The goal was clear. The heroes had to get back to Darkshore again. It was in that very hazy grove where they met with Hassara for the first time. Fortunately, Lorethal gave them a teleportation scroll directly to Stormwind. This allowed all the heroes to be transferred immediately to the city.

— There are so many people here. I think I should change my appearance after all. I wonder how bad it is. I haven’t used it in years.

With these words, the Riverey was covered with black haze. And out of this black fog came a girl. Her red hair reached her shoulders. They were unkempt and tangled. Her face was tired. With a lot of small cuts and bruises. Even so, she was beautiful. Like the epitome of autumn was standing right in front of them. Her smile was both attractive and charming. If the paladin didn’t know who she really was, he would have fallen in love at first sight.

Zverago was already reaching for her paw. But the paladin stopped him.

— No, do not remove all these abrasions. With them she is even more beautiful!

— Do scars adorn a person? Yes? — Riverey grinned. — Hah. I would like to remember my human name.

— Come up with a new name. You’re a completely new person here — said Zverago.

— I’m not very imaginative, — Riverey said awkwardly. — The names of our second entities were invented by Hassara. — She, like my human appearance, came up with the name Jane. But I don’t know. Is it a human name, or does it even fit me?

— Good! — The paladin proudly declared.

— You know better, — Riverey said, going down the stairs.

As soon as the heroes opened the door leading from the tower of magicians, a street full of puddles appeared before their eyes. It was raining.

— Fine! I like rain! — Shouted the Riverey and with a pleased look, she strode through the mages quarter.

— I hate it! — hissed Zverago.

The paladin only shrugged. Everyone has different weather preferences. Someone loves rain, someone loves snow and mountains.

— What weather do you prefer? — asked the paladin feral.

— Um .. You know, I never asked myself this question. In principle, everything is bearable. Everything but water. After I nearly drowned. I have a tense relationship with her.

— It seemed to me that usually cats are afraid of water. But not the Druids. You are above that.

— Not really. Of course, we are many times smarter than any beast. But still instincts remain. But I can jump in the puddles, nothing will happen to me, — with these words, feral climbed into the largest puddle and with a sharp wave of his paw, even the paladin was doused with water from it.

— It’s certainly all fun. And I, too, would gladly join you. But we still have things to do, — Riverey intervened.

But still, it was late, and all the heroes had to do was find a tavern and spend the night there. The shopping district was Packed as usual. But the tavern in the sorcerers  quarter was empty. They stopped there. The Riverey, as usual, was about to pay for all three. But here Zverago stopped her:

— You can not pay for me. I am not going to sleep. I have one thing to do in this city.

Riverey just shrugged.

It was unusual for the paladin to see that a fragile girl was carrying most of the luggage. Even though he knew who she was. But others do not. And it looked very strange. Therefore, the paladin abruptly intercepted all the satchels that the Riverey carried on itself, and dragged it itself. What he soon regretted very much. Now a couple of souvenirs from the crypt of Loretal were added to the weight of his own lat. And the artifacts were as heavy as powerful. Moreover, their power, it seemed, could be safely measured in kilograms.

The Riverey wanted to take the load back. But Bolingar quickly explained to her that a fragile girl cannot be three times stronger than a paladin in armor.

In the end, she ignored this restriction and yet again removed exactly half the load from the paladin. And do not care what other visitors think about the weak paladin.

When they finally dragged their trophies to the room, the paladin decided to walk around the shops and replenish supplies. In principle, there is no one else to do this. The Riverey of the city did not know. Ask Zverago to do this? It will only twist its claw around its head. And he will even be right. However, it’s probably worth buying a couple of sausages. Bolingar did not know what the feral eat. But he himself said that some animal instincts persist. So in terms of diet, he probably did not go far from an ordinary cat. At the same time, he will drop by the familiar blacksmith in the quarter of the dwarves. For armor must be monitored. And then he will also have a discount on old friendships.

