Chapter 648

Chapter 648: Tor Lona

The next morning, Jesse opened his eyes to find Vereesa had gathered some unknown yellow fruits laid out in front of him. Greed was already chewing on one, and from his expression, it didn’t taste good.

Jesse took a small piece. It was sour and a bit bitter, but with a hint of sweetness. It felt far more satisfying than eating jerky or dried mushrooms.

"This is all we could get," Vereesa said, watching Jesse blink from the sour taste. "Gnolls are nearby, and I worried cooking meat over a fire would draw their attention."

"This is good enough," Jesse replied. "I thought we’d have to go deep into the Bartol Mountains to find food. This swamp is full of dangers; I just want to leave as soon as possible."

He looked southeast, where the outline of mountains began to show through the mist beyond the big forest. After a quick breakfast of fruit, the group headed into the forest.

Compared to the swampy depths of the Wetlands, this forest felt much more normal, like the woods near the Hillsbrad Foothills close to the Hinterlands.

As they neared the mountains, the ground rose slowly, and more pine trees appeared.

At first, they heard some birds in the woods, but after walking for hours, everything grew quiet. Only the soft rustle of wind in the treetops and the crunch of their feet on thick pine needles broke the silence.

Jesse climbed onto a large, upturned pine root. Vereesa, already at the top, suddenly signaled for the others to stay quiet.

She looked up into the treetops as rhythmic wing beats approached from afar.

Vereesa slid down and pulled Jesse and Greed under the pine roots. Molofeel hid in the shadows nearby as a shadow shot past with a sharp howl, along with muffled curses.

The branches blocked Jesse’s view, so he couldn’t see the dark shape clearly, but the curses were unmistakably from an Orc.

"A Red Dragon?" Greed whispered.

Vereesa nodded. "That’s the scent of a Red Dragon. It must be an Orc dragon rider, meaning we’re on the right path."

"You can smell the Red Dragon?" Greed glanced up. "I didn’t catch anything; it flew by too fast."

"I’ve dealt with black dragons, Greed. Remember what the Red Dragons did to my home," Vereesa said as she stepped out and climbed higher.

Greed wrinkled his big nose, embarrassed. "Sorry, elf."

"It’s fine," Vereesa called back. "Since I chose to help Jesse find the Red Dragon Queen, I know exactly who the enemy is."

"I’ve never understood how the Red Dragon Queen got captured by Orcs," Greed said, gripping the root as he climbed. "When I was young, my father said nothing could stop an angry Red Dragon, let alone their queen."

"The Dragonmaw clan has a powerful treasure," Jesse explained. "They use it to control the Red Dragon Queen, forcing the whole Red Dragon Legion to serve them. If we find that treasure, we can free her."

Greed shrugged. "So it’s the mages’ fault. Honestly, I still struggle to believe the Red Dragons are the good ones."

"Not yet," Jesse replied. "We must watch out for all dragons. Only after saving the Red Dragon Queen can we trust they won’t harm us. Right now, the Red Dragons are controlled by the Dragonmaw clan, so they’re as dangerous as the black dragons."

As he spoke, Jesse felt an itch on his right arm. Was the brand infected?

He glanced at Vereesa and Greed ahead, making sure they weren’t looking. Pulling up his sleeve, he saw no change.

Lately, he’d been sleeping better at night.

If he recalled correctly, the father of black dragons was stirring up trouble in Lordaeron’s court.

He’d used mind tricks and illusions to fool King Terenas of Lordaeron, convincing the king that the Alterac noble, Lord Dalaran Prestor, was loyal to Lordaeron and the Menethil family. That made the king push for handing the empty Alterac throne to him.

Maybe he was busy with politics or court chores, too tied up to bother with a clumsy mortal like Jesse struggling through the swamp. After all, what could change after days in the muck?

As they went deeper into the forest, the surroundings shifted so much that Jesse almost forgot they were still in the Wetlands.