Chapter 142
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Chapter 142: The Burning Morning
A dragon, a real dragon?
"How is this possible…"
"I have really seen a dragon, Jesse. From a distance, it looks just like that, with those wings, that tail! Believe me, absolutely no mistake!" Greed said excitedly, cursing, "Damn, why would a dragon come here! Anyway, let’s find a place to hide first. Damn it, what if that guy turns around and sees us? If he does, we’re done for along with this village!!"
The two of them ran to the shore, rushing into a forest and finding a slope to hide in the shadows.
Moving his body, Jesse noticed that Greed’s hand holding the axe was shaking uncontrollably.
"Damn it…" the dwarf kept muttering curses under his breath.
Jesse looked towards the direction where the dragon had disappeared into the pine forest, feeling uneasy hiding there.
"We should go back to the town, Greed."
"Are you crazy? Didn’t we see that dragon heading that way just now?"
"But there are guards and mages there. Just imagine, what if there are more dragons, or soldiers from the tribe following behind, or they might be close by. During war, dragons usually come in groups, right?" "Yes, that’s right, in groups…" Greed breathed heavily and said, "Yes, you’re right. We should leave quickly, it would be bad if that dragon is the vanguard of the Orc cavalry."
The two of them immediately got up and walked towards the east, sticking close to the edge of the forest.
Whether it’s the vanguard of the Orc cavalry, or just one dragon from a group, even if a single dragon notices these two people, turns around and comes back this way, they won’t be able to hide for long.
Once a fight breaks out, they would definitely not stand a chance, they should find help no matter what.
Could the threat mentioned by the Dalaran mage earlier be the trace of the dragon?
When Teron Gorefiend led the Death Knights and Orc dragon riders to raid Alterac Valley before, they rode not Red Dragons, but Black Dragons.
And also Mage mentioned that there were traces of shadow attacks in Ambermill, could it be that these black dragons are still lurking around without leaving after the Alterac campaign?
Jesse didn’t quite believe that after the overall failure of the Horde, the Dragonmaw clan hidden deep in the wetlands and Grim Batol would have the courage to ride Red Dragons and hover over the Hillsbrad Foothills.
What if the Red Dragon controlled by the Dragonmaw warlock lose their minds?
"Did you see it clearly? What color was the dragon?" Jesse asked while running, "Red Dragon, or black dragon?"
"It’s a Red Dragon… I’ve never seen scales of any other color." Greed said, "With so many Red Dragons participating in the battle at Hillsbrad Foothills, there must be one or two left, maybe this is one of them, a common enemy of the Alliance… Red Dragon! Evil Red Dragon!"
Jesse was a bit confused, after all, he only saw a shadow.
The two of them rushed back to Southshore at the pace of a long-distance race, and from far away, they could hear the continuous ringing of the town hall bell.
"Is that dragon going to attack the town directly?" Greed asked incredulously.
"Why?"
Jesse was too scared to guess, but as they got closer to the dock, they noticed that the whole town was in chaos.
All the boats were fleeing out to sea, even the ones still at the dock were raising anchor. Some were even hoisting sails before leaving the harbor, ropes flailing around in the confusion, and even some people falling into the sea and swimming towards the boats.
The town was filled with black smoke, not the usual morning cooking smoke. Yet, the dragon was nowhere to be seen in the sky above the town.
Jesse and Greed ran to the main street near the harbor and saw several buildings destroyed, including a house next to the inn where they were staying, now on fire. A mage was chanting incomprehensible spells loudly, trying to use ice magic to stop the fire from spreading, but it wasn’t very effective.
The streets were filled with helpless burn victims, cries and screams echoing back and forth. Jesse gazed at the horrifying scene, never realizing the dragon passing over the town would cause such destruction.
"Quick… our belongings are still inside, Jesse!" the dwarf tugged his shoulder and said, "Follow me in!"
The two rushed into the second floor of the inn, found their luggage, with thick smoke already filling up the second floor, its smell worse than regular burnt odor.
"Something is burning, it smells awful!"
Greed pointed to his nose and Jesse picked up their bags and clothes and hurried down to the first floor, but heard the sound of a crying child on the second floor. As soon as they heard the sound, they both paused and looked at each other.
"Bring the stuff out first!" said Jesse. "I have a fire-resistant cloak, I’ll go find him."
"I’ll come help you right away!" shouted the dwarf.
Jesse let go of Greed and rushed up the stairs. The mage seemed to be running out of magic. Now, the smoke was thicker than before, and Jesse could even see some flames.
"Where are you? Say something! Are you there!"
He lowered his head, covering his mouth and nose with the cloak to protect him from the choking smoke. He felt that the child was likely already unconscious from the fumes.
The temperature around them kept rising. Suddenly, a beam collapsed from somewhere, causing the floor to tilt. Jesse almost slipped, but then he heard the child’s voice again.
"I’m here! Someone’s here to rescue you!" Jesse kicked open a door that was stuck due to a warped frame. He saw a little girl hiding under the bed, crying. Her face was covered in soot, tears leaving streaks on her cheeks.
Jesse scooped her up and hid her under his cloak, then bravely charged into the hallway filled with smoke.
The fire was spreading too quickly. The situation now was many times more serious than when he first entered.
But Jesse knew that every moment of hesitation brought him closer to death, so since he had a cloak to protect himself, he should be more daring.
Holding his breath, he didn’t hesitate and ran wildly until he was blocked by a collapsing wall on fire.
He could already see the street outside through the cracks, so he kicked fiercely at the gap but couldn’t break it open.
At that moment, Greed appeared out of nowhere and chopped directly on the crack with an axe, breaking a piece of wood, then kicked it, causing the obstacle in front of him to fall down with a loud crash.
Grabbing Jesse’s collar, he shouted, "Jump! Breaking a leg is better than being suffocated here!"
Jesse made up his mind and leaped straight out of the second floor, landing unsteadily without enough cushioning to protect the child in his arms, he ended up sitting on the ground.
Despite the intense pain, at least he could still stand up. If it wasn’t for the poor infrastructure near the dock, with dirt roads and weeds everywhere, he would probably have been half dead by now.
Turning back, he saw the inn’s second floor already ablaze.
The air was filled with cries and wails, the thick smoke turning a clear morning into what seemed like doomsday.
The little girl’s parents were nowhere to be seen, looking around anxiously. Jesse watched the injured people limping down the street, soldiers carrying water, workers and farmers, wondering if Southshore had ever faced such hardship before.
By this time, he could hardly remember any history.
A sharp screech in the distance interrupted his thoughts, making the relaxed crowd tense up again.
"It’s back! It’s back!"
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