Chapter 5

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Chapter 005: The "Former" Gryphon Rider

Hogger… Hogger? Did I hear it right?

Jesse muttered a curse in his native language, then turned around to search for any weapons dropped by Gnolls or other soldiers. In the end, he only picked up the cleaver that the small Gnoll had been holding.

But the knife was too short, unable to block or stab. The axe in the Gnoll’s hand seemed to be made by Orcs, with a head bigger than his own head. If swung at him, wouldn’t it cut him in half on the spot?

"Greed! Look over here, darn it!" Jesse shouted, hearing a rustling sound behind him. He wasn’t sure if it was Greed or someone else already rushing to his side.

Jesse grabbed his beard and asked, "Look at that, how do we fight this? How do we fight this?!"

Greed grabbed Jesse’s collar and whispered, "Can’t win this, should we run?"

"You run, can you outrun the Gnolls? What about your honor?!"

"No point having honor when you’re dead! But you’re right… run, even running won’t get us out of this."

Jesse looked around, seeing many militia exhausted, the guards barely able to stand firm. 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 approached. The guard who had been resisting him before was now lying motionless on the ground.

Greed lifted his axe, removed his eye patch, and revealed a long scar running from his forehead to his mouth.

He whispered hoarsely, "Maybe we can take him down."

"There’s no other choice," Jesse agreed.

"Even if we die together, it’s worth it, pale face!"

"We might not die, let’s give it our all."

The Gnoll leader’s steps quickened, swinging his axe as he charged towards the two. The dwarf and the human both jumped to the sides. Hogger’s axe struck the carriage railing, causing the body of the carriage to shake, a wheel clattering off and bags of grain falling.

Hogger turned towards Jesse, raising his axe. Jesse grabbed a bag of grain, but Hogger’s strike split it open, wheat spilling everywhere. Even with the bag cushioning the blow, Jesse felt numb all over. This monster was incredibly strong compared to humans!

Just as Hogger prepared to strike again, he suddenly shuddered, trying to grab and scratch something on his back. He spun around, seeing Greed gripping his axe tightly, its blade embedded in the armor on Hogger’s back. In the flickering torchlight, the blood seeping out shone bright like red ink!

"Can he be killed?"

Jesse muttered to himself as he picked up the fallen cleaver from the ground, stumbled forward, and fiercely stabbed it towards the other person’s lower back. However, to his surprise, the tip of the cleaver was not sharp enough, and he did not use enough force in his haste. The stab only cut through a layer of skin after piercing the opponent’s waist protector, not actually penetrating into the flesh!

Hogger, in pain, kicked Jesse away and then swiftly swung his body, causing Greed to swing back and forth. He grabbed Greed’s braid with his other hand.

"Ouch!"

Greed let out a cry as he was pulled down, the axe in his hand slipping out. Hogger, even with an axe stuck in his back, still moved strangely but quickly and powerfully.

He lifted Greed off the ground, reaching for the axe he had thrown away. Greed bit his hand, causing him to growl in pain, yet he did not let go.

Jesse rubbed his sore belly, clenched his teeth, picked up the Lumberjack Axe nearby, grasped it tightly, ran forward, and with all his remaining strength, yelled as he swung the axe at Hogger’s hind leg. The swing didn’t break his leg but left a bloody gash on the bone.

Hogger grunted and fell to the ground, allowing Greed to escape.

"Finish him off while he’s down!" Jesse tossed the axe to Greed, who caught it in the air with a Dwarven language shout and swung it at Hogger. However, Hogger lifted his head and forcefully rammed into Greed’s chest, sending him flying onto the carriage, muttering incoherently and struggling to get up due to the slippery ground.

Hogger didn’t know how, but he stood up again and picked up the dwarf’s weapon. He held two axes, one big and one small, and limped towards us.

This time, Jesse’s brave face suddenly turned fearful, realizing that he might lose his life for a silver coin.

He grabbed a long stick from a nearby militia member, trying to block. Hogger waved his axe, but suddenly turned into a sheep in a puff of smoke!

Polymorph: Sheep?

Looking into the distance on the road, in the pouring rain, a man in a purple robe was riding a white horse, holding a magic wand high and approaching us.

Is it Gandalf… or Antonidas?

When that mage came closer, he could finally see the other person’s face clearly – it was Malin!

He shouted a spell, and the crystal tip of the magic wand gradually emitted a bright Arcane light while chanting, illuminating the road and the surrounding forests.

The Gnolls still in battle were startled by this light, and looking to the middle, they saw their leader had turned into a sheep nibbling on grass by the roadside. They panicked and many even covered their eyes and ran into the forest.

