Late at night, two moons, one large and one small, hung in the mid-air. The moonlight spilled on the river surface, shimmering with silver. Instead, it made the deeper dense forest even more eerie by contrasting with the waterweeds by the riverbank.
The tree canopies in the forest blocked the moonlight. Gerred stared at those dark yellow strange eyes gazing over here, trying hard to distinguish which wolf played a leading role in the entire wolf pack.
As long as it was killed at the first moment, the entire wolf pack would lose its backbone and scatter in all directions... The chance of him and Jess surviving would be many times greater.
A few younger wolves that were smaller were closest. They kept growling lowly and baring their teeth menacingly, as if provoking Jess and Gerred to strike first. However, Gerred simply ignored these guys and focused on the older wolves observing from higher places.
"I feel that it's very likely the big one standing on the side... Have you seen it?" Gerred said.
"How can you tell?" Jess asked.
Gerred said, "The one on the side is directing these little wolves. If you observe carefully, you can see the eye contact between them. In short, pay more attention to that guy later. If there's an opportunity, kill him. Don't waste too much time on other wolves."
While Gerred was explaining the points to pay attention to, a small wolf on the front line suddenly pounced from the side and bit towards his calf. Gerred kicked this wolf to the ground. Just as he was about to stab it with his sword, several wolves around suddenly barked loudly a few times, making him hesitate for a moment. The little wolf that had been kicked down had already withdrawn.
Seeing that the two had been provoked, two wolves from other directions simultaneously launched an attack on Jess. Jess lifted his stick and thrust it forcefully at one of the wolves. This wolf tried to dodge and was grazed on the shoulder, emitting a low moan.
And another wolf had already pounced on Jess. Gerred, seizing the opportunity before it could bite down, grabbed this wolf, threw it on the ground, and kicked its spine until it broke.
After this round of attacks, one wolf was injured, and one wolf was already half-dead and twitching on the ground. The wolves that had just tried to attack slowly retreated. The older wolves observing from higher places began to move.
"Are they also testing us?" Jess asked.
"Yes." Gerred said, "Be careful... Jess. They probably think you are easier to break through and have targeted you."
After several older wolves joined the fray, the little wolves were clearly more confident. They barked even more vigorously. When the older wolves started barking, the little wolves rushed forward in a frenzy, all aiming at Jess indeed!
Gerred originally wanted to go towards the older wolves. When he saw Jess suddenly surrounded by a large group of wolves, he could only swing his sword to help him fend off a few little wolves.
At this time, Jess felt the advantage of having a long stick. He swung it vigorously in front of him, and the wolves in front dared not approach rashly. When he felt that the wolves behind were about to approach, he turned around and swung the stick again. These wolves also hesitated.
When a desperate wolf was about to charge forward recklessly, Gerred would cut it to death or injure it with a single sword. But from time to time, when he observed the positions of those older wolves, he found that they cunningly hid behind the little wolves, surely looking for an opportunity to strike with certainty.
After the wolves in front suffered losses, the older wolves must have changed their strategy. After a period of chaos, both sides returned to a standoff situation again.
It was getting later and later. Jess felt a wave of drowsiness, and his movements slowed down a bit. So did Gerred.
"They seem to be wearing us down." Jess said, "Should we settle this quickly?"
"You're right." Gerred said, "Jess... Protect yourself. I'm ready to take a gamble."
"Go ahead." Jess said.
Although Jess had no idea in his heart whether he could handle the siege of several wolves, staying like this would surely lead to certain death. Gerred held his sword with both hands, his eyes fixed on the older wolf he had identified earlier.
Jess summoned his courage and let out a loud roar. After attracting the attention of several wolves in front, Gerred kicked away a little wolf in front of him and suddenly charged towards the older wolves.
This sudden change actually threw the wolf pack into chaos for a while. Some little wolves pounced on Gerred but couldn't catch up at all. And the wolves about to surround Jess couldn't form a combined force either. Jess picked up his stick and thrust it forcefully at a little wolf in front, sending the dagger deep into its waist and taking its life immediately. After pulling it out, he swung it again, cutting a gash on another wolf, scaring the young wolves around into squealing.