Having handed over his armor to the blacksmith and paid 23 silver for repairs, the paladin returned to the tavern with a satchel full of food. The paladin gently knocked on the door of the Riverey room, as he would not refuse to have a bite before going to bed. And it would be impolite not to offer her. Without waiting for an answer, the paladin neatly opened the door.

On the unmade bed, right in the clothes, lay the Riverey in her real form. It seems that as soon as she went into her room, she immediately collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep. The paladin took a little baking from the satchel along with a small bottle of “Dalaran Noir”, carefully laid it on the table and went away.

 

Morning

In the morning, the paladin got up early to have time to pick up the armor from the blacksmith. When he returned to the tavern, he reopened the door to the Riverey room. She was still snoring on the bed. And next to her, Zverago was sleeping peacefully on the carpet. As soon as the paladin opened the door, the feral immediately woke up and jumped off the carpet.

— I suppose it’s worth waking her up? — The paladin asked.

— Not worth it. The spell will dispel after 20 minutes. Better wait.

— A spell?

— Yes. She had nightmares all night. I just helped her sleep well.

— Hmm .. But then, at the caravan of Fiona, Riverey, too, someone put to sleep.

— Are you hinting at me now?! — The feral hissed furiously. — Any idiot can learn this spell. To do this, it is not at all necessary to be a druid.

— Good, good, I didn’t mean you at all, — the paladin hastily retreated.

A scandal could have flared up, but fortunately for the paladin, the sleeping princess nevertheless woke up.

But she looked as if she had spent the whole night, not in bed, but in a mine with a pickax in an embrace. All three had breakfast in this room. Although the paladin insisted that there was a normal table on the ground floor of the tavern. But that Zverago, that the Riverey were against this venture. They did not like prying eyes. Yes, and the Riverey was frankly lazy to enter a different look after sleep. From her eyes it was clear that she was still sleeping on the go.

Feral grumbled for a long time that Bolingar compared him to an ordinary yard cat. But still he did not disdain sausages. The paladin was already delighted to eat a ham. The Riverey did not have breakfast. She just poured a little wine into a glass and drank it in one gulp. Looking at the stunned paladin, she hastened to explain herself.

— Well, I can’t eat in the morning. It’s easy to drink, but I don’t know. No appetite. I usually don’t have breakfast. And in general I rarely eat.

The paladin glanced again across the Riverey. It is not accepted that people rarely eat, and generally refuse food. It’s like a dwarf refusing beer. Well, the Worgen seems to have a different metabolism and its own cockroaches in the head.

Having a snack, the heroes gathered on the road. The Riverey, having drained the entire bottle of Dalaran Noir, woke up completely and had already changed its shape to a human one. In fact, there were already other Worgens in Stormwind. Therefore, the appearance of the Riverey in its true form would not be a disaster. But still there would be plenty of problems. People treated them with distrust and fear. In fact, the Worgens in Stormwind were loved just like the newly amnestied death knights.

Surprisingly, at the gates of Stormwind they were waiting for the saber-toothed. The same saber-toot, on which Riverey nearly killed herself several times. It is amazing that he found a way here. However, the Riverey did not consider this something unusual. As she explained, a stone compass was built into the armor of the saber-toothed, which always indicates the direction to it. But the paladin was more struck by the devotion of the saber-toothed. That he ran through almost all of the eastern kingdoms in one night, only to serve his rider again. The paladin remembered his horse, who, although well trained, was not capable of such feats. If the paladin himself did not teleport him with a special scroll to the stable, then he would not see his horse.

As soon as they passed the gate, as the Riverey returned to its true form.

— Damn! It’s unbearable. And how did Hassara stay in her human form for several years? I’m not enough for more than a couple of hours. The head begins to hurt.

They walked slowly, not hurrying toward their goal. The Elvin forest, fortunately, did not give them any unwanted surprises. Bolingar still managed to convince others that go through the tavern “lion’s Pride” is a bad idea. He didn’t want to introduce his company to the main brothel in the area. And it wasn’t worth drawing too much attention to yourself.  The only thing the paladin experienced was shame when he last stayed there. After that, he firmly decided that it was better to sleep on damp land than to spend the night there again.

