Chapter 17 Chapter Seventeen

Just as he was being led to his place of captivity, Rhonin passed out again.Admittedly, that's largely down to those two guards.They beat him severely for various reasons, and often twisted Ronin's arm abnormally.The pain at the severed finger is nothing compared to these. Finally, the mage woke up—but the first thing he saw was like a nightmare: a fiery head with black eyes was facing him, with a malicious smile on his face. Instinctively, the terrified mage tried to move away from the terrifying object, but doing so only made him more painful, and he also found that his wrists and ankles were firmly immobilized.No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get rid of the demonic existence in front of him.

The monster didn't move.Gradually, Luo Ning suppressed his fear of it, and began to study this motionless creature closely.It was much taller than a human, and it was covered in flaming armor.The malicious "smile" he saw just now was only because the monster's face was not covered with flesh and blood.Flames surrounded it, but the mage felt no heat.However, Luo Ning still doubted that if he really touched the red hand, the result would be very painful. With no other better ideas, Rhonin could only try to talk to the creature. "who are you?" no answer.Except for the dancing flames on its body, the terrible monster remained motionless.

"Can you hear me?" Still no response. Gradually, the mage's fear was replaced by curiosity.So he leaned forward as hard as he could.He shook one leg tentatively at first, but he still couldn't see a reaction: the thing didn't even glance at his leg. The monster was horrific in form, but it looked more like a statue than a living thing.It has demonic features, but is not demonic.Rhonin had studied golem creatures, but had never seen one in person.As for a flaming one, he hadn't even heard of it, but he couldn't think of any other possibility. The mage frowned.Now he really wants to know what kind of abilities this fire puppet has.In fact, there's only one way to find out...and, even if it wasn't for that answer, the mage would still have to try to get away.

Suppressing the pain, Rhonin ordered his fingers to prepare a spell with as small movements as possible.He hoped that spells could help him get rid of this horrible—— Suddenly, the fire puppet rushed over at an astonishing speed, tightly grasping Luo Ning's injured arm, and the giant hand almost wrapped Luo Ning's entire arm. The scorching flames engulfed humans.The fire was inside him, burning his soul.Ronin howled miserably one after another until he could no longer howl. Luo Ning almost lost consciousness, and his head drooped, unable to support himself.He could only pray that the flame in his chest would completely burn him out and end his suffering as soon as possible.

The fire puppet finally let go. The flames went out.Ronin panted, trying to look up at the terrifying puppet guard.The puppet was also looking at him, with a mocking expression on his face, as if the torture that Luo Ning suffered just now had nothing to do with him. "Fight you—" A familiar smirk came from behind the fire puppet, and the hair on the back of the mage's head stood up. "You're so restless! Not at all!" said the harsh voice. "Just play with fire, are you burned! Haha!" Ronin tilted his head slightly.He was very careful at the beginning, and he became even more careful when he found that the terrifying puppet was unresponsive.Standing at the door was the goblin Nekros called Creel.Rhonin knew that this goblin was also serving Deathwing.

In fact, Krell still wears the black crystal pendant.The mage was a little surprised by the goblin's publicity.One of his servants was still holding Ronin's things, so Nekros should have some ideas. Creel noticed the focus of Rhonin's eyes. "Lord Nekros has never seen you wearing this, human—and we goblins are famous trinkets collectors! There must be some reason why I didn't say it. "He's too busy right now, so he doesn't have time for it, does he?" "Smart! Human, you are so smart! It's a pity that even if you tell him this, he won't listen! Poor Lord Nekros has too many things to worry about. Moving those dragons and dragon eggs is no ordinary chore , do you understand?"