Malin shouted loudly, "The transformation spell won’t last much longer, Mr. Jesse Seso! Just a few minutes, maybe even just a few seconds… Gnolls are very resistant to my attack magic, once the spell wears off, I won’t be able to handle him."

"We need to leave quickly, there might be other Gnolls coming this way," Jesse said, remembering the guard knocked down by the Gnoll leader and noticing he was still breathing.

"Master Malin, take him with us!"

Hearing Jesse’s shout, Malin jumped off the horse, looked at the guard’s blurry face, pointed to the east and said, "Lift him onto the horse, head east quickly, you’ll soon reach the outpost, I’ll come from there."

"Greed! We need to hurry!" Jesse shouted at the dazed dwarf, calling a few people and the guards who were still able to move, helping to remove the injured soldier’s armor and put him on the horse.

The people who could move followed Malin’s light magic, leaving with the injured soldier. The Gnolls, with their leader turned into a sheep, did not have the courage to chase after them fiercely, and they walked quickly for about fifteen minutes until they saw the torches of the outpost, then slowed down.

The exhausted militia members sat slumped near the railing. Jesse took a deep breath and felt relieved.

The rain pattered on his forehead, slowly calming him down.

The outpost guards took Malin’s white horse, calling for help to carry and take care of the injured. Malin, taking a moment’s break, said to Jesse, "I need to help these lads out. You should leave quickly, there are wolves lurking in the forest."

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

Malin said, "I didn’t know, I was just looking for you. I asked those hired guards for your name, and one worker said you went to Westfall. I thought you were going to Moonbrook for work, so I planned to hurry there to persuade you to come back. I didn’t want to miss having such a helper. However, I didn’t expect a Gnoll attack. It just so happened that I could help you out, it was really fortunate."

Jesse said, "I don’t know how to thank you, master. So, are you planning to hire me?"

Malin nodded and said, "Once you’ve healed, come to the Mage Quarter to discuss your terms, same place, Mr. Seso. Regarding the Red Dragon matter, I hope you won’t hide your thoughts."

"Understood." Jesse didn’t expect Malin to see that he was hiding something, but about the Demon Soul, he wasn’t ready to reveal everything so soon, he needed a reasonable explanation.

The mage gradually disappeared into the rain curtain, the dwarf lying on the ground whispered, "I can’t hold the axe anymore, Jesse."

"We are safe now." Jesse looked at the dark forest, still not daring to let his guard down, but he was so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open.

"I mean, I can’t hold the axe anymore, darn it!" Greed cursed loudly, making Jesse look over in surprise. He noticed that Greed’s hand was still shaking.

Remembering the chaotic battle just now, Jesse indeed recalled that Greed had dropped the axe several times, putting them in danger each time.

But this doesn’t change his belief that Greed is an excellent warrior, because without this dwarf, the rescued soldiers might not have had a chance to survive.

The dwarf mumbled, "The human priest from Southshore told me that those cursed bats raised by trolls poisoned my brain. I might never be able to fly in the sky again. Gosrum was right, I can’t ride a gryphon anymore, can’t throw a war hammer anymore, I’m useless now, Jesse."

Listening to the dwarf, Jesse remembered the first time they met in Southshore, with Greed lying still on the sea like a sack.

Not long ago, there was a sea battle between the Orcs and the Alliance in Hillsbrad Foothills. Sometimes, some messy floating objects approached the shore, so the people at the docks didn’t even recognize it as a living person, thinking it was some waterlogged cargo or something.

At that time, he was waiting near the docks for the refugee boats to arrive. He happened to see that inflated thing bubble for a moment, then saw those tangled rope-like things were actually the dwarf’s braided hair!

Jesse decisively jumped into the water and dragged Greed ashore, but he didn’t expect this guy to start punching and kicking him, and then crying uncontrollably.

Although later Greed explained that he thought he had encountered a shark and fought desperately, crying only when he thought he was about to die, it was not until now that Jesse finally understood what had happened that day.

The rain fell harder, Greed’s messy hair sticking to his scalp, he stared blankly at the distant flames, silent for a long time.

"That mage just now offered to take me as an apprentice," Jesse said. "Many scholars in the Mage Quarter are knowledgeable in herbalism, do you think it’s possible to cure the poison in you?"

"It’s late, brother," Greed said stiffly. "The poison’s effects have already passed, but what’s turning me into a wreck is the aftermath left by the poison. It’s permanent now, can’t be fixed anymore."

"But I’m still very grateful to you, Jesse. You saved my life twice and even tried to help cure me."

Jesse said, "You also saved my life."

"Saving human lives is nothing special for a dwarf, but the other way around is extraordinary," Greed chuckled. "Besides, a true Wildhammer warrior can’t let himself and his brother die at the hands of a two-legged dog."

"Or a dog that knows how to chase people with an axe."

"Hah… cough! Cough!"