At last they arrived in the city of Darkwood. Here already on the Riverey looked very even not friendly. But since she was walking with the paladin, the guards did not stop her. The heroes were not going to linger here, if not for one but. The head of the guard, Julis, asked to settle the conflict in the tavern. According to her, only they could settle this conflict. Bolingar noted that if at first she avoided looking at them, at the end of her request she cast a careful look at the hunter.

It should not have taken much time. Therefore, the paladin agreed. He could not refuse an old friend in such a simple request. Although it is strange that the local guard itself could not cope with this. Entering the tavern, the paladin was shocked. The tavern was empty except for one single visitor. Worgen was sitting at the bar, slowly sipping one of the alcoholic beverages. At the same time, the bartender in a hurry with trembling hands constantly refilled her glass.

— What do you need? — immediately sharply and in disbelief she threw over her shoulder, as if sensing them.

A hammer and a loaded bow were immediately pointed at her.

— Easy! Easy. What happened? — finally, she deigned to turn to face them.

— Can not be! — exclaimed the paladin. The very same worgen priestess sat in a chair in front of him. Drimurr.

— What? What are you talking about? — suddenly her eyes cleared. — Have you seen him?!  Rather, me. More truly. Damn!  You, did you see him? Where?

— So. Stop. Let’s go in order. You obviously have a story to tell, — Riverey intervened.

— That was a long, long time ago, — began Drimurr, clutching a mug in her paws. — When I escaped from Gilneas on one of the roads, I was ambushed. The dark ranger caught me in a trap that completely paralyzed me. After a couple of ridicule and bullying, she cut me with her knife and immediately disappeared. When the paralyzing effect of the trap ended, I felt a strong, unbearable burning sensation. Her blade was poisoned. Well, how could it be otherwise. Poison, Forsaken’s favorite weapon. But I’m still a priestess after all. For a long time I resisted the poison with the help of healing magic. But as much as I tried to heal from the poison, it was resistant to any effects of the scattering magic. After a few hours, I no longer had the strength to cast any spells, and I just collapsed to the ground. But the poison penetrated the blood so much that it paralyzed the whole body, I could not even close my eyes. I just lay helpless on the ground, waiting for the poison to finally burn me completely. When did the final stage finally begin. When it finally got so bad that I began to exhale green vapor with blood. He appeared on the horizon. At first I thought it was some kind of wild beast. Predator. Some big raven. I was glad of him. I hoped that he would end my suffering. But the closer he came to me, the clearer his contours became. Tell me. Have you ever seen a huge phoenix three meters tall?

Drimurr looked from the paladin to the hunter.

— To be honest, I was scared at the time. He was walking straight toward me. With a slow, stately step. He came to me and knelt. Placing both of his wings on my chest, he closed his eyes and whispered a spell. A stream of purifying light shot through me. All the pain, the poison, the nausea, the pus — filled sores, were instantly dispelled. I still couldn’t believe my eyes. And when I looked at him again, he didn’t say a word, just smiled slyly. With a sharp flick of his wing, he cut a couple of hairs from my head. I didn’t object. He saved me, after all. But then, right in front of me, he placed a small lock of hair in some small device on his forehead. And the next moment my exact copy stood before me. He smiled at me for the last time and walked away already in my guise.

— That is. All this time … — began to frantically think the paladin.

When at last he realized what was happening, his jaw dropped.

— Are you serious? Have you traveled with me all this time? That is, with him? — asked Drimurr.

— It turns out so, — the Riverey finished the thought.

— Where is he now? Drimurr asked again.

— No one knows. He walked with us all the way to Er’teron. And then, having lost the battle with the dragon, he simply disappeared.

— Wait? Did he fight a dragon? — the priestess asked in surprise.

