In a way, I'm actually helping Kalecgos. Since you're so weak and yet insist on wandering all over the place, it's far too easy for you to lose your life. Consider this my way of helping you build some combat experience.
"Come on, man, you're a Blue Dragon. Blue Dragons are masters of magic. I've already healed your injuries, so use some magic," Rhodes called out.
Under Rhodes's "encouragement" (poisonous tongue), Kalecgos gritted his teeth and maneuvered against the remaining enemies. His massive draconic frame appeared somewhat clumsy in the narrow marshy woods. Although his dragon breath was devastating—clearing an entire area with every puff—he still accumulated plenty of new wounds from the occasional cold shots by the dwarven musketeers and the fearless harassment of the ogres. His azure scales were stained with mud and blood, making him look quite pathetic.
However, even a "noob" dragon like him showed the dragon-slaying squad the meaning of true terror. What seemed like a clumsy fight to a dragon was, to them, nothing short of a horrific massacre.
The dwarves raised their hunting rifles once more, and mage-breaking bullets whistled through the air. Blood splattered from Kalecgos's body yet again. These bullets are truly bizarre; why does it hurt so much to be hit by them? A dragon's body seemed incredibly fragile against these rounds. At first, he thought he'd only been wounded because of a sneak attack, but now it was clear these bullets were special.
Infuriated, Kalecgos unleashed another torrent of dragon breath, incinerating several Dark Iron dwarves in front of him into ash. The remaining enemies were terrified by the breath, especially a two-headed ogre mage (the one that died earlier was single-headed). His two heads began to argue:
Head A: "Run! He's going to kill us all!"
Head B: "No! The gold! The glory of dragon-slaying!"
In that moment of hesitation, Kalecgos seized his chance. Enduring the pain, he flapped his massive wings violently, creating a wild gale that sent the dwarven musketeers and nearby enemies tumbling. He raised his less-injured foreclaw, and arcane energy condensed upon it into countless spears of ice.
"Arcane Ice Lance—Volley!"
Even though that human had a very sharp tongue and seemed full of malice, he was right: I am a Blue Dragon. I can't just rely on my physical body and breath; I have to cast magic.
"Arcane Power Shield. Frost Armor." The massive blue dragon cast two protective spells in quick succession. Although the enemy's bullets had mage-breaking properties, a Frost Armor should be effective since the outer layer is essentially a physical block of ice.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Countless ice-blue spears poured down like a torrential rain, accurately covering all the remaining enemies. Dwarves, orcs, trolls, and even the bickering two-headed ogre were instantly pierced and frozen, becoming ice sculptures in various poses. Then, they shattered into a fine crystalline powder under a secondary burst of arcane energy.
At this moment, only the dwarven leader, Harkut, remained. Holding his dragon-hunting rifle, the Dark Iron dwarf was trembling all over. Damn it, curse it all... I wanted to avenge my father, and instead, I'm going to die at the hands of a dragon. Is it true that mortals simply cannot face dragons, even with mage-breaking weapons?
"Filthy dragon! I will never yield to you! Come and kill me if you have the guts!" the Dark Iron dwarf roared, raising his rifle and chambering another round to aim at Kalecgos.
The blue dragon had no intention of wasting more words; it was a fight to the death. He opened his massive maw toward the dwarf, and a searing blue dragon breath erupted, completely melting the last Dark Iron leader.
With the dragon's explosive counterattack, the battle came to an abrupt end.
Silence returned to the marsh, broken only by Kalecgos's heavy breathing and the drip-drop of dragon blood hitting the soil. The blue dragon's massive body was riddled with scars; though he had eliminated the enemies, the victory was hard-won and messy.
Kalecgos dropped his dragon form and reverted to his elven appearance. His face was paler than before, and his clothes at the abdomen were soaked through with blood. He leaned against a withered tree trunk, barely able to stand. To be honest, this battle was quite sudden. Normally, he was very gentle; any sentient being willing to talk could usually negotiate with him. Combat was a last resort. This time, he had been so badly wounded he hadn't even had a chance to explain; the other side clearly wanted him dead.
In such a situation, he had no choice but to fight for his life. However, he still had to thank the human before him. If the man hadn't provided healing—and some sharp-tongued combat advice—he wouldn't have emerged victorious. Those cursed mage-breaking bullets were simply too powerful; most of his wounds were caused by them.
