Chapter 144

Chapter 144: The Road of Heat

A roar came from the north of the town, sounding like the distant rumble of a train, nothing like a normal animal noise.

As this roar gradually lowered, it became sharper, ending with a throaty crescendo, drawing everyone’s attention on the dock, on the coast, to the north.

"Don’t come back…"

The crying sounds made Jesse very upset, but he still followed Greed who was running ahead, trying to forget the scary scene in Southshore, and ran straight towards the direction of the woods outside the town.

If this had happened two weeks ago, no, if it had happened two hours ago, he would have thought this decision was crazy.

But now, a strong force was pushing him towards the dragon, the injured people, the burned houses… that gryphon, and the Dwarf Knight, everything needed an explanation.

To be a bit selfish, he also wanted to be part of such a battle, even if it was just to "participate", it wouldn’t be a waste of this journey.

The townspeople outside the town were fleeing towards the southern docks, while the summoned soldiers were moving towards the woods, some of them were militia, some even carried pitchforks.

But in this situation, a long pitchfork might be more useful than a sword. Jesse mingled with these people, following the direction of the low growls. They were all covered in dirt and ash, some with tears on their faces, but none hesitated, all charging towards the forest like madmen.

Upon entering the woods, they felt waves of heat coming at them, even before seeing the dragon’s shadow, they could feel its power.

Jesse couldn’t believe that a mere baby dragon could possess such terrifying power.

Sparks danced between the trees, some leaves already burning, some warriors lying low to avoid the oncoming heat waves, then getting up after the surge passed and charging forward again.

In front of the trees, some archers could already be seen hiding. The sound of military orders echoed in the burning flames, revealing that many Lordaeron soldiers had already pursued this far.

Jesse felt an uncontrollable nervousness, worried that he might be blasted away by a ball of fire before he even saw the dragon’s appearance.

Raising his head, Greed had already rushed far ahead.

If he still had any fear, the only source of that fear would be afraid of the dragon dying before he arrived, unable to smash it to death with his hammer.

Dodging burning branches and dry leaves, Jesse saw a middle-aged soldier wearing chainmail armor holding a long spear by his side, lying in a trench gasping for breath, wiping the ash-smeared sweat from his forehead. He was not a militia but a guard from the port, covered in dust and black soot, it seemed like he had just participated in putting out fires in the town and then responded to the call to come here to capture the fallen black dragon.

Seeing him, Jesse remembered his father, recalling how his father looked when he came back to see his mother and Jesse. It seemed like this soldier was just like his father.

If a black dragon were to appear in Brill, or even around the royal city… at that time, even though his father was getting older, he would probably pick up his weapon and charge at the beast just like this man.

Jesse glanced at the riverbank watchtower, its shadow obscured by the trees. The indistinct burnt smell lingered, not just the smell of burning flames but a distinct odor he had smelled in town.

Yet here, the smell was incredibly strong.

Jesse frowned, feeling strangely familiar with the smell once he arrived here.

He leaned on a nearby tree to catch his breath. He had been running all the way from the Murloc coast, feeling exhausted. He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to lift his hands when he reached the dragon at the end.

Perhaps he had been running too recklessly, that he even smelled the blood in his mouth. But as he stopped and took a breath, the smell gradually faded but did not completely disappear.

Greed had disappeared, and a wave of heat hit Jesse’s face again. He leaned against the tree beside him to avoid being directly hit by the heat. This shock wave was even more intense than the previous ones, feeling like the wind from a jet plane blowing fiercely at his back. His ears burned and just in a moment, his hair felt as if it had been under the sun for a long time.

Jesse quickly put on his hood. The foul smell carried by the hot wind made him cough, and the burning sensation on his neck reminded him of where he had smelled that smell before.

It was Stonewatch Keep.

The one causing this smell was not someone else, but himself!

Shadowfire… No, if the one in front of him was a black dragon, then this was truly Shadow Flame.

Jesse remembered the day he had suspected the fire he had ignited on the sword at Stonewatch Keep was Shadow Flame, but he thought it was a dreadful poison fire that only a black dragon could unleash, with no connection to himself as a mere mortal.

At this moment, he realized that the two may not be fundamentally different. Perhaps the black dragon’s release was purer and more perfect, while his might be weaker and more scattered.

But whether from the appearance of these flames or the scent they emitted, they seemed to be the same thing.

Even Jesse’s seemed more evil, as black dragons themselves possess the power of the earth. Before they were led to corruption by the evil gods, the flames they spewed were burning lava… And the demon helping Jesse ignite that flame enchantment was ignited by fel magic.

"Greed!" he roared, but no one responded.

Jesse glanced in the direction of the forest outside. Greed must have already run ahead, and he had to catch up.

The roar of the black dragon was close, visible as soon as he rushed out of the woods. He had to prepare in advance.

He opened his small book of spell incantations and deftly cast an Arcane Intellect on himself, then firmly memorized the spells for Curse of Weakness and Fear, touched the Mana Potion on his belt, and held tightly to his magic wand.

He hoped that with the blessing of this magic wand, Curse of Weakness or Fear would be effective at least once.

Remembering in the cabin when he used his magic wand to cast Curse of Weakness on the "Dark Night Baron," and the black panther could still harm him with its claws.

So when he faced a real dragon, he doubted if his magic would really work.

However, even if it only had a slight effect, it could still give an advantage to the soldiers of the Kingdom of Lordaeron who were besieging the dragon, not in vain.

By now, the fire had weakened, and the soldiers’ shouts gained momentum once again.

Jesse put the small book into his bag, silently reciting the spells he had just written down, walked out from behind the trees, and continued to advance with the two Lordaeron soldiers who had just joined him.

The trees became sparse, and the dragon hunting battle was looming ahead.