— And he would have defeated him if no one had intervened in the duel, — the paladin added.

— So you are not embarrassed that a three-meter phoenix is traveling with you? — said Drimurr.

— He only at the end of the battle appeared before us in true guise. When it was too late to ask who he was, — the Riverey snarled and immediately changed the subject. — What are you doing here?

— I dont know. I have no home. Nowhere to go. Here I have at least some refuge. Locals do not like me and are openly afraid of me. But they constantly forget who exactly time after time saves their lives. There are many dangerous creatures in Darkshire. And not a day goes by that the hunters do not turn to me for help. They are the only ones who do not allow the guards to expel me from the city — the paladin again looked closely at the priestess.

She seemed to be telling the truth. In any case, otherwise he would immediately feel the dark magic used by the former Drimurr.

There was silence.

Drimurr again looked around at the heroes.

— I suppose you’re looking for him. Well, I won’t bother you.You have learned all you can from me.

— So everything suits you? What is unclear who, it is not clear where, walking around under your guise? — The hunter asked incredulously.

— He saved me. In exchange took my guise. Relatively fair deal. He could finish me off and cut a tuft of wool from my corpse. Nevertheless, I am alive and relatively healthy, as you see. If you need something from him, look for it yourself. I’ve had enough adventures. — Drimurr turned away from them, indicating that the conversation was over.

The heroes did not insist on the continuation. In the end, do not force her to join them by force.

Coming out of the tavern, the paladin realized that they had not solved the problem that the chief of the guard was talking about. Stunned by the new information, they were simply not up to it.

But the paladin consoled himself with the thought that she was still not so dangerous that she would hide from only one species in the corners of the tavern. Locals, as always, are soon afraid of their own shade to begin. Perhaps life with her will even teach them patience with other strange personalities who will inevitably arrive in Darkshire anyway.

Riding their mounts, they went to the lands of Darkshire. Now nothing should distract them. But this adventure did not end there. Already there, Riverey noticed something strange in the behavior of animals. She dismounted and went to one of the wild wolves. Bolingar was already thinking of stopping her, because approaching the wild wolves of Darkshire was not a good idea. But she is a hunter, she knows better. Riverey gently stroked the head of one of the wolves. Zero reaction. She waved a hand right in front of his eyes. But the wolf continued to peer at one point, not noticing anything around.

— He is in a strange trance, — said Zverago. — Pretty powerful magic. A few ranks above normal sleep. But the school of magic is the same.

Feral stretched out and sniffed.

— Interesting. This magic as if shrouded in the whole earth around. I think sooner or later we will find the reason. Or maybe she is already waiting for us. As it turned out, so many wish your death, — Zverago finished.

Further, the group was already walking cautiously, dismounting from their mounts. Fortunately, the horse of the paladin knew Darkshire well, and in which case he could get to the stable. Nothing will happen to the saber-toothed. Sneaking through the bushes, as far as possible, they went through almost all of Darkshire and now stood right in front of the entrance to the Twilight grove.

— Is it there now? — Riverey asked feral.

— I have no idea. In this often such an extravaganza of smells. I would not even feel the abomination.

— Khmm … Khmm …

All three turned sharply and pointed their weapons at the stranger.

— Hush, hush, calm down, — the wanderer said.

He was very tall. The hood hid his face. And his mantle was so long that it almost reached the ground.

Zverago made a mysterious movement with his paw, and a sharp stream of wind pulled the hood off the stranger and threw his robe so that now it fluttered in the wind like a cloak, fully revealing his personality. It was a phoenix. In all beauty. Own person.

He brandished his wings sharply. And all three heroes were already levitating in the air. Any attempts at resistance have already been doomed to failure. All three seemed to flounder in the air. The Riverey was still able to snatch a new arrow out of the quiver. But when she pulled the bow, another spell bound her arms and legs with a magic chain.

— Until you have done something stupid, let me explain everything.

However, the heroes had no choice but to listen to him. Since the phoenix instantly neutralized them all at once.

