Goblin Squad (II)

The Goblins squad assembled at the foot of Grim Batol. When the last member arrived, the others bowed to him. Patch, as the Goblins leader, had long ago ordered them not to bow.

"Alright, guys, let's get to work!"

"But... Master hasn't arrived yet."

"Master has already set off." Patch patted the Salamander on the shoulder. Shali and Volt were both there, while the other member, Pendulum, observed the situation ahead through binoculars—the road leading to the ancient Dwarf city was full of Twilight's Hammer cultists.

"The most important moment has arrived," Patch said. "We are heading to Twilight's Hammer territory. Deathwing's minions have begun their attack on Crimson Bastion, and the Queen of Dragons will soon appear. Master's plan is about to be executed." The Goblins captain turned to Pendulum and called out, "Report, Pendulum."

The demolition expert, still observing, directly stated what he saw through his binoculars. "The road is teeming with Twilight's Hammer people, and worse, there's a massive gate blocking the way at the foot of the mountain. If we're to get through, we'll have to clear these obstacles."

"Nothing can defeat the Goblins squad." Patch clenched his right fist and slammed it into his left. "Everyone, get ready. We're going to challenge an opponent that even the Guardian Dragons couldn't defeat."

Several grenades were thrown at the feet of the Twilight's Hammer members. Pendulum really wished he could capture the horrified, contorted expressions on their faces the instant before the bombs exploded.

As the smoke cleared, an entire patrol of Twilight was blasted away. Before their slow-witted colleagues could even process what had happened, three short figures leaped out from behind the hidden rocks. The leader, Patch, smiled and pointed to the sky. A hundred eyes followed his gaze upwards.

Corpses fell like raindrops.

"Enemy attack."

Finally, one idiot realized what was happening, but the next second a bullet pierced his eye. Volt, hidden in the shadows, will deal with the enemies drawn to the captain.

The Salamander was only five steps away from Volt. As a weapons expert, she could also use a sniper rifle. Although she wasn't as skilled as Volt, she could provide firepower and help Patch take out too many close-range enemies.

The enemy was far more numerous than anticipated. Almost all the races of the Alliance and the Horde had gathered. A Tauren in a purple robe raised his fist to smash at Shali, but Shali easily dodged it. His dagger precisely slit the Tauren's throat; whether the large creature died instantly or not, the poison on it would be lethal.

"Shali, cover the Pendulum with me. Pendulum, blast this door open!" Patch shouted, pulling out his stun gun to repel the enemies approaching from the left.

They moved quickly, despite encountering numerous obstacles along the way. The Pendulum tumbled to the obstructive gate, retrieved the time bomb, and began installation. "This gate reminds me of the walls of Gilneas."

"Let's see if it can stop us."

A few minutes later, the Pendulum activated its timer. "Boss, we need to back up a bit. Ten seconds!!!"

"What? Why didn't you say so sooner? Run!"

A deafening roar shook the valley of Grim Batol. Everyone's heads were buzzing. The impact sent the three members of the Goblins squad flying. Rocks tumbled down from the cliffs on either side, injuring many. Sparks flew everywhere, carrying splinters of wood from the gate. The chaos was more uncontrollable than an earthquake. The smoke made it impossible to discern directions.

After the riot subsided, Patch stood up from the ground and shook off the dust.

"Ahem, are you all alright?"

The first to respond was Shali, who said, "I'm not okay, to be precise, I'm very bad. I'm scared."

"The power of that explosion... it was truly astonishing." A few blades of grass spat out of the Pendulum's mouth. Salamander and Volt ran over to help them up.

"What? You don't even know yourself?" The Shali looked at the Pendulum in surprise.

"Come on, this isn't my invention. It's the latest explosive weapon from Orgrim. And that guy didn't even send the instruction manual."

"Alright, time is precious, we must..." Patch turned to order everyone through the gate, confident that it must have been breached. Even a small passage would be enough for the Goblins to get through.

What they saw wasn't just a gap, but the entire gate was destroyed. The explosion had damaged the gate's structure; the left door had fallen to the ground. The right door dangled, threatening to collapse at any moment. With such power, it was hard to imagine they were still alive.

Patch wiped the sweat from his brow and reminded everyone, "Next time, give that guy a little more money and make him prepare a detailed instruction manual."

"There doesn't seem to be anyone behind the door?" the Salamander said after observing for a while.

Patch nodded. He tried to take out his pocket watch to check the time, but the watch was cracked and the hands were loose. "Be vigilant. This is Deathwing's territory," the Goblins squad leader said helplessly. "Our master should be waiting for us up ahead. Hurry up."

"If the master is in front, does that mean all the enemies in front are dead?" Volt asked.

With Patch leading the way, he hoped that, as Volt had said, they would at least have time to rest instead of endless fighting.

Not a single corpse appeared behind the door. The Goblins squad was almost at Grim Batol. The road was clean, seemingly unaffected by the earlier explosion.

"The master should be at the entrance to Grim Batol," the Salamander guessed.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Patch suddenly stopped, his eyes widened, and he shouted quickly, "Take cover! Take cover! Get down!"

"What happened, boss?" Shali asked, caught off guard by Patch's forceful pinning him to the ground. But the captain only gestured for him to be quiet, as did the others. "Look!"

The other members looked up, their expressions mirroring Patch's incredulous disbelief. At the end of the road stood a magnificent red dragon, its body radiating an elegant light. Its eyes shone brightly as it gazed at the setting sun.

"She arrived much faster than we expected," the Salamander muttered under its breath, afraid of attracting the attention of the Queen of Dragons.

Patch ignored what the female Goblins was saying; he was wondering if Alexstrasza had seen her master since she was already there. Strangely, there was no sign of the Witherer anywhere.

Not long after, another Red Dragon to the Queen of Dragons, and he transformed into a Night Elf.

The magnificent behemoth spoke, "Kaelen, I wish we could meet in a more pleasant setting, but the world is on the brink of destruction."

"Your arrival will give hope to all, Mother." The Night Elf looked up at the Lifebinder.

"Though it saddens me greatly, I have made my decision. Deathwing —the former Earth-Warder —must be destroyed." Alexstrasza paused for a moment to allow Kaelen to accept her decision. The mortal Red Dragon showed no sign of fear, which comforted her. "I have prepared a ritual west of Crimson Sanctuary. During the ritual, Deathwing will appear. I will finish him off there."

Having said that, neither of the Red Dragon lingered. A gust of wind blew, and they flew towards the shelter.

"They're gone?"

"Boss, the Queen of Dragons just said she's going to destroy Deathwing, and she seems very confident."

"If the dragons were capable of resolving the problems they created, Deathwing wouldn't be such a major threat to Azeroth."

Upon hearing this voice, Patch almost immediately knelt down, his eyes fixed on a cloud of black mist that was condensing and taking shape in front of him.

"Owner!"

Nathanos the Witherer surveyed the Goblins squad and nodded, saying, "Get up. You've come at just the right time!"

"You heard what the Queen of Dragons said. Should we change our original plan and fully support Alexstrasza?"

"Don't pin your hopes on others," Nathanos said, tossing a bundle of scrolls to Patch. "Inscribe the magic circle outside Grim Batol according to the instructions on these scrolls."

Patch was somewhat puzzled. He said, "But the Queen of Dragons intends to face Deathwing at Crimson Sanctuary."

"Neltharion isn't stupid; Alexstrasza's plans can't be hidden from him. He won't stay in Crimson Sanctuary; Grim Batol is where he's in a better position. Obey orders, Goblins Squad."