Cooperation Matters

Someone is closing in on Grim Batol...

Zuluhed had long known this day would come. Ever since the defeat of Doomhammer and the Horde, he had been calculating how long it would take for the humans and their allies to reach this last remaining Orcs territory. And now, Zuluhed could almost picture the army gathering on the border.

"Can your plan really work?" Chieftain Dragonmaw Clan remained skeptical of Ner'zhul's idea.

The Warlock weighed the Demon Soul in his hand and explained, "We have no other choice, Chieftain. We have to give it a try."

Despite his words, the crippled Orcs was absolutely confident in every decision he made. He limped behind Zuluhed until they reached the place where the red Dragon Knight were resting.

Most of the Warrior were crowded around the table in the middle of the room, where they usually ate, drank, and entertained themselves. Judging from the noise coming from the crowd, they were having a great time. Ner'zhul knew that disturbing them at this time would be unwelcome, but he had no other choice.

"You two, come here!" Zuluhed pointed to the two Dragon Knights in front of him. They were his most trusted beastmen. This also meant that the chieftain must have something important for them to do.

The two Orcs stepped forward, while the Orcs continued with their own tasks. "What mission are you sending us on, Chieftain?"

Zuluhed glanced at Ner'zhul and said, "A special mission is more interesting than burning a few useless farmers."

Hask

Rhonin could finally go to Kaz'Modan. He should have been overjoyed, but the process was fraught with difficulties. Nathanos dealt with the Dwarf, trying to persuade the Wildhammer Dwarf to use Gryphon to carry him to his destination. Initially, unsurprisingly, he was refused. Falstad clearly disliked Rhonin, not only because he was a mage, but also because the Gryphon Rider looked like a Rhonin.

However, Nathanos kept persuading him, Rhonin didn't know what he was saying, but in the end Falstad actually agreed, though he asked Nathanos to come along.

Rhonin, of course, disagreed; he had to go to Grim Batol alone for this mission.

"Well, this guy is stubborn and stupid." Falstad scoffed at Rhonin's attitude. "I don't care what you're doing, but if you want our help, you'll have to bring your friends along. This is for your safety..."

"My safety?" Rhonin asked doubtfully.

Falstad's Gryphon let out a piercing scream. "To avoid the urge to throw you into the sea halfway there. But if your friends were with you, I might be able to restrain myself."

"Okay, I'll go with him."

"What?" Rhonin looked at Nathanos in surprise, and immediately objected, "Marius, I must go to Kaz'Modan alone. What I'm about to do doesn't allow anyone else to participate."

Nathanos nodded, but still didn't change his mind. "I know that, so I never asked you what you were going to do. Don't worry, I will never get in your way. I'm just doing my job. Once I've safely delivered you to your destination, I'll leave and I definitely won't follow you anymore."

"This is insane!" Rhonin said, repeating it more than once. "We don't need anyone else!"

"Like a little girl," Falstad said mockingly, eliciting laughter from the other two Wildhammer Dwarf. Rhonin forced himself to remain calm; he didn't know what to do.

In the end, the mage could only hope that Nathanos would keep his word and that they would part ways once Kaz'Modan arrived.

"Prepare for takeoff!" Falstad shouted. "The sun is up, is everyone ready?"

"I am ready," Nathanos replied.

"Me too..." the nervous mage replied, his tone lacking the confidence of Nathanos.

"Hurry up, mage!" one of the Wildhammer Dwarf complained, wanting to give Rhonin a ride. "I really hope this trip ends soon, the sooner the better!"

Rhonin clumsily climbed onto the Gryphon's back, then nodded to Falstad.

"Hold on tight!" Falstad warned, "Or you'll fall overboard and become fish food halfway across!" With that, the Dwarf commanded the Gryphon to run forward and then take off. The mage held on as tightly as he could, but the feeling that his heart was about to leap out of his throat made him uneasy about the safety of this journey. Rhonin had never ridden Gryphon before, and watching its massive wings flap up and down, he quickly decided that if he didn't die this time, he would never ride Gryphon again. Every time the animal flapped its wings, Rhonin's stomach churned. If there were another way to cross the sea, he would gladly do so.

However, he had to admit that the Gryphon's speed was simply unimaginable. Within minutes, Hask and the entire coastline had fallen out of their sight. Now he believed that even a dragon certainly couldn't match that speed.