— I don’t even know where to start … — the phoenix drawled.

— Who are you? — The first question blurted out the paladin.

— Who am I? Hmm. Has your friend Amberis not told you? — He looked at them and held out sadly. — Looks like no.

— I’m Arakkoa. I am not from your world. That’s why you’ve never seen anyone like me. However, other worlds exist. Perhaps some of you have heard of Draenor. Now it is known as Outland in your world. Although I liked the title of the phoenix.

On these words, his beak portrayed a semblance of a smile.

— Who exactly are you? — Asked the paladin.

— Oh that. My name is Doricus. It was I who created that pendant, because of which you have so many problems. You may not know the Riverey, but this is not your family relic at all. She belongs to me! And Samiris simply stole it. I want to return what belongs to me by right. And for some time we were even on the way. Therefore, I helped you. But then … I had to go into the shadows.

— Escape — the paladin corrected.

— It’s better than being with you, frozen in a block of ice in true form. I don’t think that I would be spared, unlike you. No one in their right mind would leave an equal enemy alive.

— Why then do you not travel in a different guise?— this time asked Zverago.

— If I could. In that battle, the dragon smashed my shape — shifting device to smithereens, — with these words he took off a gold jewelry from his forehead, where the stone was clearly chopped and crumbled.

A lock of black hair was visible behind the stone.

— Of course, I had my own ideas on how to return my locket. But with you it will come out much faster. Also River, I promised I could heal your sister. I’m used to keeping my word. Think. We have common interests. The archmage in your group obviously will not interfere with you.

— Archmage? — however, the paladin stopped short immediately.

In principle, it looked completely true, especially if you recall with what virtuosity he used a huge set of spells.

— Why do you want to help us? — Asked the Riverey. — Our father stole your toy from you. And now you are forced to run all over Azeroth in her search, which is clearly not appropriate for such a majestic mage as you.

— Partly true, Riverey. I could destroy you all. But this is not my way. In my native world, I am better known as a peacemaker. I try my best to prevent bloodshed. But sometimes it’s still useful to talk to some from a position of strength. I won’t hide the fact that if I met this bastard and thief right now, I wouldn’t hesitate to kill him. But children should not pay for the sins of their parents. I do not wish you harm.

The paladin turned to the Riverey.

— It sounds convincing. And such a strong ally is clearly useful to us, — the paladin whispered.

Riverey nodded silently.

— I suppose you’re right. We really need your help. And we will be happy if you join us.

— I’m glad you made the right choice, — Phoenix gently lowered his wings with these words.

All three heroes gently landed on their feet / paws.

Now a group of four heroes headed for the Twilight Grove. When they were finally right in the center of this mystical place, the sky was painted in a red haze.

— I could have stopped her here. But I was confused. I didn’t want to hurt her. I didn’t want to interrupt you. I should have — said the phoenix.

In the grove, one huge tree of gigantic size stood out among the others. The road led directly to it, and soared up to an inactive portal, a gigantic empty arch. And next to this tree was the moon well, which was necessary for cleaning the blade.

— Do you know how to clean it? — Asked Zverago.

— I suppose you should just lower it into the water? — The Riverey said perplexedly. — Loretal did not say any instructions.

— It won’t get any worse. Throw it right there, — the feral waved away.

The huntress carefully placed the glowing purple foul blade in the water. He immediately began to hiss like a red-hot rod in in the icy water. The purple sparks faded. When at last the hissing stopped, the Riverey dropped his hand into the well again and drew his blade. Now it didn’t glow at all and looked more like an ordinary piece of metal.

— Did we spoil it? —  asked the paladin.

— Calm. You just removed the curse from the blade, give it time to regain its power — the Phoenix reassured everyone.

— And how long does it charge? — Asked the Riverey.

— Several years, — but seeing the horror on the faces of the heroes, Phoenix caught himself. — Of course, there are ways to quickly recharge. Give it to me, — with that, he extended his wing to the huntress.