The puppet didn't seem to respond to Creel's existence at all, but Ronin didn't think it was strange anymore.He knew that unless the goblin was going to let him go, it wouldn't care. "Well, then you are still working for Deathwing..." The little guy frowned immediately. "Yeah, his business... I've been doing it for a long, long time..." "Then what are you doing here? Haven't I already achieved your master's purpose? I also became the idiot who was tricked by him, didn't I?" These words, somehow, made Creel extremely excited.His smile is now brighter than ever. "Ha, there is no greater idiot than you, human being~ because you were not only tricked by the black dragon, you were tricked by me!"

Rhonin could hardly believe what he said. "How did I get tricked by you? How did I become a servant of you?" "It's similar to how you served that black dragon—he thought a goblin would be so lowly that he would serve any master, and he didn't have any ideas of his own!" There was a trace of coldness in his tone. "But I've had enough! Enough!" Ronin frowned.Is this little guy really planning to do that...? "You still intend to betray that dragon? How is that possible?" The strange goblin jumped up for joy. "Poor Lord Nekros is busy right now! Dragons to move, eggs to move, and a pack of stinky orcs to command! He never has time to think, these are the things that others want him to do! He It might have been, but now that he's determined that the Alliance is marching from the west, those things become irrelevant! He has to react, has to be as decisive as an orc should be, haha!"

"What nonsense are you talking about...?" "Idiot!" The goblin laughed even more wildly. "You brought me this!" He held up the pendant, a false look on his face. "This thing will shatter if dropped on the ground—and Deathwing thinks it's shattered!" Rhonin stared at him intently, while Creel began to pry at the jewel in the middle of the pendant.I saw him busy for a while, and the gem jumped into the goblin's hand.He held the gem up so Ronin could see it. "And with it—Deathwing is nothing..." Ronin still couldn't believe what he said. "Deathwing is nothing? Are you trying to knock Deathwing down with that rock?"

"Well, let him serve Creel! Yes, maybe he should serve me more!" Creel let out a mouthful of resentment. "...I don't need to flatter that reptile anymore! I don't need to be his follower anymore! I have been preparing carefully for this for many years, waiting, waiting, I finally waited for the moment when he is most vulnerable! Ha!" Although the goblin's words were very bluffing, the mage still maintained his sanity. "But how can you do it?" Creel slowly retreated to the entrance of the cave. "Nekros will prepare everything for me, he just doesn't know it... And this, what do you think it is?" He tossed the gem into the air, and grabbed it again as it fell inside. "It's - a part of a black dragon, human! He magically turned one of his scales into this gem! Only then will the pendant work! You know what it means to have a part of a dragon ?"