Seeing the blue dragon's victory, Rhodes clapped his hands, dispelled the Holy Light barrier, and raised a hand to cast a healing spell. Green light once again enveloped Kalecgos, and life energy surged into the blue dragon's body, healing his wounds once more.
"Though your words were a bit vicious, thank you for saving me and for the pointers on how to fight," Kalecgos said, nodding to Rhodes.
"Don't mention it. It's my first time seeing a Blue Dragon, too," Rhodes said, dusting off his hands.
"Rhodes, don't those mage-breaking bullets look a bit familiar to you?" Jaina asked, stroking her chin as she frowned and walked over to him. Before Rhodes appeared, mage-breaking bullets existed, but their effects weren't nearly this good. The effectiveness of these bullets was terrifying; basically, if they hit the dragon, they were guaranteed to draw blood. She felt like she had seen this superior performance somewhere before.
"Is that so? Let me see." Rhodes nodded, reached out to pick up a spent bullet from outside the barrier, and examined it.
It was better not to look, because a single glance gave him a start. Familiar? Of course it was familiar—this was his!
"Rhodes, isn't this your anti-magic metal? The lowest grade produced by the Iron Golems?" Jaina immediately recognized the forging material.
These were produced by Rhodes's Iron Golem units. While not as high-grade as what came from Gold or Diamond Golems, even the Iron Golem output possessed a 75% magic resistance. When forged into mage-breaking weapons and enhanced with Azerothian runes, it became even more frightening; many magical creatures could be pierced in a single shot.
"You're right, it is indeed my anti-magic metal. The forging technique is quite exquisite! I didn't expect it to be mass-produced already," Rhodes said, nodding.
Kalecgos's expression turned sour as he looked at Rhodes. So these bullets are yours? You gave them the bullets used to attack me? The blue dragon looked at Rhodes with wariness. Does this guy have some hidden motive? Why save me but also provide the means to harm me?
"I have to say, those goblins are real pros! You know, Jaina, I'd thought about making weapons like this before, but I hadn't gotten around to it yet," Rhodes said with a shrug.
Who else could have made these? You didn't even need to think to know—he had sold his anti-magic metal to the goblins. Those guys were geniuses! Back during the Battle of Mount Hyjal, he'd had the idea for mage-breaking bullets, but he hadn't had the time to have the dwarves implement it. He hadn't expected the goblins to use his metal to forge these rounds already. No wonder Kalecgos got thrashed so hard; any other dragon would have suffered just as much.
Not bad. When I get back, I'll talk to the inventors and see if we can turn these into artillery shells. We could use them to blast Deathwing. Or even a bolder idea: turn them into rockets to bomb the Old Gods. It would be even better if some Holy Light energy could be packed inside for extra damage against Shadow-based Old Gods.
"This is actually a bit of a misunderstanding, Mr. Blue Dragon. My partner has deep trade ties with the goblins and has traded large amounts of anti-magic metal. We didn't forge these; the goblins produced them to sell," Jaina explained.
"Goblins? Those little green-skinned runts?" Kalecgos's wariness lessened slightly upon hearing this, but his brow remained furrowed. The goblins' greed and audacity were famous across Azeroth; if they got their hands on such a miraculous metal, they truly were capable of anything. This weapon was terrifying—if it became widespread, it wouldn't be good news for dragonkind. He was a decent combatant by dragon standards and he'd been beaten this badly; other dragons might just die outright.
"I do have trade relations with the Bilgewater Cartel and some Steamwheedle goblin chambers of commerce. They paid a high price for the special metal produced by my Iron Golems—a type of magical construct. I provide the raw material; what they do with it is none of my business. After all, merchants have their rules, and I'm just a supplier," Rhodes said, shrugging. "Speaking of which, Mr. Dragon, you've essentially verified the real-world combat effectiveness of this metal weapon for us. It seems the goblins' forging skills are decent, even if their pricing is a bit steep."
Kalecgos's lip twitched. Verified the effectiveness? I nearly verified my soul into the afterlife!
As they were talking, another loud dragon roar echoed from the sky. A blue dragon, slightly smaller than Kalecgos but with a slender, graceful curve, descended from above. Before the surprised eyes of the group, she transformed into a tall High Elf beauty with delicate features and long blue hair.
"I just felt your aura, Kalec. Are you alright?" the female blue dragon asked.