A thin clawed arm appeared from beneath the feathers. The Riverey dutifully surrendered such a precious blade to a mysterious creature that did not even deserve trust. Fortunately, the Riverey had another blade, albeit not so powerful.

Suddenly the deafening sound of a winter bugle was heard. The treetops shook. The birds left their nests. And the paladin’s blood froze in his veins. He had heard the sound before. It was from this horn that the terrible roar came when the fortress of Courage was stormed. Soon banners appeared at the entrance to the thicket. A black flag bearing the head of a bloody, snarling lion. The Black Beast and its retinue were walking slowly toward them. On the black Beast’s horse, directly in front of the rider, sat a bound priestess. Drimurr.

She immediately glanced strangely at the three-meter phoenix, but said nothing and immediately looked at the Riverey.

With these words, the Black Beast pointed to Drimmur.

With these words, she pulled Drimurr from her horse and pulled the gag out of her mouth.

An awkward silence fell.

Silently, Riverey held out her hand to Doricus; he also without a word put the blade into her hand. The huntress neatly, slowly, approached this monster, assessing the situation. The Black Beast was accompanied by four more death knights. Drimurr herself was simply tied with a rope. Finally, the hunter stood right in front of the Black Beast. Tauren held out her hand. The Riverey was ready to give the blade, but hesitated for a second.

Having cast aside all doubts, the Riverey gave the blade to the Black Beast. Fortunately, she also kept her word and immediately pushed Drimurr in the direction of the hunter. The Riverey quickly grabbed a small knife and cut the rope. Since the path was blocked by the death knights, Drimurr hastened to retreat to the rest of the group of heroes.

Two of the death knights headed for the exit. Releasing the power of ice from their blades, they closed the passage with a wall of ice.

With these words, she twisted the blade in the air.

Riverey wanted to step back neatly to her group. But behind her stood two death knights, cutting off the retreat. Now no one doubted that the battle could not be avoided.

The Riverey did not take her eyes off the Black Beast. However, out of the corner of her eye I noticed a phoenix directing both wings to an empty arch. Gradually, various shapes began to appear there.

The Black Beast also noticed that something was wrong with the arch.

She ordered the Black Beast to her knights. All four turned and headed for the phoenix, leaving the Riverey in front of the Beast.

The more Doricus conveyed magic to the portal, the brighter and greener he became. Lightning emanating from its wings beat the portal canvas over and over, feeding it energy.

The battle was coming. Cruel and unavoidable.

Bolingar and Zverago prepared for battle. Drimurr was not ready for battle, and the heroes doubted that she would be of any use in this fight. So the priestess was immediately hidden in the rear, along with the phoenix. Bolingar swung his hammer, Zverago released his claws. They needed to hold out against the four knights, while Doricus would finish work on the portal. The Riverey stood in the distance, keeping the Black Beast away from them.

The Death Knights attacked first, while the Black Beast danced with the hunter, Constantly raining down huge ice scythes on her. Bolingar stepped forward and managed to distract three death knights at once. His shield of light literally vibrated from the force of blows of opponents, but did not disappear. Whether Zverago supported him or Drimurr, the paladin did not know. Yes, and not before that. The blades rang and sparkled around him. But Bolingar did not plan to give up. They needed time. Phoenix needed time. So it was necessary to stand to the last. And try not to be distracted. Bolingar had already missed one hit, distracted by the Riverey: the hunter risked the first blow to the tauren and was immediately thrown back by a powerful wave of the scythe. Bolingar could not find out how it ended: the sword of one of the knights flew dangerously close to his face, and the paladin devoted all his attention to his rivals. Swipe, attack, care in defense, gnashing of steel, flicker of healing magic. Another wave, counterattack — ringing from behind and a dull growl. Someone tried to attack from behind, Bolingar realized, but Zverago defender him. For a moment, the paladin felt a surge of gratitude to feral. Drimurr, although in a weakened state, quickly recovered herself and supported healing spells. Bolingar saw that she was trying to strengthen Zverago’s defense. Still would. Feral was good at spells, like a druid, but in close combat against death knights, his fangs and claws were worthless. And yet he fight.