Ronin recalled.What had he heard before? "'Having a part of those dragons means you can wield their power.' But no one has ever done it! To do that, you must have powerful magic yourself! Where did you come from—?" The fire puppet reacted immediately to his excitement.It showed its devilish claws, and a pair of bony hands grabbed Ronin.The mage immediately stabilized his figure, not even daring to breathe. The guy covered in flames also stopped, but still didn't retreat.Luo Ning could only continue to hold his breath, hoping that the monster could retreat as soon as possible. Creel giggled and laughed at the mage's predicament. "You seem to be very busy now, human! Sorry for the long delay here! I just want to share my great achievements with a dying person!" Saying that, the goblin ran away with a small hop. up. "I'm leaving! Nekros definitely needs my advice!" At this moment, Ronin couldn't bear it anymore.He let out a deep breath, hoping he had stopped enough. But he was wrong. Immediately the golem reached out and grabbed him—and the last thought of the cunning Creel vanished from his mind as the flames burned into Rhonin's soul once more. Night came too slowly.However, in some respects, Vereesa felt that it came a little too soon.Following Crassus' instructions, she told no one what the pendant was for.And at Rom's further urging, she stowed it as discreetly as possible in her clothing.Her traveling cloak was in tatters, but was able to hide most of the pendant underneath.However, if one looks closely, the chain of the pendant can be seen to be exposed. No sooner had they returned than Rom took Jim aside to talk.The elf noticed that they both looked at her from time to time.Evidently, Rom wanted his second-in-command to know of Krasus's decision, and Jim, like Rom, didn't appreciate the idea much, judging by the gloomy expression on the dwarf's face. When the last light that passed through the opening had faded, the dwarves began methodically removing nearby stones.Vereesa couldn't understand why they were moving this first and then that, but the dwarves were as hard as a rock, so she ended up taking a rest and trying not to think about the time they wasted. As the last batch of stones were removed, the mage's voice rang in her head.It sounds a little tired. The way out...is it already open, Vereesa "Windrunner? She turned away, pretending to cough to cover the whisper. "Just figured it out." Then it's time for you to go.After going outside, take the pendant out of its storage.That way I can see what's ahead.I won't speak to you again until you go out with the dwarves. She turned and saw Falstad approaching. "Are you ready, my elf lady? Those Bronzebeard dwarves seem to want to drive us away as soon as possible, especially me." In fact, the shadowy figure of Rom was standing at the exit, gesturing impatiently for the two of them to crawl out.Vereesa and Falstad hurried past him and climbed up the enlarged opening.The ranger almost slipped, but she managed to hold her own in the end.Above her head, the wind called her forward.She has no love for the Underworld, so hopefully won't be going into it again anytime soon. Falstad climbed to the top of the cave first, and he stretched out his powerful arms to help Vereesa climb up.He lifted the Ranger effortlessly, and placed her beside him. No sooner had the two of them emerged from the tunnel than the dwarves began to block the opening again.Just as Vereesa began to inspect the surrounding situation, the hole also quickly disappeared. "So what are we going to do now?" Falstad asked. "Climb up there?" He was talking about the mountain in front of him.Even in the dark night, she could see that there were steep rock walls several hundred feet up from the foot of the mountain, and the elf couldn't see an obvious hole with all his eyesight, which made her a little confused.What Rom said earlier made her think they would find the entrance soon. She turned around to ask Lom, but found that the hole had been filled so that there was almost no trace left.Vereesa crouched down and put her ear close to the small gap.Yet she couldn't hear anything. "Forget about them, my elf lady, they must have hid back again." Falstad's tone clearly contained a trace of disdain. Vereesa nodded, and finally remembered Krasus' instructions.She lifted the cloak to reveal the pendant hidden underneath, and placed it on her chest.Vereesa assumed that the mage should be able to see in the dark, otherwise he wouldn't be of much help now. "What it is?" "I hope that helps us..." Krasus had warned her not to tell anyone, but he certainly wasn't trying to keep Falstad from it.Because if the dwarves saw Vereesa start talking to herself, they would think she was crazy. Visibility is not bad, the mage said suddenly, making her jump.Thank you. "What's wrong? Why did you suddenly jump up?" "Falstad, do you know that the Kirin Tor sent Ronin on this mission?" "Of course I know. I also know that it