Chereads / Work diary in Stormwind / Chapter 5 - Chapter 5: “Former” Gryphon Rider

Chapter 5 - Chapter 5: “Former” Gryphon Rider

Hog... Hogger? I can't have heard wrong, can I?

 

Jesse cursed in his native language and then turned around to search everywhere for weapons dropped by gnolls or other soldiers. In the end, he only picked up the cleaver that the little gnoll had been holding.

 

But this knife was too short. It couldn't block or stab. That battleaxe in the gnoll's hand seemed to be made by orcs. The axe head was bigger than his own head. If it swung over, wouldn't he be split in two on the spot?

 

"Gerred! Look over here quickly, damn it!" Jesse shouted loudly. There was a rustling sound behind him. He didn't know if it was Gerred or someone else who had already rushed to his side.

 

Jesse grabbed his beard and asked, "Look at that. How can we fight this? Huh? How can we fight this?!"

 

Gerred grabbed Jesse's collar and said in a low voice, "We can't fight it. Should we run?"

 

"Can you outrun a gnoll if you run? What about your honor?!"

 

"If you lose your life, there's no honor left! But you're right... Running, we can't escape either."

 

Jesse looked around. Many militiamen were already exhausted from fighting. Those guards were also almost unable to stand steadily. One who tried to escape into the forest had already been impaled on a distant tree by a spear...

 

He gritted his teeth and watched as the huge gnoll walked towards them. The guard who had been resisting him before was already lying on the ground motionless.

 

Gerred lifted his axe and took off his eye patch, fully revealing the long scar that extended from his forehead to the corner of his mouth.

 

He said in a suppressed voice, "Maybe we can kill him."

 

"There's no other good way." Jesse agreed.

 

"It's worth dying with you, pinky!"

 

"Not necessarily dying. Let's fight."

 

The steps of the gnoll leader became faster and faster. He spun the axe in his hand and charged towards the two of them. The dwarf and the human jumped to the sides at the same time. Hogger swung his axe and split the carriage railing. The carriage body shook. One wheel was shaken off with a clang. The carriage tilted and the grain bags fell over.

 

Hogger turned around and swung his axe at Jesse. Jesse picked up a grain bag, but Hogger split it neatly in the middle. Wheat spilled all over the place. Even with the buffer of the grain bag, this blow made Jesse's whole body numb. This monster was so much stronger than a human!

 

Just when Hogger was about to strike a second time, he suddenly shook all over. He turned around to scratch something. He turned around in a circle and saw that Gerred was tightly holding his axe. The blade had already been embedded in Hogger's back armor. Under the burning torchlight, the oozing blood was as bright as red ink!

 

"Can we kill him now?"

 

Jesse muttered to himself. He picked up the cleaver that had fallen on the ground and staggered forward. He thrust it hard into the opponent's lower back... But he didn't expect that the tip of the cleaver was not sharp enough. And in his panic, he didn't use enough strength. This stab only cut through a layer of skin after piercing the opponent's leather waist guard. It didn't pierce into the flesh at all!

 

Hogger winced in pain and kicked Jesse away with one foot. His whole body swung hard and threw Gerred back and forth. Then he grabbed Gerred's braid with his other hand!

 

"Ouch!"

 

Gerred let out a strange cry and was pulled down. The axe in his hand also fell out of his grip. Hogger, who had the axe blade embedded in his back, moved a bit strangely, but he was still fast and strong enough.

 

He grabbed Gerred and lifted him into the air. With his other hand, he reached for his own axe that he had thrown aside. Gerred bit his claw. Although it hurt, he still didn't let go.

 

Jesse rubbed his abdomen that had been kicked and gritted his teeth. He slipped to the side of the two-handed lumber axe, picked it up, and held it tightly with both hands. After a running start, he used all his remaining strength and shouted as he split Hogger's hind leg. This blow didn't break his hind leg. It only cut a bloody gash on his leg bone.

 

Hogger grunted and fell to the ground. Gerred was able to break free.

 

"Kill him while he's weak!" Jesse threw the axe to Gerred. Gerred roared something in Dwarven as he caught the axe in mid-air. Then he swung it down hard. But unexpectedly, Hogger raised his head and slammed into his chest, directly knocking him onto the carriage where he fell squarely. He muttered something. His mind seemed unclear. He tried to get up several times but slipped again because of the rain and mud.

 

Somehow, Hogger stood up again and picked up the dwarf's weapon. Holding a large and a small axe in both hands, he limped towards them.

 

At this moment, Jesse's previous heroic spirit froze instantly. This time, he really gave his life for just one silver coin.

 

He grabbed a long stick from a militiaman beside him and tried to make a blocking posture. In front of him, Hogger shook his axe but suddenly turned into a sheep in a cloud of dust!

 

Polymorph?

 

Looking into the distance on the road, he saw a man in a purple robe riding a white horse and holding a staff high as he came towards them in the pouring rain.

 

Was it Gandalf... or An... Antonidas?

 

When the mage approached, he could see the other person's appearance clearly. It was Marin!

 

He shouted a spell. The crystal head at the tip of the staff gradually emitted a strong arcane light during the chanting process, illuminating the road and the woods on both sides.

 

The gnolls who were still fighting were illuminated by this light. Looking in the middle, they found that their leader had turned into a sheep lying by the roadside and chewing grass. They were all panicked. Many even covered their eyes and retreated into the forest.