Bolingar squinted and shouted Exorcismus! He sent a clot of light energy into one of the death knights, knocking him out. Minus one.

Three more remained. No. Zverago demolished another one, literally ramming it. They managed to equalize. And the paladin could finally look back and check the hunter.

Riverey was breathing heavily. Tauren teased the worgen, inflicting weak, languid blows on her. It is evident that she did not even try, wanting to show with all appearance that if she was tired of this game, she would finish it quickly. Nevertheless, even such strikes were not easy to beat off. The Riverey slowly exhausted.

Or maybe the hunter was pulling time, fearing that she could not stand against the Black Beast alone. However, the latter still had time to be rude at the same time to her opponent.

One of the knights dodged from under the hammer of the paladin and launched the deathcoil into Dorikus. But it crashed about his magical defense, destroying the upper layer of the shield. Bolingar bit his lip, realizing what was now the goal of the knights. With a sharp blow of his hammer, he knocked aside the knight standing in front of him, and rushed at the shooter with dark magic, but he immediately changed his target and let the charge of dark magic now in Bolingar. The paladin was saved only by a shield from Drimurr.

Preoccupied with them, Bolingar missed a radical change on the battlefield. The Black Beast, realizing that it had lost its numerical advantage, threw the Riverey to the side, rushing personally at the phoenix. Her managed to destroy another of his magic shield. Fortunately, the feral arrived in time, attacking her legs, the only place covered with chain mail, and not plate armor. Tauren collapsed to the ground. A hunter attacked her from above, but even lying Black Beast continued to fight back.

A sharp circular sweep of the scythes. Riverey managed to jump away from the Black Beast. But Zverago did not have time to jump back. But he was lucky to dodge with a slight injury. Quickly casting a healing spell on himself, he rushed into battle again.

The portal was already beginning to sparkle. It already showed the strange room that the portal was supposed to lead to.

 

Tauren waved her scythes again, knocking the hunter back a few meters.

Bolingar realized that now the decisive blow was after him. Stunning with a hammer one death knight, he rushed to the tauren. Even if he could not cope with it, he could take time, had to win at least a couple of seconds.

 

The remaining two knights rushed to the phoenix, having managed to destroy another shield. Two more layers remained. The huntress immediately charged at them, instantly piercing the back of one of the opponents with a blade.

With that, the Black Beast snatched a small axe from her belt and hurled it at Doricus. The axe ignited as soon as it touched the fire barrier, and instantly turned to ash. The fire barrier itself also crumbled to dust. Only the prismatic one remained, the last one.

Riverey was able to distract the death knight standing next to the Phoenix. But he cheated. Not only did he keep the huntress from approaching him, but the edge of his blade grazed the prismatic shield again and again.

Bolingar exhausted. And immediately missed the blunt edge of the scythe. As it rose again, the Black Beast was already rushing towards the Phoenix. With a sharp jerk, she pushed aside the Zverago that tried to intercept her. The first blow of the scythe struck Doricus. The remnants of the last shield crumbled to dust. And now, when the Phoenix was vulnerable, it spun around and put its wing under the scythe’s blow. Surprisingly, her scythe made a metal ringing as it slashed at the wing. After a moment of confusion, which the Phoenix took advantage of, Doricus abruptly raised his wings, causing the bodies of his enemies to soar into the air. Another the flap of the wing, and they were smashed into the wall of ice that their own magic had created.

The portal was ready. Bolingar peered at him, but what flashed there frightened him. It was clearly not Azeroth. It is not yet known in which worlds the phoenix will lead them.

However, there is not much to choose from. Or a new hostile world. Or a very angry tauren with death knights. The choice is small. Bolingar first ran into the portal. Behind him followed by the rest. Doricus himself was the last to enter the portal, closing it.