The firewall showed up just in time, just before Adam was about to run faster to get into the forest after tripping. Inside the firewall was a magic trap made by Jace. If Adam touched the flames, the trap would spring to life, transforming into a cage of fire to trap him.
Just as Lina was scared and tried to alert Adam to avoid the trap, she found herself falling into the forest, as if she was floating on clouds and fog.
Adam was really close to the flames, both his dragon hands digging into the soil. He spun around quickly, his strong tail filled with icy powers smacked the firewall hard. The different powers neutralized each other, and the firewall vanished. "Other creatures with special abilities? You've come at the right time."
Adam wasn't mad about the surprise attack; he was actually excited. He knew that understanding a big place with lots of power would be complicated. It needed many special samples, and even if no one bothered Adam, he would set out to take some when he became strong enough. Now, a few samples had shown up on his doorstep, perfect to grab for his studies.
Those brave enough to attack the dragon family couldn't be weak, but those who sneak-attacked a young dragon couldn't be too strong either. This balance was just right, and losing these people wouldn't shake things up too much.
Is this seriously a young dragon who's less than eight years old? This has to be a joke. If all dragons are this tough, then what's our purpose here? Jace was a bit shocked. The firewall earlier was one of the strongest spells he could do. Although he didn't think it would catch the young dragon easily, it was still too much to see it get wiped away with just a swipe of the tail.
"Snap out of it, Jessie, keep getting your magic ready, Ral, get set for a big attack, Jace! Help me out!" Carter, who led the team, realized that the magic didn't work, so he gave a clear command. He gripped his shield, a dusty yellow energy circled him, and he rushed towards Adam.
"Power Boost, Brave Heart, Fast Recovery, Aero Lock!" Jessie spoke fast, casting one protection spell after another on Carter, who seemed to grow a little, then Jessie waved her small staff, creating a bright white web of energy quickly in the sky.
Adam watched without any feelings, letting the group power up on their own. His silvery, slit-like eyes showed no emotion, his mind quickly noted down the changes in their energy, all being important data to him.
Like a giant beast, Carter stomped forward, creating shallow holes in the ground with each step. Ral made a beautiful pattern with his long sword, then his figure started to fade until he vanished from sight.
"The different kinds of energy are unique, but they're all based on elemental power."
"The way the power is transferred isn't clear, but it doesn't seem to hold the elements well; its energy strength is a lot lower than magic power."
"Buff spells. Pretty cool."
While Adam was making these observations, Carter was getting really close, less than fifty meters away. He yelled out loudly, "Ral, Jace!"
It looked like the signal to attack. With Carter's loud yell, he picked up speed again. In Adam's senses, he could feel two other energy forces getting closer to him really fast.
Studying this little group's battle moves wasn't giving Adam any new info. He figured he'd take them down first, then bring them back to his tribe for a more detailed study later.
Adam took in a deep breath, and all the floating ice elements in the air nearby got pulled into his mouth instantly. His almost two-meter-long body puffed up a bit. Then, Adam lifted his dragon head and roared loud.
This was the dragon's breath.
Dragon's breath, like dragon's power pressure, was a natural skill of the dragon family, changing elements into power straight away using the energy pathways in their body, then spitting it out from the mouth.
The dull yellow light around Carter got even brighter. Being a dragon-slayer, he of course knew this was a common magic move used by all dragons. If he was up against a huge dragon, he would have run away a long time ago, but the one breathing ice at him now was just a young dragon; he believed he could handle it.
Like a shadow, Ral appeared in the air, his long sword became a blur, vibrating quickly as he aimed to stab Adam's neck from the side. A big fireball, with something unknown burning in its center, flew across the sky in a wide arc, bringing intense heat and a pulling force towards Adam.
One person stood ground, one gave help, and two attacked; they were certain this would work.
At least, that was what the four of them thought until that roar echoed.
The icy dragon's breath spread fast in rings along with the sound. Wherever the sound waves went, even the air froze solid. Carter, who was in the front line, froze instantly, a layer of frost covering him, stopping him in his tracks.
Ral, who was moving towards Adam with his sword, had a confident smile which froze on his face as he turned into a chunk of ice, crashing to the ground with a loud noise.
The hot fireball met the cold dragon's breath, causing a wild clash, with steam fogging up the whole scene. During the clash, the fireball got colder and slower, until by the time it reached Adam, it had gone out completely, with only the cold heart of it falling into Adam's hand.
Jace stood there, shocked, unable to grasp how his 'advanced magic' had been defeated so easily. Jessie, on the other hand, held her mouth with her hands, scared she would let out a scream. Is this really a young dragon? It can't be! A young dragon shouldn't be capable of wiping us out with just one breath!
Jessie moved her magic wand with haste, creating two quick wind shields around them. Without a second thought, she grabbed Jace and started running away, not daring to look back or utter a word. They had to seize this opportunity to escape while the fog hid them and before the field that prevented flying lifted. Making any noise that might alert the young dragon would surely mean death for them.
Adam was completely tuned into their actions. He moved forward, stepping on the two people who had passed out. A thick layer of ice formed from the ground, securing them in place. He then soared with a flap of his wings, swiftly landing on the icy trail ahead of Jessie and Jace who were trying to escape.
The look of hopelessness was clear in both Jace and Jessie's eyes. Suddenly, Jace pushed Jessie to the side with all his might, standing defiantly in front of Adam. Driven by some kind of force, his magic wand lifted up, accumulating a large amount of fire elements that focused at the tip of the wand. He shouted, "Jessie, get out of here! I'll take this evil dragon down with me!"
Jessie tripped, with tears streaming down uncontrollably. She cried out, stifling a sob, "No! Jace! You can't die! You can't leave me here alone!"
"Just go, and let others know there's a..."
"No one's leaving," Adam interrupted, his voice stern and commanding.
Adam observed their frantic conversation, a slight irritation showing in the twitch of his eye. With a swift wave of his claw, he summoned a blizzard of ice elements that instantly snuffed out the growing flames on Jace's wand. Without hesitation, he froze them both where they stood. He turned to Lina, who was floating, seemingly lost in thoughts above the icy terrain. He instructed,
"Bring them along, and keep leading the way."
