With their lord's pride at stake, the Gryphon Riders quickly grasped the heart of the matter. Yes! Their lord's pride mattered! It mattered very much, especially when he dug in his heels. Then it mattered even more. So all the Gryphon Riders began racing the Orc Shamans for all they were worth.
At that moment, in the eyes of His Majesty King Terenas and all the Allied Army commanders, their lord's willfulness was certainly not willfulness. It was an all-out effort to cover the Allied Army's entry into the city.
As the Gryphon Riders circled continuously overhead, they did more than simply drop Smoke Bombs in their race against the Orc Shamans. There were only forty-odd Elf Gryphon Riders, far fewer than the Orc Shamans, so naturally they could not outpace them.
Thus, these fellows carried on Yu Lin Bloodhawk's fine tradition-and that fine tradition was, of course, to be shameless to the bitter end.
They began carrying loads that were half Aerial Explosive Bombs and half Smoke Bombs. Taking full advantage of their own initiative and the High Elves' keen sensitivity to arcane magic, they dropped several Explosive Bombs without hesitation whenever they sensed a shaman casting in the dense fog. Even if the blasts did not kill the shaman outright, they would interrupt his casting and frighten the Orc Shamans so badly that they dared not settle down to cast again.
Then they flew over to areas the Orc Shamans had already cleared. Whenever they spotted an Orc Shaman, they fired an Arcane Shot at him. Unlike the Wolf Rider warriors, who wore sturdy Plate Armor that could block most damage, the Orc Shamans were only chainmail wearers.
Chainmail could only protect against low-ranking combatants, but these Gryphon Riders were handpicked Rangers of Intermediate Rank or higher. Their