must not be the stupid task he said. What's wrong?" "This pendant comes from a mage. It was he who chose Rhonin and sent him to perform this task—and this task requires him to enter that mountain city." "Then what are you going to do in there?" He didn't seem surprised by this at all. "I don't know so far. As for the pendant, it will allow one of them, a mage named Krasus, to contact me." "But I didn't hear what he said." "This pendant is meant to be like this." "Typical sorcery," the dwarf commented, in exactly the same tone as when he mentioned the copperbearded dwarves. You better get on your way.Krasus suggested.Soldiers are expensive and fast. "What happened again? You jumped again." "Didn't I just say that you can't hear him, only I can hear it. Now he let us continue on the road. He said he will guide us." "Can he see things here?" "Well, through this crystal." Falstad came over and poked at the crystal with his fingers. "I swear in the name of Eagle's Nest, if you dare to play with us, I will become a ghost to haunt you forever after I die, mage! I swear!" Tell that dwarf that we have similar goals now. Vereesa repeated his words, and Falstad reluctantly accepted.In fact, the elf still had some reservations when he said it.Because Krasus said that their goal was only "similarity", it means that he may have other goals. Despite these doubts, she followed Krasus's instructions and proceeded.She felt that the mage would at least lead them into the interior of the mountain.His instructions seemed ridiculous at first, for he actually made them walk a long way around the mountain, which took a lot of time.However, the mage then led them down an easy path, which soon led them to a high but narrow opening.Vereesa felt that they should have entered from here, if not, she would definitely have a problem with this suspicious guide. A deserted dwarven mine.Krasus explained.The orcs did not know where it led. Vereesa studied the hole carefully. "Then why didn't Lom and his men use this place to attack?" Because they are patiently biding their time. She wanted to ask what the timing was, but Falstad suddenly took her arm. "Did you hear that!" the Griffin Knight whispered. "Something is approaching." They retreated quickly behind a ledge of rock, just in time for no enemy to be seen.A terrifying figure slowly approached the cave entrance, hissing continuously.Vereesa saw that it was a dragon looking around, its blood-red eyes glowing faintly in the darkness. "So there's another reason why they don't use this hole to attack!" Falstad spat. The dragon's head froze suddenly.It then turned in the direction where the two men were hiding. You must keep quiet.Dragons have very keen ears. The elf relayed this to Falstad without further ado.She just gripped the hilt of her sword and watched the giant beast take a few steps towards their hiding place.It was nowhere near Deathwing's size, but it was still able to get rid of her and Falstad with ease. The wings on the back of its head opened suddenly—using her night vision, Vereesa saw that they were a pair of misshapen wings.No wonder it's here to be the orc's watchdog. And what about its master?The orcs would never release a dragon alone, even one that would never fly. A shout immediately answered the question.Behind the dragon floated a torch floating in the air. As it approached, it was gradually discernible that the person holding the torch was a tall orc.In his other hand he held a greatsword about the length of Vereesa's height.The guard shouted something to his dragon, and it hissed back.So the orc repeated his order. Slowly, the dragon turned and walked back.Vereesa had to hold her breath, hoping that the orc and his dragon would get out of here quickly. At that moment, the jewel in the center of the pendant suddenly shone brightly, illuminating the ground around the protruding stone. "Cover it!" Falstad whispered. The ranger did so immediately, but it was too late.The dragon turned back immediately, and the orc responded.Holding both torch and sword in front of him, he walked slowly toward their hiding place.The red dragon followed him, rushing at the orc's command. Remove the pendant, Krasus said.Get ready to throw it in the direction of that dragon. "but--" do so. Vereesa quickly took off the pendant and held it in her hand.Falstad looked at his partner, but didn't ask a question. The orc came closer and closer.He alone is enough trouble.Now with the dragon beside him, Ranger and Falstad have no chance of winning. Tell that dwarf to get out. "He said he wanted you to get out, Falstad," she said.Even she didn't know why she would tell the dwarf to do such a stupid thing. "Would he rather have me go up to the dragon's mouth and lie back and let him eat?" time is limited. She repeated what the mage had said again.Falstad blinked, took a deep breath, and nodded.He gripped the hammer of the storm tightly in his hand, and walked around Vereesa and the stone that shielded