Seeing the rider briefly lose consciousness, Aaron urged his gryphon forward and tried to make it seize the rider with its claws.
With a gryphon's strength, picking up an orc should have been simple enough, but controlling its movements was the difficult part for Aaron. He tried for quite a while, even guiding the gryphon toward the orc from above, but it merely lashed out at the orc with its claws instead of grabbing him as Aaron instructed.
Just then, the larger Red Dragonflight charged over as well. It seemed intent on attacking Falstad and Vereesa's group. Apart from Murok and Duncan's pair, theirs was the slowest.
The orc charged toward them, brandishing his battle-axe. Although Vereesa had begun shooting arrows that shimmered with various colors to impede his advance, the orc rider seemed very experienced, while Vereesa seemed rather unaccustomed to attacking in the air. Although she slowed him slightly, the distance between them continued to shrink.
The other two gryphon riders urged their mounts over as well, but they seemed a little too slow. Just as the Red Dragonflight was about to close on Falstad, however, the heavily bearded dwarf suddenly steered his gryphon into a turn. Because of its bulk, the Red Dragonflight could not turn nearly as nimbly as the gryphon, and the orc could only watch his mount overshoot.
Aaron seized the opportunity to steer his gryphon toward the orc as he turned the Red Dragonflight around. Aaron first tried throwing his shield, only for the orc to deftly dodge it and flash him a mocking grin. Apparently, when his opponent was prepared, Aaron's rather amateurish shield throws were easily dodged.
Seeing that his opponent had already turned the dragon around and was preparing to attack Falstad and the others again, Aaron urged his gryphon faster and flew above the Red Dragonflight.
Keeping his gryphon's movements in sync with the Red Dragonflight's, Aaron glanced down at the dragon, then at the unfathomably deep sea beneath it. He gritted his teeth and made a somewhat mad decision.
Before the orc could react, Aaron issued the command to dismiss his mount and dropped straight onto the Red Dragonflight. The sudden, heavy impact made the dragon let out a mournful cry. After all, wearing a full suit of heavy armor and carrying a shield and greatsword, Aaron weighed an astonishing amount.
The orc sitting at the Red Dragonflight's neck and controlling it naturally noticed Aaron's near-insane move and was startled as well. Once he recovered, the green-skinned orc with his livid face and protruding fangs widened his blood-red eyes, opened his bloody maw, and gave two wild laughs. He actually rose from the saddle and approached Aaron step by step, gripping an enormous battle-axe taller than Aaron himself.
Although Aaron had seen every variety of orc in the game, from peons to chieftains, with green, red, brown, or black skin, with tentacles or prosthetic limbs, this was the first time in his life he had seen a towering green-skinned orc with bulging muscles, a foul stench, and a bloodthirsty expression.
Unlike the oppressive feeling he experienced when facing a massive beast like the Red Dragonflight, the unease and fear Aaron felt before this orc were more real and harder to dispel. If the shield in his hand had not given him a faint sense of security, he would probably have been frozen with terror already.
"Pah. I thought you were some brave warrior. Turns out you're a coward." Seemingly noticing the fear Aaron could not conceal, the orc spat to one side and addressed him disdainfully in halting Common.
Faced with his enemy's mockery and contempt, Aaron suddenly felt his blood surge. At some point, the arm holding his shield had stopped trembling, and a measure of resolve entered his eyes. His other hand tightened around his greatsword, ready to swing it in retaliation at any moment.
"Come on!" Aaron let out a breath and looked firmly at the orc. Although the fear remained, he had gained some courage to confront his opponent. At least his body was no longer swaying.
"Here I come!" the orc bellowed, stepping forward and swinging his enormous axe at Aaron with both hands. This was also the orcs' basic approach against fully armed human infantry. If the enemy's shield was poorly made, the result of that blow went without saying. Even if the shield could withstand a strike from the orcs' crude but astonishingly heavy axes, few humans' frail arms could take such a heavy blow without consequence.
Looking at the human before him, who was even smaller and thinner than most humans, the orc was confident that taking this blow head-on would leave his opponent's arm aching for quite some time at the very least. Then he could torment this feeble human however he pleased.
As the orc's battle-axe whistled down toward him, Aaron could only grit his teeth, bend his knees slightly, and grip his shield tightly to block the attack.
With a clang, the orc's battle-axe struck Aaron's shield. The tremendous pressure transmitted through it in that instant sent a stab of pain through his arm.
Having landed his blow, the orc pressed his advantage, keeping the enormous axe against Aaron's shield. The sustained pressure forced Aaron lower until he nearly fell to his knees. The tremendous force against his arm became agonizing pain, making him cry out involuntarily. He hastily retreated several steps, managing to escape his opponent's control.
While his opponent drew back his battle-axe to prepare for a second attack, Aaron cast Light of the Protector on himself, easing the agony in his arm. Then he gripped his shield tightly again, preparing for the next blow.
Seeing the battle-axe suddenly turn in his opponent's hands, changing from a chop to a flat blow, Aaron gritted his teeth and braced for the next strike. He failed to notice the cunning smile on the orc's face.
"Down you go!" Taking advantage of Aaron raising his shield and blocking his own view, the crafty orc thrust out a foot and kicked him in the lower abdomen. Despite his heavy armor, the orc's powerful kick caused unbearable pain. Aaron involuntarily stumbled back two steps, leaving him close to the edge of the Red Dragonflight's back.
Spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva, Aaron glanced at the sea below, and a chill rose in his heart.
If I fell from here, I'd probably smash to pieces. Aaron shook his head, casting out the ominous thought that had flashed through his mind, and stepped forward, deliberately closing on the orc.
