bravely in Talador to save Yrel,
in this world, Maraad was Robbie's enemy.
On the eve of the assault on the Dark Portal, Robbie had fought Thrall one-on-one and had been on the verge of victory when Maraad ambushed him. He had next awakened in the Iron Horde's prison, where he became a test subject.
It wasn't hard to guess what had happened in between.
Although the soul had changed, the hatred in this body was a genuinely deep memory, buried in his heart and impossible to erase.
Robbie suppressed the anger in his heart and praised him insincerely. "Vindicator Maraad, you're remarkable. I really admire you."
Maraad was somewhat surprised. "Praise from Defiler Kapol? I'm gratified, although I haven't done anything much. Of course, your begging and pleading are useless. Your offense against the great savior can only be made right if you apologize in person."
This Maraad has some nerve, daring to make a move against me in the Brotherhood's castle.
Robbie frowned, then recalled Khadgar's terrifying teleportation abilities and understood. With Khadgar's mastery of magic, it shouldn't be difficult for him to help Maraad and Yrel escape.
Robbie chuckled. "Even if you want to take my life, my admiration for you won't change. Back then, the Orcs nearly wiped out your people, and they barely escaped to the Azeroth Continent. Yet now you've managed to put aside your old grievances and join forces with the Orc Thrall to assault the Dark Portal and attack the Iron Horde, which has nothing to do with you. That kind of magnanimity is admirable. You truly are a role model for the Draenei."
Maraad was slightly moved. "Defiler Kapol, you really are as sharp-tongued as the rumors say. Your attempt to sow discord is pointless. Thrall and I share a deep bond..."
"You're as close as brothers with the Orcs too, aren't you..."
Robbie said mockingly, "Back when the Orcs sacked Shattrath City, an Orc raped your sister. After she gave birth, she was tortured to death. Who was that Orc again? Gul'dan, Grom Hellscream, Blackhand... Oh, I know. It must have been Thrall."
"Shut up! Thrall hadn't been born yet!" Maraad roared.
That was probably a pain Maraad would carry in his heart forever. Maraad and an Orc had a daughter, the half-Orc Garona, and Garona later had the savior Med'an with Medivh. That was why Maraad was called great-uncle.
"Oh, then it must have been Thrall's father, Durotan. No wonder you share such a deep bond with Thrall, are as close as family with the Orcs of Orgrimmar, and can even join hands to fight the Iron Horde. You're all relatives! Speaking of which, when the Sha'tar were unexpectedly defeated, were you the one who sold information to the Orcs?"
"Defiler Kapol, you've succeeded in making me angry. This is a hatred I will carry in my heart forever. It will never, ever be erased. I'll kill you."
"What, you don't dare take revenge on Thrall? You're afraid of the Orcs in Orgrimmar too? So you're taking it out on a mere human like me? Vindicator Maraad, don't think so highly of yourself. You're a craven coward, a disgrace to the Draenei."