them. The dragon roared.The orc grunted too, grinning contentedly in his large, tusk-bound mouth. "Dwarves!" he roared. "Great! I'm bored! You're here to stretch me out and then feed my Zaraz! He's so hungry now!" "You're just giving me some relief, pig! I'm feeling a bit cold, so I'm going to cut off your head to warm up!" Saying that, the orc and his dragon began to rush over. Now throw the pendant at the dragon.Make sure it lands near the dragon's mouth. This order was so strange that at first Vereesa wondered if she had heard it wrong.Then it occurred to her that Krasus might cast a spell through the pendant, which might hold the dragon down. Throw it now, or your friend's life will be lost if it is later! Falstad!The ranger jumped out, which surprised both enemies.She took just one look at the orc—and then hurled the pendant into the dragon's mouth with startling precision. The dragon stretched its neck and took the pendant in its mouth with equal precision. Vereesa cursed.Krasus certainly did not expect this to happen. However, a strange thing happened at this time, which left the three of them stunned.The dragon didn't swallow the pendant or shake it off, but just tilted its head motionless.A red halo glowed from its mouth, but that light didn't seem to have any ill effect on the dragon. Then, to everyone's bewilderment, the dragon sat down. The orc wasn't happy with the red dragon's cold feet, so he growled at the dragon.However, the dragon didn't seem to hear the orc's shout, but looked at it fascinated, as if listening to the voice from afar. "Your watchdog has found its toy, orc!" Falstad taunted him. "It seems that you finally have to fight yourself once!" The tusked orc warrior responded immediately.He thrust the torch forward, nearly catching the dwarf's beard on fire.Falstad cursed, and also swung the hammer of the storm to fight the orc close to hand, and almost hit the orc's arm that was not outstretched.And the orc was not to be outdone, and as soon as he avoided it, he used his sword to stab back at the opponent. Vereesa stood aside with some hesitation.She wanted to help Falstad, but she wasn't sure if the dragon would suddenly recover and join the fight.If this happens, then one needs to be prepared to deal with it. The dwarves and the opponent came and went for a few rounds, but the torch plus great sword and the storm hammer still drew a tie.The orc wanted nothing more than to push Falstad back, obviously hoping that he would slip and fall on the rough terrain. The elf took one last look at the dragon.Its head was still tilted to one side.Its eyes are open, but they seem to be looking away. Vereesa finally made up her mind.She turned her attention away from the dragon and rushed to help Falstad.If the dragon is going to attack suddenly, let it do so.She really couldn't just stand by and do nothing. The orc sensed her approach and swung the torch just as she charged forward with his sword drawn.Flames flew inches from her face, leaving her breathless. However, her joining still made the orc guard face enemies on both sides.Because of this, when he was distracted to burn Vereesa, he showed a gap.Falstad swung his hammer into the space without being urged by others. A scream rang out, almost covering the sound of broken bones.The greatsword slipped from the orc's hand and fell to the ground.The hammer of the storm hit him right on the elbow, so it knocked out the orc's entire hand. Pained and angry, the orc who lost one hand slammed the torch into Falstad's chest.The dwarf was pushed back a few steps, and hurriedly extinguished the flames on his beard and clothes.The opponent was ready to wait for an opportunity to continue attacking, but was intercepted by the elves. "Elf!" he growled. "Burn you too!" The orc had long arms and held a torch, so his attack range was much larger than that of Vereesa.Twice Vereesa had to crouch to avoid the sweeping torches.She knew that this situation must be changed as soon as possible, otherwise she would make mistakes sooner or later. When the orc's torch swept over again, she pointed the tip of her sword at the torch, not the orc.This means that there is a danger of being in close contact with the torch.And the orc showed a smug expression on his face, obviously thinking that he had already taken the lead. The point of the sword sank into the wooden hilt, bringing the torch out of the stunned orc's hand.Vereesa didn't expect this blow to be so successful, so she took advantage of the victory and pursued, slashing at the opponent with her sword and torch. The torch hit the orc right in the face.With a scream, he hurriedly pushed away the torch.However, injuries are inevitable.His eyes, nose and almost his entire forehead were charred.So he couldn't see anything. As guilty as she was, she knew she had to put the orc down.Her sword pierced the orc's body, cutting off his scream. "By the Eagle's Nest!" cried Falstad. "I thought the fire would never be