"Good!" the orc praised him, opening his huge mouth. The red light in his eyes flared as he raised his battle-axe for another attack.
Having suffered once already, Aaron prepared for both possibilities, gripping his shield while watching the orc's movements in case his opponent suddenly changed tactics and caught him off guard.
Yet Aaron remained on guard for quite a while without seeing another attack. As he wondered what was happening, he saw bloody foam emerge from the corner of the orc's mouth. The orc turned his head laboriously, as though it had rusted in place. Aaron looked behind him and happened to see Vereesa gesturing to him with her elven longbow raised.
Seizing the opportunity, Aaron gripped his sword and thrust hard. Feeling the blade pierce clothing and skin, and seeing the blood suddenly gush before his eyes, he froze for a moment.
I killed someone, Aaron thought blankly. Although this greenskin was very different from him, after playing the game so much and exchanging those few words with the orc, Aaron had come to regard his opponent as a life like his own. Although he had merely delivered the finishing blow, he still felt something strange.
Just then, a burst of lightning exploded before Aaron's eyes, jolting him out of his strange state of mind and making him realize that this was no time to dwell on useless things.
Before Aaron could react further, however, he felt what seemed to be an electric current travel through his weapon, sending a shock through his entire body and leaving him trembling for quite some time. It felt just like when he had courted death as a child by poking wire into an electrical socket.
"Falstad, you screwed me over!" Aaron complained at Falstad, who was waving his warhammer and shouting at him. He quickly pulled out his sword and walked shakily along the Red Dragonflight's back toward the half-dead orc, who looked ready to breathe his last, muttering, "I've stepped on Deathwing's back more times than I can count. It's fine. It's fine."
Once he reached the orc, Aaron reached out and shoved his rigid body. The orc lost his balance and fell off the dragon's back.
Feeling the Red Dragonflight shudder beneath his feet, Aaron hurriedly flattened himself against it and seized the reins the orc had used to control it.
But the Red Dragonflight had probably already been tamed by the orcs. No matter how Aaron shouted at it, even invoking Alexstrasza's name, nothing worked. The Red Dragonflight beneath him was like a wild beast, devoid of reason.
The Red Dragonflight seemed to realize its rider was gone and began thrashing wildly. Unable to spare any attention for anything else, Aaron put away his weapons and clung tightly to the saddle at the dragon's neck with both hands, making sure he did not fall.
"This isn't going to work." Aaron could clearly feel his arms beginning to weaken. Although the Red Dragonflight did not remain upside down throughout its flight, it kept rolling its body, leaving Aaron afraid to loosen his grip for even a moment.
But this was no lasting solution either. Aaron's stamina was limited, after all. Once he could no longer hold the reins, he would probably fall.
Yet no one could help Aaron at that moment. With the Red Dragonflight going berserk, the others could not get close, and they feared hitting Aaron with ranged attacks. On top of that, another member of the Red Dragonflight was continually harassing them under its orc rider's control. For the moment, Aaron truly had no way to receive support.
As the Red Dragonflight kept spinning, Aaron began to feel dizzy, barely able to distinguish sea from sky. If this continued, he would soon die here.
With no other choice, Aaron freed one hand, gripped his sword, and stabbed hard at the Red Dragonflight. But the scales covering its body offered protection comparable to heavy armor, and Aaron's arm was severely weakened. His sharp sword simply could not pierce the Red Dragonflight's defenses.
Am I going to die at this dragon's hands? As the thought flashed through Aaron's mind, his grip on the reins involuntarily slackened, and he slipped off the Red Dragonflight's back.
"Aaron!"
"Kid!"
Several different cries of alarm rang out from every direction. The others had naturally noticed Aaron's peril as well. Several other gryphon riders steered their mounts toward him, seemingly intending to pull him up, but they all fell just short. Even Falstad and Vereesa, who were closest, missed him by a fraction.
Is this it? As Aaron fell faster amid the howling wind, his mind suddenly became extraordinarily clear. Was his brief transmigration going to end here? Would he wake up, or would he die for good?
Either way, it's such a shame. Aaron sighed. Since coming to Azeroth, he had yet to see any of the game's cities with his own eyes, had yet to travel to every corner of this world, had yet to... There was still so much he had not done. How could it end here?
But what else can I do? Once the desire to live arose in Aaron's heart, his mind immediately began racing. If all he wanted was to survive, it seemed he only needed to cast Divine Shield on himself an instant before hitting the sea.
Aaron had fallen from great heights many times in the game. As long as he activated Divine Shield in time, he could stay alive. But in this real world, did Divine Shield still grant absolute invulnerability?
He could not pin his hopes on this one skill. Aaron's mind raced. What other options did he have? Paladins were not Demon Hunters; they could not fly. Wait, fly...
He had a flying mount, but he could not summon mounts while moving. The thought flashed through Aaron's mind, but then he remembered that his mount did not automatically disappear in combat either. Was summoning a mount in midair really impossible? He would try it first!
Having made up his mind, Aaron began trying to summon his mount. Fortunately, his idea was correct. As his cast finished, a gryphon appeared beneath him. Grabbing its reins, Aaron guided it to slow his descent. As the sea drew ever closer, his fall began to slow, until he stopped just above the water and began to climb.
"Aaron, you scared me to death."
Seeing Aaron escape danger, the others who had pursued him through the air all looked relieved. Aaron was just about to say something to them when he looked up and suddenly saw an immense dark silhouette flying swiftly toward them from the distant sky.
"Watch out!" Aaron only had time to shout a warning.