CHAPTER 118: FIRE DRAKE

The explosion hit like the wrath of a god.

Wade barely saw the red glow before the world erupted into light and flame.

The fireball tore through the healing tent, shredding canvas and hurling bodies through the air like rag dolls.

Wade was flung backward, slamming into the dirt hard enough to knock the breath from his lungs. His ears rang, his head spun, and for a moment, everything was just smoke and chaos.

He groaned, trying to push himself up, his arms trembling.

The world swam in dizzy blurs of orange and red. Heat licked at his face, and the air was so thick with smoke that every breath burned his throat.

He blinked rapidly, forcing his vision to focus. A part of the healing tent he’d been in was now a blazing ruin.

Luckily, the other rows of healing tents were intact, but not untouched.

Canvas burned like paper, and the faint smell of burnt flesh filled the air. All around, adventurers and soldiers staggered to their feet, clutching wounds or dragging others to safety.

Screams rose above the crackle of the flames. Someone shouted for healers. Another screamed for water.

And then, a roar filled the air

Wade turned towards the source.

A fire drake lumbered into view through the smoke. Every breath it took exhaled smoke and embers, and when it roared again, the fire burned between its jagged teeth.

"Drake! We’ve got a drake!" someone yelled.

The ground trembled as it stomped forward, tail lashing and smashing through what was left of the tent. It swung its head, jaws opening wide, and unleashed another stream of fire.

Wade dove behind a broken cart as the flames washed over the area, setting more tents ablaze.

He coughed from the smoke, squinting through the haze, scanning desperately.

"Mercy!" he shouted.

There was no answer.

Then, from the other side of the wreckage, a voice. "Here! I’m fine!"

He turned and saw her, her robes scorched, hair singed, but alive. She was dragging another healer out from under a collapsed support beam.

He hadn’t known her for that long, but he felt a wave of relief surge through him.

"Stay back!" Wade yelled, then turned to face the drake again.

The creature’s tail swept through a line of wounded soldiers, scattering them like dolls. It roared again, preparing another blast of flame.

Wade’s grip tightened around Toothpick.

"Alright, you bastard."

He sprinted forward, joining the small cluster of adventurers and soldiers who were already regrouping to fight. A knight in half-burned armor shouted orders, pointing toward the beast’s neck.

"Hit the joints! The plates are weakest where they overlap!"

Easier said than done.

The drake swung its head like a battering ram, sending two men flying. Wade teleported sideways, avoiding the lashing tail by inches.

He reappeared near its hind leg and swung hard. The hammer-end of Toothpick hit the joint, but the scales didn’t even crack.

Wade grimaced. "Figures."

One of the adventurers launched a spear of ice at the drake’s back.

The spear hit and exploded into shards of ice, briefly coating the beast’s side in frost. It roared in pain and fury, twisting towards the caster.

"Now!" the knight yelled.

Wade surged forward again, Fireburst igniting along his weapon.

He swung downwards, channeling every bit of strength into the attack. His axe head caught the joint between skills, sinking into flesh.

The drake howled, jerking back, its tail smashing into the ground. Wade rolled away, narrowly avoiding the blow.

"Keep pressure on it!" another voice cried, a woman with a halberd who was slashing at the beast’s legs.

The battle turned desperate. The group of fighters moved like a single chaotic organism, ducking, dodging, and striking wherever they could.

The drake’s armor was nearly impenetrable, but its movements were slow.

Another fireball spewed from its mouth, forcing everyone to scatter.

Wade threw up Basic Ward, shielding himself as the blast struck nearby. The barrier cracked, and heat blasted against him, but he held.

The drake lunged forward suddenly, snapping up one unfortunate soldier in its jaws. Blood sprayed, and Wade’s stomach twisted.

"Focus!" Brody’s voice rang out. Wade didn’t even realize his squadmate had arrived.

Brody slammed his spear into the ground, channeling mana into it. Earthen spikes erupted beneath the drake’s front claws, pinning them momentarily.

"Now! Hit it!"

Wade didn’t hesitate. He charged, leapt, and slammed Toothpick down on the beast’s neck joint. Fire erupted from the strike, flames licking along its scales.

Another adventurer followed up, the one with the halberd, cutting deep into the already weakened spot.

The drake roared, thrashing violently. Its tail whipped around and sent Brody tumbling.

Then, from behind, a warrior with a giant sword sprinted through the smoke, bellowing a battle cry.

"Move!"

Everyone dove aside as he jumped onto the drake’s back, his weapon glowing with condensed mana. He swung once, a brutal, cleaving motion.

The blade cut clean through the drake’s neck.

Its head fell with a heavy thud, smoke pouring from the severed wound. The massive body twitched, then fell dead.

For a moment, there was silence. Then, a ragged cheer went up.

"Drake down!" someone yelled.

Wade slumped to the ground, chest heaving, sweat running down his face.

Around him, the surviving adventurers began pulling bodies from the wreckage, while others tended to the fires still burning nearby.

Mercy was back on her feet, limping slightly, shouting to her fellow healers.

"Prioritize the wounded healers first! We need hands working before we can save anyone else!"

They moved quickly, setting up a new makeshift station a little distance away from the ruined tents.

Wade joined the effort, hauling wounded soldiers onto stretchers, helping sort the dead from the barely alive.

It was grim work. Blood pooled in the dirt, and the smell of burned flesh was enough to make him gag.

Eventually, Mercy made her way over, wiping sweat from her brow. "You’re next."

"I’m fine," Wade said automatically.

She glared. "You’re limping."

He looked down. His left leg was bleeding, a cut he hadn’t even noticed. "Right. That."

"Sit."

He did. Mercy pressed her glowing hands over the wound, the healing light seeping into his skin. The pain ebbed slowly, replaced by a strange lightness.

"There," she said, stepping back. "Now go make yourself useful somewhere else."

Wade smirked tiredly. "Yes, ma’am."

But the reprieve didn’t last.

Moments later, a horn sounded from the front lines, three short blasts that filled the air.

"Reinforcements to the front!" someone shouted.

The captain strode through the smoke, his armor dented but his voice loud. "All able-bodied soldiers and adventurers, form up! We’re relieving the second wave!"

The order rippled through the camp. Men and women rose, gripping weapons.

Wade stood, adjusting Toothpick on his shoulder. Mercy caught his eye briefly, her lips pressed in a thin line.

She didn’t say anything, but her look said enough. Come back alive.

He nodded once and joined the gathering line.

Within minutes, they were marching again towards the battlefront.

The roar of combat grew louder, the air filled with the clash of blades, the screeches of beasts, and the dull thunder of detonations.

Then, the cry went up.

"THIRD WAVE!"