extinguished!" Still panting, the elf asked reluctantly, "Are...are you alright?" "It's just a pity I've had a beard I've had for years...but I'll be fine! How's that freaking watchdog now?" The dragon was completely down, as if ready to sleep.The pendant was still held in its mouth, but it quickly placed the pendant on the ground under the gaze of the two, and then looked at the two, as if waiting for one of them to pick it up . "Is it thinking what I am thinking, my elf lady?" "I'm afraid...I think I know who it was on the advice of." So she walked towards the dragon. "You don't really want to pick it up, do you?" "There is no other way." As the ranger approached, the dragon began to stare down at her.Rumor has it that dragons have excellent eyesight in the dark and a keen sense of smell.At such close proximity to it, if it suddenly attacked, it was impossible for Vereesa to escape. She picked it up carefully, wrapping the pendant around the hem of her cloak.Because it stayed in the dragon's mouth for a long time, the surface of the thing was still stained with dragon's saliva.With a little disgust, Vereesa wiped the pendant as clean as possible on the ground. At this time, the gemstone in the middle of the pendant suddenly glowed. The road ahead was safe for the time being, and Krasus's monotonous voice came from next to his ears.Before the other orcs come, you'd better get out of here. "What did you do to this monster?" she asked hastily. I said something to him and now he understands.Hurry up, the other orcs will come sooner or later. What did the dragon understand?Vereesa wanted to ask him more questions, but she knew it was impossible to get answers that satisfied her now.Anyway, he did the seemingly impossible, and Vereesa had to thank him for it. She hung the pendant around her neck, let it drape over her chest again, and said to Falstad :"Let's go." The dwarf was still shaking his head at the dragon in front of him just now, when he heard Vereesa's words, he followed her. Krasus has kept his promise to this day.He led the two through the abandoned mine, and then walked into a path that Vereesa thought was impossible to lead to Grim Batol, but in the end they finally entered the upper level of a huge cave. And the cave is full of orcs who are busy. Looking down from the ledge they were on, they could see tall orc warriors crating some things and loading them into the car.On the other side of the hole, an Orc Rider leads a young dragon onto the take-off strip, and another Orc Rider seems to be ready to take off at any time. "Looks like they're leaving!" It seemed the same to Vereesa, so she leaned forward to get a better look. I Well, it worked out... Krasus spoke suddenly, but Vereesa could tell from his tone that he was speaking only to himself, and it was likely that he himself did not notice that he was speaking so loudly.Had he ever planned to get these orcs out of Grim Batol?Although somewhat surprised that the mage had tamed the dragon, the elf doubted he could have such influence over the orcs here. The dragon, ready to fly, headed for the cave's main entrance.Its driver has also adjusted the reins and saddle, ready to take off at any time.However, they didn't look like they were going to fight, because the dragon was still full of supplies. She leaned back, thinking.In any case, the fact that the orcs abandoned the city was of great significance to the Alliance, but it also brought too many questions and concerns.If they want to leave here, then Rhonin is useless, right?They certainly wouldn't take an enemy mage with them without further ado. And are they really going to ship all the dragons away? She waited for further instructions from Krasus, but the mage remained strangely silent.She looked around to figure out which way to go the fastest to discover where Ronin was being held captive... assuming he hadn't been killed yet. Falstad puts his hand on her shoulder. "Below! See that guy?" She followed his gaze—she saw the goblin.The guy scurried across another ledge in the cave, then headed for an opening far away from them to the left. "He is Creel! It must be him!" The elf was sure too. "He seems to be very familiar with the road here!" "Good! That's why he brought us to their troll allies!" But why didn't he take the two to the orcs, but to the man-eating trolls?The orcs should be interested in interrogating them. Too many questions. Suddenly, Vereesa had an idea. "Krasus! Can you tell us how to get to where the goblin just walked?" No reply. "Crassus?" "What's wrong?" "The mage doesn't seem to be responding." Falstad snorted coldly. "Then we're on our own?" "Well, it seems so now." She straightened up. "See the ledge over there? It should lead to where we're going. These tunnels should all be connected." "Then we'll leave the mage alone. Well, I prefer that, actually." Vereesa nodded grimly. "Well, we don't want that mage to lead the way—but we can't do without our little friend Creel!"