 

Marin said loudly, "The polymorph spell won't last long, Mr. Jesse Sesso! A few minutes, or even a few dozen seconds... Gnolls have a strong resistance to my offensive magic. Once the spell wears off, I won't be able to deal with him either."

 

"Then we need to leave here quickly. There may be other gnolls coming this way." Jesse said. Suddenly, he remembered the guard who had been knocked down by the gnoll leader. He took off his helmet. The man was still breathing.

 

"Master Marin, take him with you!"

 

Hearing Jesse's shout, Marin dismounted and looked at the guard's bloody face. He pointed to the east and said, "Put him on the horseback. You guys go east quickly. You'll soon encounter a sentry post. I came from that direction."

 

"Gerred! We need to leave quickly!" Jesse shouted at the dwarf who was still a bit dizzy. At the same time, he called several people and the guards who could still move. Together, they took off the injured soldier's armor and put him on the horse.

 

Those who could still move left with the wounded following Marin's light magic. The gnolls didn't have the courage to chase hard because their leader had been turned into a sheep. The group walked quickly for more than ten minutes. When they saw the torches of the sentry post, they slowly slowed down.

 

The militiamen who couldn't walk anymore sat slumped by the railing. Jesse raised his head and took a deep breath with his chest puffed out before finally feeling relieved.

 

The rain pattered on his forehead, slowly making him calm down a bit.

 

The sentries who came from the sentry post took hold of Marin's white horse and shouted for people to come and help move and take care of the wounded. Marin, who had a moment of free time, looked at them and said to Jesse, "I need to help these guys. You'd better leave here quickly too. There are still wolves in the forest."

 

Jesse asked, "How did you know we were in danger?"

 

Marin said, "I didn't know. I was just looking for you. I asked the recruiting guards about your name. A worker said you went to Westfall. I thought you were going to Moonbrook to find work, so I planned to rush over and persuade you to come back. I don't want to miss such a helper. However, I didn't expect there would be a gnoll attack. This just happened to help you. It's really a coincidence."

 

Jesse said, "I don't know how to thank you, Master. So, are you going to hire me?"

 

Marin nodded and said, "Remember to come to the mage quarter to find me and discuss your salary after you recover. It's still the same place, Mr. Sesso. Regarding the red dragon, I still hope you don't hide your thoughts."

 

"I know." Jesse didn't expect that Marin could see that he was still hiding something. But regarding the Demon Soul, he didn't plan to tell everything so soon. He still needed to think of a reasonable explanation.

 

The mage gradually disappeared into the rain curtain. The dwarf slumped on the ground and whispered, "I can't hold my axe anymore, Jesse."

 

"We're safe." Jesse looked at the pitch-black forest but still didn't dare to let down his guard. However, he was almost too tired to keep his eyes open.

 

"I mean I can't hold my axe anymore, damn it!" Gerred cursed loudly. Jesse was startled by his shout and looked over suddenly. He found that Gerred's hand was still shaking until now.

 

Thinking of the chaotic battle earlier, Jesse did remember that Gerred had dropped his axe several times and had fallen into danger several times because of it.

 

But this didn't affect his opinion that Gerred was an excellent warrior. After all, if it weren't for this dwarf, he and these rescued soldiers might not have had a chance to survive.

 

The dwarf said incoherently, "The human priest in Southshore told me that those damn bats raised by trolls poisoned my brain. I may never be able to fly in the sky again. Gorthrum was right. I can never ride a gryphon again. I can never throw a warhammer again. I'm already a useless person, Jesse."

 

Hearing the dwarf's words, Jesse remembered when they first met in Southshore. Gerred was lying motionless on the sea like a sack.

 

Not long ago, a naval battle between the orcs and the Alliance had taken place in the Hillsbrad Foothills. There were often some scattered floating objects approaching the coast. So the people on the dock didn't even recognize that it was a living person. They thought it was some soaked cargo or something.

 

At that time, he was waiting by the dock for the ship carrying refugees to dock. He happened to see that bulging thing move and a bubble gurgled out. Only then did he realize that those messy things like hemp ropes were the dwarf's braids!

 

Jesse decisively jumped into the water and dragged Gerred ashore. But he didn't expect this guy to punch and kick him. Then he cried wildly.

 

Although later Gerred explained this as thinking he had encountered a shark and so he fought desperately. And he cried because he thought he was going to die. But until now, Jesse finally understood what had happened that day.

 

The rain was getting heavier and heavier. Gerred's messy hair was stuck to his scalp. He stared blankly at the distant firelight and was silent for a long time.

 

"That mage just now is willing to take me as his apprentice." Jesse said, "Many scholars in the mage quarter know herbalism. Do you think there's a possibility that they can cure the poison in you?"

 

"It's too late, brother." Gerred said woodenly, "The toxicity has long passed. What makes me a useless person now is the aftereffect of the poison. This is already permanent and can't be repaired anymore."

 

"But I still thank you very much, Jesse. You saved my life twice and thought of helping me cure my illness."

 

Jesse said, "You also saved my life."

 

"It's nothing unusual for a dwarf to save a human's life. But it's different the other way around." Gerred let out a wry laugh and said, "Moreover, a true Wildhammer warrior can never let himself and his brother die at the hands of a two-legged dog."

 

"Especially a dog that can hold an axe and chase people to chop."

 

"Ha... Cough! Cough!"