At this moment, Gerred let out a strange cry and pounced towards the pack of older wolves. However, the older wolf he had been eyeing retreated a few steps and let two older wolves stand in front of him.
Gerred took advantage of the situation and chopped down with his sword towards the neck of one of the older wolves. His sword was extremely fast. The older wolf tried to retreat to dodge but was still hit in the mouth. Another wolf took the opportunity when Gerred was unsteady and hadn't had time to withdraw his sword and bit hard on his hind leg.
The dwarf's loud cry made Jess's heart skip a beat as he looked over there. Seeing that the wolf that seemed to be the leader was circling around to Gerred's back, preparing to deliver a fatal blow. Gerred also realized the danger behind him. He split the wolf biting his hind leg in two with a single sword. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free from the head that was firmly biting him.
He cursed in Dwarvish. And when Jess looked over there, he suddenly felt a searing pain on his back.
A wolf took the opportunity when his attention was diverted and pounced on his back. It scratched him a few times and tried to bite his nape. He forcefully shook it off. However, seeing Jess injured, several other wolves that had been surrounding but not attacking barked wildly and charged forward!
Jess was knocked to the ground by these wolves. He used the stick in his hand to block the bite of the wolf in front. He pushed it away with all his strength. Just as he was about to stand up, another wolf bit his arm and dragged him to the ground. When he wanted to reach out and grab the wolf's eye, another little wolf on his hind leg went crazy and started tearing at him.
There was a burning pain in his limbs. He couldn't use any strength anywhere. And on Gerred's side, he was already surrounded by several older wolves. His height was completely buried in the middle. Only a straight sword could be seen waving back and forth. From time to time, the screams of injured wolves could be heard. But those older wolves seemed determined not to retreat.
If they didn't take a gamble now, they would really be doomed.
Jess endured the severe pain and kicked hard, kicking the little wolf biting his right leg over. He grabbed the little wolf that was holding his sleeve and twisted its neck. He picked up the stick and hit a wolf that was about to pounce again on the head, knocking it unconscious and lying stiff on the ground.
The remaining wolves had gone completely berserk. They didn't care how many of their companions had died. Jess hadn't had time to finish off a wolf that was lying on the ground and moaning with another blow when he was bitten by a wolf on his back again and dragged several meters back, almost falling down.
A wave of emotions mixed with anger, tension, and madness firmly gripped Jess's consciousness.
It's time. It's time.
——Veygort.
The long stick in his hand vibrated slightly.
This vibration suddenly woke Jess up. His almost out-of-control emotions calmed down a lot. The intense pain in his limbs, back, and neck suddenly hit him, making him close his eyes.
After enduring for a while, until a few seconds later, the intense pain slightly eased to a tolerable level.
However, when he saw the surrounding scene again, there wasn't a single standing wolf left.
In the dense forest, the cries of the wolf pack rang out everywhere. Several wolf silhouettes fled with their tails between their legs, as if they had seen some terrifying devil and dared not look back.
The older wolves around Gerred had also disappeared without a trace. Only a few corpses lying on the ground and those seriously injured and unable to move remained.
The alpha wolf wasn't dead yet. It was still lying there, trembling all over and staring firmly at Jess. Its lower body was covered in excrement and urine, but it still refused to retreat.
However, Gerred wasn't looking at that wolf. He was also looking this way.
"...Did you do this, Jess?"
Jess didn't know how to explain for a moment. He looked at the stick in his hand. Purple magical light flowed through the gaps wrapped in coarse cloth. It was extremely evil. And he felt extremely cold all around. The cold and the pain alternated, almost making him unable to stand steadily.
The alpha wolf fell down. Its eyes were still staring this way and wouldn't close. Gerred stood there in a daze and looked this way. His sword had fallen to the ground.
"Your hand, Gerred." Jess pointed at the dwarf's hand. The dwarf's gaze slowly shifted down and found that his hands were shaking violently and couldn't be controlled.
For a long time after that, neither of them spoke.
Gerred squatted by the river and kept washing the blood on his body and clothes until his hands stopped shaking.
