9 Chapter 9: Griffin or Gryphon

Hog...Hogger? Did I hear that right?

Jess cursed under his breath in his native language, turning around to search for any weapons dropped by gnolls or other soldiers. In the end, he only picked up a cleaver that a young gnoll had been wielding.

But this cleaver was too short, unable to block or stab. The gnoll's weapon seemed to be an orc-made battle axe, the head of which was larger than his own skull. If it swung at him, wouldn't he be split in two on the spot?

"Grit! Quick, look over here, damn it!" Jess yelled, a rustling sound coming from behind him, unsure if it was Grit or someone else who had already reached his side.

Jess grabbed him by the beard and asked, "Look at that, how do we fight this, huh? How do we fight this?!"

Grit, holding Jess's collar, whispered, "We can't win this, should we run?"

"You think you can outrun gnolls? What about your honor?!"

"Honor schmonor if I'm dead! But you're right... running, we can't escape either."

Jess looked around. Many militiamen had already fought to the point of exhaustion, and the guards could barely stand, with one trying to escape into the forest already pinned to a tree in the distance with a spear...

He clenched his teeth, watching as a huge gnoll approached. A guard who had been resisting it had already fallen motionless to the ground.

Grit lifted his axe, pulling off his eye patch to reveal a long scar stretching from his forehead to the corner of his mouth.

He said in a hushed tone, "Maybe we could kill him."

"There's no better plan." Jess agreed.

"Dying alongside you is worth it, pink-skin!"

"Who says we're gonna die? Let's fight."

The gnoll chief quickened his pace, spinning the axe in his hand as he charged towards the two of them. The dwarf and the human jumped aside as Hogger swung his axe onto the cart's railing, shaking the vehicle so violently that a wheel snapped off. The cart tilted sideways, spilling sacks of grain.

Hogger then turned and swung his axe at Jess, who had picked up a sack of grain. Hogger split it cleanly in two, scattering wheat everywhere. Despite the cushion of the sack, the strike still made Jess's whole body numb. This monster's strength was unimaginable compared to a human's!

Just as Hogger was about to deliver a second blow, his body suddenly shook. He turned to try and scratch at something, but then he saw Grit gripping the axe, its blade embedded in Hogger's back armor. Under the light of the burning torches, the oozing blood shone brightly like red ink.

"Did we kill him?"

Muttering to himself, Jess picked up the dropped cleaver and staggered forward, aiming a fierce stab at the adversary's lower back... only to find the cleaver's tip wasn't sharp enough. His strength was insufficient in his panic; the stab slid off the slick, tough gnoll fur and merely scraped the skin, failing to penetrate.

Hogger, in pain, turned and kicked Jess away, sending Grit swinging back and forth with a powerful flick of his body. Then, grabbing Grit's braid with one hand...

"Ow!"

Grit cried out as he was yanked down, and the axe slipped from his hand. Despite the axe embedded in his spine, Hogger's actions were oddly agile, yet still quick and powerful.

He lifted Grit into the air, other hand reaching for his own discarded axe. Grit bit into Hogger's paw, causing him to growl in pain, but he didn't let go.

Jess, rubbing his kicked abdomen, clenched his teeth and crept to a two-handed lumber axe. Grasping it firmly, he charged forward with the last of his strength, yelling as he struck at Hogger's hind legs. The blow did not sever the limb but carved a gash into the bone.

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

"Now's our chance to finish him!" Jess tossed the axe to Grit. Grit, speaking something in Dwarvish, caught the axe and swung fiercely, not expecting Hogger to raise his head and crash into his chest, sending him flying onto the cart, mumbling incoherently as he tried to get up but slipped in the rain and mud several times.

Somehow, Hogger got back up, picking up the dwarf's weapons and limping towards them, axe in each hand.

At that moment, Jess's spirit of grandeur froze solid—this was truly sacrificing their lives for a mere silver coin.

He picked up a long stick from a militiaman nearby, trying to brace himself. But as Hogger swung his axe, he suddenly turned into a sheep amid a cloud of dust.

Polymorphism?

Looking down the rain-soaked road, he saw a man in a purple robe riding a white horse, raising a staff towards them.

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

As the mage drew closer, his features became clear—it was Marin!

He shouted an incantation, and the crystal at the tip of his staff gradually released a strong arcane light, illuminating the road and the trees on both sides.

The battling gnolls, caught in this light and seeing their leader turned into a sheep grazing by the roadside, panicked. Many even covered their eyes and retreated into the forest.

Marin called out, "The transformation spell won't last long, Mr. Jess Seso! A few minutes, even seconds... Gnolls have strong resistance to my offensive magic, and once the spell fades, I cannot handle him."

