Crisis

"In the name of our ancestors, there are too many of them! Like fleas, only bigger and fully armed!" Kurdran cursed as he looked down. He and his entire hunting party were hovering in the air, high enough to give them a good view of the strange green-skinned monsters. But everything looked terrible.

These guys were moving fast, and now they were only a day's journey from Aerie Peak. At first, he only saw a small group, but then he noticed another group appearing in the distance, and then a third group further away. Other sentries reported the same. Although the greenskins were scattered into groups of about twenty men each, more groups were following behind. While the Wildhammer Dwarf feared no challenge, these guys looked formidable; they were capable of destroying Aerie Peak with their overwhelming numbers.

No! We can't just sit here and let these things happen.

Kurdran looked around, and every Dwarf nodded in response. "Very well," Kurdran told them, raising his horn to his lips. "Wildhammer, attack!" He blew the horn and hung it beside him, using his knees to control the Skare's position. The massive creature responded with a loud cry, spreading its wings and swooping down excitedly. The others followed suit, landing vertically, and like them, Kurdran drew his Storm Hammer, raising the enormous weapon high.

This time, however, his target wasn't the greenskins themselves, but rather the trees he was violently hammering. The impact sent leaves, berries, and thorns raining down, catching the Orcs off guard. Kurdran then struck two more trees, causing nuts to fall and scratch the orcs. The Orcs ducked, frantically raising their hands to protect their eyes, but the Wildhammer continued its onslaught, leaves and nuts raining down. The Orcs didn't know what was happening, but no one liked this situation. Since the forest was no longer safe, they left. They ran quickly to the nearest clearing.

And this is exactly Kurdran planned.

"The time has come!" the Gryphon Rider roared, and with a loud battle cry, Kurdran was ready to launch the first attack. He aimed at a greenskin and, before the orc could even see his face clearly, hurled his warhammer at the Orcs's jaw. With a thunderous crash, the bones shattered, and the orc was sent flying.

"You bastards, don't even think about defiling our forest!" Kurdran shouted. The hammer flew back into his hand, and he threw it again, this time smashing into another greenskin. Next, Skare drew an arc in the air, circling once in preparation for the second wave of attack. The other Dwarf followed Kurdran's lead and attacked.

"These guys aren't going to give in easily." As Kurdran approached again, he saw the remaining greenskins had raised their weapons and were ready. Their formation gradually tightened, trying to make the Wildhammer's attack more difficult.

"They are cunning, but they can't fly."

Kurdran raised his warhammer above his head and swung it around before throwing it, striking a greenskin in the right temple. As the man fell, he collided with Orcs beside him.

"Ha, you have nowhere to run!" Kurdran yelled at the fallen men. The Orcs below huddled together, trying to stop Kurdran from swooping down, but they quickly realized their mistake. Kurdran wasn't the only one aggressive; Skare was too. Her powerful forepaws knocked down the foremost Orcs, her sharp beak tore apart the second, and her wings stunned the third.

The conflict ended quickly. Whatever these greenskins were, they were too slow to react and clearly lacked experience against Gryphon Rider. Of course, Kurdran and his companions were quite adept at attacking targets on the ground. But the Orcs fought back, and some Dwarf suffered minor injuries, though they lost none of their own. Only a very few greenskins survived, fleeing hastily into the forest.

"This teaches them not to forget to look up," Kurdran said, eliciting laughter from the other Dwarf. "Go home, brothers. We must warn the others immediately. I have a feeling these monsters will reappear."

Meanwhile, the Alliance forces are on their way here.

"Get ready," Lothar whispered. He slowed his pace, wary of the low-lying branches around him. He drew his Greatsword and held it in front of him, raising his shield with his other hand. "We should be close."

Turalyon nodded, raised his warhammer, and moved to the commander's left. Khadgar stood on the other side, and the three of them formed a standard triangle. Although the mage was empty-handed, Turalyon already knew his mage friend's capabilities in battle. Carefully surveying their surroundings, Lothar tried to penetrate the darkness of the forest and locate their prey.

