Following Orgrim's advice, the Dragonmaw Clan assigned three additional rapidly matured Red Dragons to each of its elite riders.
With rapidly matured Red Dragons protecting them on both sides and overhead, the elite riders' survival was assured.
The organization of unscrupulous Goblin merchants, now serving as a reconnaissance force, carefully documented the Red Dragon Riders' training and formations.
After reading the reports his intelligence agents sent back, Herad slapped the table in admiration at the Orcs' response.
"They've even come up with a loyal wingman program. This Dragonmaw Clan certainly has some ideas!"
In the game, the Dragonmaw Clan had done remarkably well for itself!
They had used the Dragon Soul to imprison the Red Dragon Queen and mass-produce rapidly matured Red Dragons, providing the Horde with a powerful aerial force.
Even after the Dragon Soul was destroyed, the Red Dragon Queen had somehow never settled the score with them, leaving them to live happily in the Twilight Highlands.
Their chieftain, Zuluhed, had even caught the eye of Illidan, the darling of fate, and been tasked with training his nether dragon forces.
But in this cruel, real world, they certainly would not be so fortunate.
Herad's intelligence agents were gathering detailed information on the Dragonmaw Clan.
To Herad, a Prophet, the Dragonmaw Clan that controlled the Red Dragon Queen was the force most urgently in need of eradication.
He would never allow such a powerful force to remain for long.
Once his intelligence agents found their exact location, the Dragonmaw Clan's doom would be upon them!
Besides, wiping out the Dragonmaw Clan would surely delight the Red Dragon Queen.
How incredible would the rewards be?
Even Herad, a Prophet, could not imagine.
But he knew the benefits would be plentiful indeed.
After all, Red Dragons had always been particularly fond of High Elves.
Intelligence on the Orcs' latest movements soon reached the conference table of the Allied Forces' senior commanders.
Falstad frowned as he examined the information on the Red Dragon Riders' training.
Of everyone present, he was the foremost expert on aerial combat.
"This turtle formation of theirs is going to be a real headache!"
Hearing Falstad describe the Red Dragon Riders' training as a turtle formation, everyone found the term rather amusing.
They had yet to realize just how troublesome that formation would be.
Red Dragons with someone directing them were no easy opponents!
These thick-skinned dragons could serve as shields or launch assaults.
If the Orcs brought out the Red Dragons' full potential, it would be an absolute disaster!
The earlier naval battle had already proved how difficult it was for Gryphon Riders to kill Red Dragons.
Now, their new tactics had dramatically improved the Orc riders' chances of survival.
If the Red Dragons attacked the ground forces heedlessly under their riders' command, the Gryphon Riders would have no way to stop them.
Falstad was a blunt man, and he voiced his thoughts without hesitation.
When those present heard that the Gryphon Riders might not be able to hold off every Red Dragon, they began to panic.
"What are we supposed to do? We can't leave the Red Dragons unopposed!"
"If even the Gryphon Riders can't stop them, we certainly can't!"
"All it would take is one Red Dragon attacking our ground forces, and the battle would be decided!"
The vast conference room filled with nothing but complaints and sighs.
In the game, Gryphon Riders and Red Dragon Riders fought each other so fiercely that neither side had time to interfere with the fighting on the ground.
Human and Orc infantry could concentrate on slaughtering each other.
Infernals summoned by Orc Warlocks fell from the sky, rampaging through both sides' rank-and-file troops before engaging human Mages in a classic showdown.
One famous cinematic from the game's early days featured an Infernal climbing a tower while a human Mage atop it bombarded it with frost and fire.
Although the scene felt rather desperate, at least it was a duel between two ground units.
The mighty Infernal had to reach the top of the tower before it could crush the stubbornly resisting human Mage.
The human Mage interrupted the Infernal's climb with his attacks, leaving the outcome to whichever could hold out until the very end.
Reality offered no such fairness.
If the Red Dragon Riders gained air superiority, the war would soon be over.
There would be no infantry clashes, no duels between spellcasters.
Nor would there be any classic showdown between an Infernal and a human Mage.
A casual blast of Dragonfire toward the ground would reduce an army to ashes.
Apart from certain defensive artifacts, no equipment could withstand Dragonfire.
A few more blasts from the Red Dragons would send an army into collapse in short order.
That was the main reason people feared Red Dragons so deeply.
Unless the Gryphon Riders could keep every Red Dragon occupied, any dragons that began attacking the ground could quickly rout the troops below.
But an "if" was still only an "if."
Against enemies as dangerous as Red Dragons, how could Herad not have prepared several contingencies?
Listening to the uproar, he took out a small pouch, opened it, and tossed it into the middle of the conference table.
"What's so frightening about Red Dragons? Take a look at this."
Through the open mouth of the pouch, they could see broken red granules inside.
Falstad poured the red granules out of the pouch, picked one up, and carefully examined its substance.
Judging by the markings on the red granules, these fragments had come from dragon scales.
Seeing dragon scales shattered so thoroughly left Falstad deeply shaken.
"Aren't these Red Dragon scales? How did they get smashed like this?"
Even if the scales the Gryphon Riders had forcibly pried loose were placed on an anvil and pounded with a sledgehammer, they could never be shattered like this.
Sir Lothar picked up a scale fragment and sniffed it, detecting a faint trace of gunpowder smoke.
Recalling the earlier cannon fire from the High Elf camp, the battle-hardened knight immediately reached a sound conclusion.
"These must have been shattered by cannon fire."
Several senior Allied Forces commanders who had fought in the battle for Stormwind City found Sir Lothar's conclusion entirely reasonable.
They had seen shells scream down from the sky and blast crowds of frenzied Orcs into ash.
Even the enormous Ogres had been blown to pieces by a single shell.
After the bombardment, the thick granite paving slabs in the streets had been blasted through and overturned.
The aftermath of that shelling had given them a new definition of destruction.
As everyone discussed the power of the cannons used at Stormwind City, Falstad found it hard to believe.
The Wildhammer Dwarves' cannons were still old-fashioned muzzle-loaders.
The spherical cannonballs those weapons fired were good enough for blasting Trolls.
But against dragon scales, they could not leave so much as a scratch.
Falstad glanced at the shattered scales on the table, still somewhat doubtful about these new cannons.
"Red Dragons fly all over the sky. Can cannons track them accurately?"
The Arcane War Machines' cannons were controlled by magical mechanisms and could easily keep pace with the Red Dragons.
But words alone would not suffice. He needed to let everyone see for themselves.
Herad conjured a sheet of water above the table and projected footage of the Arcane War Machine's tests onto it.
They watched as the Arcane War Machine's cannon barrel swiveled nimbly, accurately striking target drones flying overhead.
Everyone was astonished by the capabilities of this new Arcane War Machine.
However, the Arcane War Machines required magical energy to operate.
The concentration of magical energy in the surroundings was low, and replenishment was far slower than consumption.
These powerful war machines could not operate for long.
Herad was not particularly troubled by everyone's concerns about the Arcane War Machines' endurance.
As long as they quickly shot down enough Red Dragons, the Gryphon Riders would be able to handle the rest of the battle.
The only uncertainty now was how many Red Dragons the Dragonmaw Clan could field.
Thanks to Kopcn and Cookie Thief for the tips, and thanks to everyone for the recommendation votes and monthly votes.
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