"We need to leave quickly, there might be more gnolls coming." Jess said, suddenly remembering the guard knocked down by the gnoll chief. He removed his helmet; the man was still breathing.

"Master Marin, take him!"

Hearing Jess's shout, Marin dismounted and glanced at the guard's bloodied face, then gestured towards the east, "Lift him onto the horse, move quickly eastward. We'll soon reach a lookout post, I'll come from there."

"Grit! We need to move fast!" Jess shouted towards the slightly dazed dwarf, while calling a few people and the still mobile guards to remove the injured soldier's armor and put him on the horse.

The group, with the support of Marin's light magic, left the scene. With their leader turned into a sheep, the gnolls lacked the courage to chase. The group quickly moved for about ten minutes until they saw the torches of the lookout post, then slowed down.

The exhausted militiamen collapsed beside the railing. Jess, lifting his head and puffing out his chest, took a deep breath, finally easing his breath.

The rain pitter-pattered on his forehead, gradually calming him down.

The sentinels from the lookout post took Marin's white horse, calling for help with carrying and caring for the wounded. Marin, having a moment to rest, said to Jess, "I want to help these young men. You'd better leave quickly, there are wolves in the forest."

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

Marin replied, "I didn't. I was actually looking for you. I asked the recruiting guards for your name, and a worker said you had headed to the Westfall. I thought you were going to Sentinel Hill for work, so I planned to persuade you to come back. I didn't want to miss a helper like you, but I never expected a gnoll attack. It just so happened to work out in helping you, quite the coincidence."

Jess said, "I don't know how to thank you, master. So, you're hiring me?"

Marin nodded, "Heal up and come discuss your compensation in the Mage District, the usual place, Mr. Jess. About the Red Dragon matter, I still hope you won't hide your thoughts."

"I understand." Jess hadn't expected Marin to notice he was still hiding something. As for the Demon Soul, he wasn't ready to fully reveal it yet, still seeking a reasonable explanation.

The mage gradually disappeared into the rain, and the dwarf collapsed on the ground, whispering quietly, "I can't hold the axe anymore, Jess."

"We're safe," Jess looked into the dark forest, still not letting down his guard, though he was almost too tired to keep his eyes open.

"What I mean is, I can't grip the damn axe anymore!" Grit cursed loudly, startling Jess, who noticed Grit's hands were still trembling.

Recalling the chaos of the battle, Jess remembered Grit's axe slipping from his grip several times, each time narrowly escaping danger.

But this did not change his opinion of Grit being a commendable warrior; without the dwarf, himself and these saved soldiers might not have had the chance to survive.

The dwarf mumbled unclearly, "The human priest in Southshore told me, those damned bats raised by the trolls poisoned my brain. I might never fly in the skies again. Gosh'Haluun was right; I'll never ride a gryphon again, nor wield a warhammer. I'm now worthless, Jess."

Listening to the dwarf, Jess remembered when they first met in Southshore. Grit was motionless on the sea surface like a sack.

Not long ago, a battle between orcs and the Alliance had occurred off the Hillsbrad Foothills, and debris often floated ashore. So, the dockworkers didn't even recognize him as a living person, mistaking him for some waterlogged cargo.

At that time, he was waiting near the docks for a ship carrying refugees to dock. He happened to notice something bulging, bubbling up for a moment, then realized those tangled messes that looked like ropes were actually a dwarf's braids!

Jess decisively jumped into the water and dragged Grit up to the shore, not expecting the fellow to start punching and kicking at him, followed by a bout of hysterical crying.

Even though Grit later explained it away by saying he thought he had encountered a shark and was fighting for his life, believing he was about to die, Jess only now fully understood what had really happened that day.

As the rain kept pouring, Grit's wet hair stuck to his scalp while he stared, expressionlessly, at the distant firelight, falling into a long silence.

"That mage just now was willing to take me on as an apprentice," Jess mentioned. "Many scholars in the mage's district are well-versed in herbalism. Do you think there's any way to cure the poison in you?"

"It's too late, brother," Grit said somberly. "The toxicity has long since passed. What's left crippling me now is the aftermath of the poison; it's already permanent, beyond repair."

"But I'm still very grateful to you, Jess. You've saved my life twice and even thought about curing me."

Jess replied, "You saved my life, too."

"For a dwarf to save a human's life is nothing out of the ordinary; the other way around is not so common," Grit chuckled and said, "Besides, a true Wildhammer warrior would never let himself and his brother die at the paws of a two-legged dog."

"A dog that chases after people with an axe," Jess added.

"Ha...cough! Cough!"