"There!" He pointed to the right front, and not far away, Khadgar and Turalyon turned their heads in the direction he gestured. It took them a moment to notice the movement coming from that direction. It might be a bear, but they didn't see any brown fur, the creature was about the size of a human, and it was moving through the forest at a speed that suggested it was traveling. Most importantly, the movement was continuous, indicating that something was repeatedly passing through that area. It could only be a disciplined creature— Orcs.

"Prepare for battle, take them alive," Lothar whispered. He turned to Khadgar. "Notify the others," the young mage nodded.

"In the meantime, we continue to monitor," the general said to Turalyon, who nodded. "If it looks like they're preparing to leave, then that's perfect; we need to know what they're up to."

"Yes, sir," Turalyon replied, gripping his warhammer. He was ready; this time he had fought the Orcs before, and he was confident he could do well again, even better.

Aerie Peak

"We have suffered losses!" a Dwarf reported. Kurdran looked at him in surprise, and the Wildhammer Warrior continued, "Some are seriously wounded and can no longer fight."

"What happened?" Kurdran asked.

"Those greens!" he replied excitedly. "They suddenly became smart! As we approached them, they started throwing weapons! Axes, short swords, and spears. Then, as we got closer, they suddenly scattered, making it impossible for us to pursue them."

"What!" Kurdran exclaimed in surprise, a sense of unease rising within him. "Are you sure this is how they treated you?"

"In the name of my ancestors, everything I have said is true."

Kurdran nodded. "Damn greenskins, I knew they were in cahoots, their color gave them away."

"What do you mean?" the Dwarf Warrior asked.

"Troll!" Kurdran shouted, raising his arms. "This is how the Troll treated us years ago. Those guys must have been Forest Troll."

The Dwarf Warrior nodded in agreement.

Kurdran continued, "More importantly, their numbers exceeded my expectations." The Hinterlands map in front of him was marked with numerous locations where Orcs had appeared; they were everywhere.

"We must be careful. Tell our brothers to stay away from the green-skinned vehicles, maintain an absolutely safe altitude, and then..."

"Troll!" another Dwarf rushed in shouting, collapsing to the ground and hitting a chair. He clutched his dislocated left arm, a wound near his shoulder still bleeding. "We were chasing a bunch of greenskins when a group of Forest Troll suddenly jumped out! Their attack hit Moria and Golk, and Elian and Lansos fell from their Gryphon, their fates unknown." He pointed to his wound. "I was hit by an axe, but dodged the second one, or I'd be headless."

"Damn it!" Kurdran roared. "They've really teamed up with the Troll, greenskins on greenskins! These Troll have been preventing us from using those trees!" He pulled at his beard in exasperation. "We need help; the Troll alone are a problem enough."

While Kurdran was in the area, a third Dwarf barged in, and he was a sentry.

"Humans!" he shouted excitedly. "A whole bunch of humans! They said they've come to help us fight the Orcs, or so they seem to have called those monsters."

"Humans, you've come just in time! Praise be to our ancestors!" Kurdran said. "If they can destroy those monsters called Orcs, we'll gladly accept their help." He laughed as he brandished his Storm Hammer.

"And those Troll! I will avenge my fallen brothers! Our Gryphon will tear them apart!" He turned and walked toward the door, whistling as he summoned the Skare. "Brothers, let's take flight once more!" he shouted.

Marius Farm

Nathanos is shearing the sheep's wool; winter is over, and the sheep no longer need their thick "clothes."

The man wiped the sweat from his brow, stuffed another pile of wool into his basket, and prepared to sit down and rest. But suddenly he heard an unusual sound.

"What is that?" Nathanos stood up, looking warily in the direction the sound came from. He knew the other party was far away, but was approaching.

Nathanos looked up at the clouds in the sky, and the next second, a huge black shadow rushed out.

"Watch out!" he shouted, and though he was alone, the sheep scattered in panic at his cry. Nathanos lay prone on the ground and felt the thing fly overhead. He looked up and this time he saw it clearly: enormous wings, a fiery red body, and a tail covered in spikes. It was a creature he had never seen before.

"What is that? Gryphon?" Nathanos exclaimed, but immediately dismissed his answer; Gryphon have fur but no scales.

"There looks like something's sitting up there!"

As he was speaking, the huge thing suddenly turned around and swooped down on him.

Damn it!

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