Compared to him, Nathanos was already used to riding on the back of Gryphon. He first rode this beast when he went to Ironforge with Kurdran, and had similar experiences several times afterward.

Below them, the seawater churned violently, the waves rising high before suddenly receding. A biting wind blew in their faces, and Rhonin had to pull down the hood of his robe to keep out the mist.

"How much longer do you think it will take us to reach Kaz'Modan?"

Falstad somehow heard his question, shrugged, and replied, "Just a few hours, human!"

The monk buried his unpleasant thoughts in his heart, curled up, and tried to ignore the journey as much as possible.

'What kind of mission is this guy on?' Falstad wondered to himself, while at the same time he saw Nathanos with a calm expression in his line of sight and couldn't help but joke, 'You and him are completely different kinds of people.'

"No, the only difference between me and him is that I am more familiar with what it feels like to sit on the back of Gryphon."

"Ha, interesting! But then again, this mage really needs your help."

"I wasn't looking after him; I was doing this to look after someone else."...

After flying for some time, Rhonin's stomach finally adjusted and he felt less uncomfortable. He looked at the sun and calculated that they had been flying for about five hours. Judging by the speed of these Gryphon, they should have covered half the distance. He finally broke the silence and asked Falstad if it was really as he thought.

"Halfway?" the Dwarf laughed. "In another hour, you'll see the cliffs of Kaz'Modan!"

This good news brought a smile to Rhonin's face. He had already covered three-quarters of the journey, and he was still alive. In just over two hours, he would be able to set foot on land again.

Nathanos looked up and carefully observed the clouds that had formed in the past half hour—rain clouds, but he judged that it wouldn't rain before they reached their destination.

He glanced at Rhonin. Nathanos had always been curious about the mage's mission and had a vague feeling that Rhonin's background was unusual. However, to avoid meddling, he decided not to ask.

"Look over there!" Nathanos was startled awake by Rhonin's movement.

He looked over, his gaze fixed on the spot the mage had pointed to. Two black spots appeared on the horizon.

It's getting closer!

Two newly appeared spots caught everyone's attention; they were moving and getting bigger, rushing towards them.

"Something's getting closer!" Rhonin leaned forward and looked at the other side.

"It's a dragon!" Nathanos shouted after seeing it clearly.

Falstad nodded quickly. "In the name of Kaz'Modan, it is indeed a dragon! We're in trouble, everyone prepare for battle!"

The Dwarf immediately adjusted their formation, spreading out to reduce the enemy's target. But the two dragons moved with the same strategic aggression. The larger one soared to a higher position and then flew away from its companion. Nathanos immediately realized that the two behemoths intended to trap the Gryphon and passengers in the middle, then ensnare them.

Each dragon's bulky body was perched atop an Orcs wielding an axe.

"These two are experienced Dragon Knight!" Falstad shouted excitedly. "The one on the right is more powerful! This will be a glorious battle!"

It was a battle that could cost him his life, and it happened just when Rhonin thought he was about to arrive. "We can't get entangled with them! I must reach the shore!"

He heard one of the Dwarf mutter discontentedly, "Fighting these guys is the Gryphon Rider's mission, mage!"

But my mission is more important. Rhonin thought to himself, but didn't say it aloud. For a moment, the mage thought the Dwarf would throw him overboard. However, Falstad nodded reluctantly. "I will do my best, mage. If they make any mistakes, we'll fly as fast as we can to the shore! Then I'll let you go, and hopefully, we'll never meet again!"

"It's settled then!" Then neither of them spoke again, and at that moment, the two sides began to clash.

The Gryphon, superior in speed and agility, began circling the two dragons, quickly overwhelming the smaller one. However, due to the weather, the Gryphon couldn't reach their usual high speeds. One dragon's blade-like claw nearly ripped Falstad off his mount, while Nathanos and another Dwarf were almost knocked off by a dragon's wing.

Falstad unsheathed his Storm Hammer and brandished it wildly in the air, shouting as he did so. He urged the Gryphon forward as the second dragon swooped down. Suddenly, a sharp turn startled the Dragon Knight. The Red Dragon, unable to stop itself, overshot its opponent, clearly outmatched by the smaller dragon's agility. Falstad roared, and the Storm Hammer clashed with the Orcs's battleaxe, sending sparks flying.

