Chapter 524

Chapter 524: Entering the Stone Forest

By the next afternoon, the fog in the distance had cleared significantly, and the air and visibility became clearer. Jesse noticed a lone giant pillar standing in the center of the view.

This doesn’t look like a complete temple-like pillar, but rather a stack of stones balanced precariously high up. The topmost huge stone seems to sway back and forth in the fierce winds of The Shimmering Flats, as if it could fall at any moment.

Not far into their journey towards the pillar, they noticed a thinner and taller one in the distance… and then, an even taller one standing further away.

Jesse brushed aside the dry salt grains beneath his feet, which were now mixed with bits of soil and rocks.

He opened his water pouch, drank the last sip of water, licked his dry lips, and said, "We’ve reached Thousand Needles!"

Greed looked up at the massive pillar beside him and remarked, "This is truly a beautiful place, Kalimdor feels like a world from a dream."

Vereesa gazed at another pillar across from them, pointing into the air, "Look, what’s that?"

Jesse followed Vereesa’s gesture and saw a shadow sliding across the surface of the pillar. Then, he looked up into the sky and saw a faint object gliding slowly.

"Is that… a dragon?" Greed asked.

Vereesa shook her head, "I’m not sure."

When that thing came into the bright sun, Jesse could see its appearance clearly.

Greed thought it was not unreasonable to consider it a dragon, as it had two huge bat-like wings, a long tail, but the biggest problem was that its front limbs were wings, with only two hind legs dangling behind.

Therefore, although it was hard to see clearly in the glaring sunlight, Jesse could still tell that this was not a real dragon, as all dragons, whether female or adults, have a pair of wings and four legs.

If Jesse’s guess was right, it was a Wyvern.

Wyverns are native creatures of Kalimdor, living in the dry valleys of Thousand Needles and Stonetalon. They are flying creatures that resemble somewhat like a male lion. Of course, both males and females have neck fur.

This is a quite mysterious creature, which learned how to communicate with these beasts from the Tauren after the arrival of the Orcs. Tauren call them Windriders and consider them as sacred companions, similar to the relationship between Dwarf Wildhammers and gryphons. The new Orc Horde later inherited this belief.

Thinking about this, Jesse also shook his head at the dwarf. This was a creature more mysterious than a Kodo. It would seem strange if he knew so much.

"That’s not a dragon!" Saenor said. "It’s just a common flying beast. I don’t sense any magical power from it, maybe it’s somewhat like the gryphons you dwarves like!"

"I wonder if we can ride it," Greed pointed up and asked.

"I’m pretty sure it won’t understand common language or Dwarven." Vereesa adjusted her quiver at her waist and said, "Let’s not attract its attention. This creature looks much smarter than a Basilisk. My beast command probably won’t work on it."

Jesse and Greed nodded, staying close to a stone pillar, hiding from the shadow gliding back and forth in the sky as they moved forward in the shadows.

The creature was quite large, even from here it seemed bigger than a wild horse. Even if they could easily defeat it, there was a risk of getting injured if it really dove down.

Of course, Jesse, as a gamer, knew that Wyverns usually live near their nests, where there may be many other companions. Provoking one could lead to a large group coming for revenge, causing big trouble.

They walked in the direction away from the Wyvern for a while and had ventured deep into Thousand Needles.

The valley howled like a ghost, and the sand and gravel blowing into their faces hurt. Walking here, Jesse and Vereesa had to keep their hoods up to shield themselves from the blowing sand. Even Greed had to wear a hat, as his stone-like skin couldn’t bear it completely.

In the evening, they rested under a short stone pillar, making sure there was no movement around. They decided to spend the night there. Eating some dry-roasted Basilisk meat, Jesse was feeling tired. Just as his eyes were closing, a deep roar from a distance woke him up.

Greed, who had already fallen asleep, now opened his eyes, and Vereesa looked out into the distance alertly.

The three of them waited quietly… until the sound echoed again. This time, Jesse felt the sound was not a beast’s roar but more like a conscious person’s wail.

"What’s going on," Greed said.

"Want to go check it out?" Jesse asked.

The three of them packed up their things and followed the sound, the heartbreaking howls making Jesse nervous. As they got closer, it felt more eerie.

As they neared, they began to hear the sound of chaotic footsteps, not normal ones, but the sound of hooves trotting, along with some low, grunting noises.

They all thought of one thing at the same time.

Centaur.

They arrived at a high slope and looked towards the source of the sound, under the moonlight, they saw three figures resembling cavalrymen, wielding spears, circling around a beast covered in blood, as if in a leisurely dance.

Those three "cavalrymen"… were Centaurs with the upper bodies of men and the lower bodies of black horses!

Vereesa had already grabbed her bow, and Greed stared at the Centaurs, whispering, "What are they doing?"

"The wild beast that was caught has now broken free," Vereesa said. "Look at those broken ropes, it looks like a leopard-like creature. These Centaur plan to drain its blood and make it exhausted."

"That is no ordinary wild beast, Miss Quel’dorai," Molofeel said. "That is a shape-shifting mage."

"A shape-shifter, a Druid?" Vereesa asked in surprise.

"A legendary Druid?" Greed also looked astonished.

Vereesa asked again, "How can you be sure, demon?"

"If you can’t even see this…" Molofeel raised an eyebrow and said, "This shape-shifter can deceive those half-human half-horse inferior creatures, can deceive you, but definitely can’t deceive me!"

"Maybe he hasn’t been able to deceive these Centaur at all," Jesse said quietly. "Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so cautious, this situation doesn’t seem like dealing with an ordinary beast at all."

"The master has a point," Molofeel smiled.

Vereesa drew an arrow and looked at the succubus, saying, "If this is true…"

"She’s telling the truth, fairy!" Imp said, "I can feel it too."

"Of course," Molofeel smiled, leaning on Jesse’s shoulder, "After all, I can’t let your judgment mistake deceive the master."

Vereesa took a deep breath angrily, then held back her emotions and asked Jesse, "What should we do now?"

"Of course, we must save him! What’s there to hesitate about?" Greed lowered his voice, holding a hammer, "We can’t just watch that Druid being bled to death by the Centaur, can we?"