"Damn it! How could this happen? This thing is nothing like the Watcher in the Water I know!" Rynar clutched his hair in frustration, his eyes blazing with fury.
"It's way too tough!" Caslow shook his head, helpless. The lake water was severely disrupting the wind dragon's breath—if it weren't, this thing would've been grilled calamari by now.
"We need to find a way to deal with it! Having a massive beast squatting at our doorstep is not exactly ideal," Omsk called out, rubbing his stiff neck.
"Is there anything we can help with?" Barlan asked earnestly.
"Help? Oh dear gods—keeping your soldiers away from the lake and not causing more chaos would be help enough. We didn't even intend to fight this thing to begin with!" Rynar shook his head.
"Uh, I'm very sorry," Barlan said apologetically. After all, it was his soldiers who stirred up the beast.
"Your Highness, if it comes down to it, I'll go at it in close combat. Just have the blue elf provide draconic magic support," Caslow offered after a moment of thought.
"It's not time for you to take that risk yet," Rynar declined.
"No, no—we don't have time to be stalled here. Its thick dragon-like scales can't be pierced easily, but if we can drag it out of the water, we've got a chance. The wind dragon is strong enough to do that. We can't let it stay hidden and attack from underwater. We can cut off its tentacles, sure—but that won't kill it!" Caslow analyzed.
"How confident are you?" Rynar was tempted. He didn't want to waste any more time either.
"Seventy, eighty percent! Even if it fails, I can guarantee I'll come out unscathed!" Caslow reassured him quickly.
"That's not bad. Give it a shot," Rynar agreed with a resigned sigh. It was a gamble worth taking.
"Get the soldiers away from the lake! Lordaeron Rangers, go stir up some noise by the water and draw its attention!" Caslow commanded.
"Suppress your dragon's aura, Kaldo!" Caslow shouted, patting the dragon's back. Instantly, that terrifying pressure vanished into thin air.
"Omsk! I need your help! We'll trap it together!" Caslow called out, wanting to be sure.
"No problem. I'll do my best!" Omsk pulled out a spear and weighed it in his hand.
"It's coming!" Several Lordaeron Rangers ran back in panic, clearly wishing they had more legs.
Boom! Several thick tentacles burst out of the water and shot toward them. It was clear the Watcher in the Water wasn't very bright. How long had it been? Truly a creature with no memory of pain.
"Omsk!" Caslow shouted.
Whoosh! Before the words were even out of his mouth, two spears flew through the air and nailed two of the tentacles to the ground. Omsk had struck!
"Kaldo, go! Drag it out of there!" Caslow slapped the dragon's head and leapt off the saddle. Two titans in melee was no place for a mere human.
Roar! With a furious cry, Kaldo dove into the lake, clamping down on one of the thick tentacles and yanking it furiously. His rapidly beating wings churned the lake into a storm, sending water, mud, and rocks flying everywhere. But the Watcher wasn't giving in—it wrapped its tentacles tightly around the dragon's body, pulling Kaldo into deeper waters.
"What the hell? It can actually wrestle with a dragon underwater?!" Rynar was stunned.
"Where'd you dig up this ancient beast? It must've been alive for centuries if it can brawl with a dragon!" the blue elf clicked her tongue in wonder.
"Stop gawking and help already! Aren't you a draconic elementalist or something?!" Rynar shouted, shaken by the titanic clash in front of him.
"Oh relax, what's the rush? It's not like it can beat the wind dragon. Losing is only a matter of time. You don't really think it can overpower a dragon, do you? Just because it's old? At most, it's just a tough shell," the blue elf said, tail wagging with excitement. It wasn't every day she got to watch such a blood-pumping duel.
"Lady Nyx, please stop spectating like it's a festival! We still need to deal with the Balrog underground—we can't waste time here!" Rynar covered his face in exasperation.
"Ugh, fine. Water Element Severance!" With a reluctant sigh, the blue elf turned her attention back to the fight and cast a spell.
The moment her power hit, Kaldo managed to yank the Watcher completely out of the lake. Its massive body and wildly thrashing limbs were enough to make anyone's scalp crawl.
"That's it. It's over now. Let the wind dragon finish the job. As for me, I do not engage in such crude and uncivilized brawling," the blue elf said with a proud toss of her head.
"Whoa, that was instant!" Rynar's eyes went wide. The two evenly matched beasts had shifted in an instant.
"It can't control water elements like I can. If I'm first-tier in water manipulation, it's second. Water listens to me first—without it, it's nothing," the blue elf murmured, as if answering Rynar's unspoken question.
"Impressive!" Rynar's respect for her rose even higher. No wonder she was called a draconic elementalist—and the machine gun of the dragon race. Her mastery of elemental forces was nothing short of divine.
ROAR! With a thunderous bellow, the battle came to an end. Hauled onto dry land, the Watcher was like a squid on a butcher's board. Kaldo's claws, now sharpened by wind elemental blades, sliced it into ribbons. Chunks of tentacles flew through the air as the furious dragon tore apart the remains of the beast that had dared challenge his might.
"Caslow! Talk to your dragon! That's enough! He's going to ruin everyone's appetite!" Rynar finally couldn't take it. The scene had become downright unbroadcastable—it was starting to affect morale.
"Hey, buddy! That's enough—it's already dead!" Caslow hurried over, looking at the grisly remains.
"By Durin! I can't even imagine him when he's enraged! He's stronger than Smaug himself!" Barlan looked at Kaldo with deep fear. He had witnessed Smaug's wrath in person—he knew exactly how terrifying dragons could be.
"Smaug? Ha! That was a half-blood mutt. Alright, let's keep searching for the entrance," Rynar said with a smile. Smaug was strong, sure, but his bloodline capped his potential. Compared to a pure-blood dragon, he was nothing.
"If we don't find it soon, we'll have to try our luck again tonight," Barlan sighed. The dwarves had been away from home so long, they had forgotten exactly where the secret door was.