Rhonin sensed that Falstad needed help, and he immediately began chanting a spell, but was interrupted by the Dwarf who was carrying him.

"Magic? What glory is there in that?"

The sorcerer made no response; he resumed his spellcasting, staring intently at the dragon that had flown up with them, silently chanting powerful incantations. Then, he looked up at the clouds above.

A bolt of lightning shot out from there, striking the pursuers behind.

The lightning struck the dragon squarely, but the effect wasn't as good as Rhonin had hoped. The Red Dragon was still alive, letting out a furious roar, but it didn't immediately fall. The Orcs, however, was completely charred.

"Well done!" the Dwarf shouted again, completely forgetting the honor he had just mentioned a moment ago.

Nathanos, seeing the dragon still lively and energetic, felt a chill run down his spine; this was bound to be a fierce battle. But first, he needed to get Rhonin to safety. "Now's the time to get him out of here!"

The Dwarf nodded and reluctantly urged his Gryphon away from the battlefield.

Two Gryphon Rider should be able to handle those two monsters...

When Rhonin had flown far away from the battlefield, a huge shadow suddenly loomed over them.

Rhonin and the Dwarf looked up and were immediately stunned.

The second dragon had already flown over their heads while they were completely focused on escaping.

"Oh no!" Nathanos noticed the situation over there.

"Go help that mage!" Falstad kept an eye on his surroundings even while fighting the Red Dragon.

The Dwarf riding the same Gryphon as Nathanos received the leader's order and immediately urged the Gryphon to hurry over. "Hold on tight!"

Before them, the Red Dragon's claws had already seized the right wing of the Gryphon not far away. The Gryphon screamed in agony, struggling desperately to break free. Nathanos could already see the dragon intending to devour them whole.

"Hurry up, and then listen to me!"

Nathanos spoke to the Dwarf riding the Gryphon, and they flew above the Red Dragon. Then he struck an awkward pose. Rhonin didn't know what he was trying to do; he only knew he couldn't escape and didn't even have time to cast a proper spell.

Nathanos jumped down with all his might.

"My God!" Falstad exclaimed. Even the Wildhammer Dwarf were taken aback by such courage and madness.

Nathanos clung tightly to the dragon's body, adjusting his position and struggling to move. The Orcs behind the dragon finally came to his senses and realized what was happening.

The Orcs raised his battle axe, intending to strike Nathanos, but the orc narrowly avoided it. While dodging the attack, Nathanos drew his weapon from his back and pierced the Orcs's chest, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"What is he trying to do? This is completely insane!" Rhonin shouted.

"No, mage, he is a warrior."

Upon seeing the Orcs's corpse, the dragon tried to shake Nathanos off. It swayed violently, and the humans clinging to its back had to concentrate to avoid becoming dizzy.

Finally, he sat atop the Red Dragon, raised his longsword, and thrust it with all his might into the point where the dragon's spine and skull met. The sword sank in halfway.

The dragon let out a painful howl! It shook even more frantically, its claws loosening their grip on the Gryphon's wings. But Nathanos still gripped the hilt of his sword; he knew that the dragon's end had come.

"Go save him, damn it!" Rhonin yelled. "Go save him now!"

The Dwarf did as instructed. But Rhonin knew they couldn't possibly make it in time. From another direction, a second Gryphon was flying in—it was Falstad.

At that very moment, the dying Red Dragon suddenly lost its strength and tumbled from the sky. Nathanos lost its balance and plummeted straight towards the sea.

"No...!" Rhonin reached out his hand towards the figure, but how could he possibly grab Nathanos?

As Nathanos plummeted, he noticed for a fleeting moment that he seemed to be being thrown upwards. However, gravity continued to pull him rapidly downwards. He tried to stay conscious, thinking about what to do after he crashed into the sea.

Then, darkness engulfed him. But it was an unusual darkness; Nathanos didn't feel the coldness of the seawater, and he didn't fall. He felt a sharp pain, the metal pressing against his flesh. Then a voice suddenly rang out in the darkness, and he realized he had been captured! The voice was chilling, its tone authoritative and unyielding.

"I've got you, you little bug! We need to find a place to discuss the next steps... of our collaboration!"