Jess inspected the wounds on his body. They were much lighter than he had imagined. There wasn't any particularly exaggerated bleeding. It seemed that no important blood vessels had been injured.
After tearing his already torn-up upper garment into pieces and making a simple bandage, he sat on a large rock by the river.
The dwarf packed up his things and walked to Jess's side with a small flagon.
He lay down on the rock and took a deep breath. Then he asked, "Such powerful magic. Did you learn it from those two books?"
Jess shook his head and said, "I learned it from another warlock."
Even through a pile of beards, Jess could tell that the dwarf's expression was extremely serious.
Jess didn't speak. Gerred put his hand on Jess's shoulder and said, "While taking a break, let me tell you a story."
"A long time ago, Ironforge was once the common home of dwarves. We have lived in the mountains of Dun Morogh since the era with recorded history. Ironforge is the most magnificent city jointly built by all dwarves and is also our pride."
"However, nothing is eternal. There were too many dwarves in Ironforge. Some were forced to go to the mountains and caves of Dun Morogh. At this time, the three largest clans among dwarves, the Wildhammers, the Bronzebeards, and the Dark Irons, all wanted to stay in Ironforge and rule this city. More than 200 years ago, when the last High King died, everything finally fell into chaos."
"I don't want to judge who is right or wrong, who struck first, who killed the most dwarves, and who brought the most severe damage to Ironforge. These have been buried in history and can no longer be made clear."
"In the end, the Bronzebeards won. My ancestors went north and dug out another huge underground city comparable to Ironforge in the mountains there, the great Grim Batol."
"However, not many years later, the king of the Dark Iron clan who had fled and settled in the Redridge Mountains area - Sorensen, who called himself the 'Witch King', used the abundant minerals and timber there to create an army of golems. Then, he and his wife, Modgud, each led their legions and simultaneously attacked Dun Morogh and Grim Batol, attempting to avenge and completely conquer all dwarves."
"It was Modgud who attacked Grim Batol. This witch besieged Grim Batol for a long time but couldn't capture it. In a fit of rage, she actually cursed the entire city with an evil magical artifact she got from who knows where. Although she died in the battle, the power of that magical artifact was far stronger than Modgud herself. It was this artifact that bewitched this woman and the once extremely wise Mage King Sorensen. But once they realized it, it was too late. The dwarves could never return to their past glory."
"The magical artifact fell into the depths of Grim Batol. No one has seen it again. But the entire city has become a depraved abyss filled with evil spirits and shadow curses because of it. Thousands of dwarves died in pain. We had to leave there and continue north until we reached Hinterlands."
"Dark magic is not a good thing. It makes people lose their way, lose their sanity, and become more and more extreme. Eventually, you won't even recognize yourself anymore, my friend."
"But I also don't want to influence your choice."
"Everyone has their own choices. My kind loves freedom and knows how hard-won it is. So we don't like others telling us what we should do and what we shouldn't do. Similarly, I don't want to do that to others. Especially not to you."
At this point, the dwarf was already slurring his words. Although he took a sip of wine after every few sentences, Jess knew that he wouldn't get drunk so easily. He just wanted to make him give up but didn't want to say it directly, so he was deeply conflicted.
"However, I also have to admit that your magic is really powerful." Gerred looked at the wolves' corpses lying haphazardly on the riverbank and said, "I was fighting with them desperately. Then suddenly, I felt an unprecedented, never-before-felt fear. Even when facing troll hunters in the dark night, I wasn't that afraid. I thought I was doomed. I knew I might not be able to win and was about to be bitten to death, so I was scared silly. But I found that that wolf was even more afraid than me. It was trembling all over like it had seen a live lion. That look was really funny."
"At this moment, I realized, ah... We were afraid of the same thing." When the dwarf said this, he chuckled twice.
"If one day I am no longer myself, kill me." Jess said.
Gerred shook his still slightly trembling right hand, and the smile on his face slowly faded.
"You know I can't do it, Jess. Even if you turn into an orc, I still can't do it. But if that day really comes, I will go far away, as far away from you as possible, until I completely forget about you."