Chapter 63 Jaina is not afraid of heights

The morning sunlight spilled across the beach, casting a long, slender shadow of the first "Demon Expulsion Device" projectile onto the sand. Dren squatted down and tapped the metal casing with his finger, producing a crisp, resonant echo.

"It's filled with sand, simulating the weight of the final payload." Magni gave the tailfin hinges a final check with his hammer. "The structure is intact. We can proceed with a test drop." He nodded in satisfaction, foam from his morning ale still clinging to his beard.

Onyxia had already transformed into her dragon form, her obsidian scales gleaming with a purplish luster in the sunlight. She impatiently clawed at the beach, each strike causing the ground to tremble slightly. "Hurry up. I am not your pack mule."

The black dragon's voice rolled like thunder, and dangerous gleams flickered within her golden, slit-pupil eyes.

Dren instructed Jaina to use magic to lift the bomb beneath Onyxia's claws. Fine beads of sweat oozed across the young mage's forehead as the massive weight of the bomb rapidly drained her mana.

The black dragon grasped the specially designed hoisting ring on the bomb with her hind claws. Her wings whipped up a fierce gale, sending small pebbles on the beach scattering in all directions.

"The target is that beach with the red circle drawn on it, one kilometer away," Dren said, pointing into the distance. "Try to be as accurate as possible."

Onyxia scoffed. "I am a black dragon, not a catapult. I'll aim for the bullseye as best as I can." With that, she violently flapped her wings and took off into the air, kicking up a cloud of dust that forced Dren to raise a hand to shield his eyes. A layer of sand instantly covered his clothes.

Jaina first used a cleansing spell to rid Dren of the dust and sand on his body, then tilted her head up to watch the rapidly shrinking dragon silhouette, her long golden hair dancing in the wind. "Do you think this will succeed?"

"Theoretically, it is feasible." Dren squinted. "The tailfin design should ensure a stable descent, as for the precision..." He nervously scratched his head, indicating he could not guarantee anything yet.

His words were interrupted by a dragon's roar echoing from high above. Onyxia's silhouette climbed in the sky before diving downward, and then a black speck separated from her claws—the bomb was released.

Dren immediately pulled out a monocular to observe. At first, the bomb's descent trajectory looked quite straight, and the tailfins maintained stability. But soon, the projectile began to spin, tracing a dangerous arc.

Dren's heartbeat accelerated as he noticed one of the tailfin hinges appeared to be deformed.

"Something's wrong!" Magni exclaimed. The dwarf's keen eyesight had already spotted the problem. "It's drifting toward us!"

Through Dren's monocular, the black speck of the bomb was enlarging at an alarming speed. The blood in his veins seemed to freeze instantly—the bomb was heading straight for them!

"Scatter!" Dren roared, but it was already too late. The bomb was less than three hundred meters from the ground, and its whistling sound was clearly audible. The terror between life and death overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.

At the very critical moment, Jaina's staff burst into a dazzling blue light. Pushing her hands forward, a powerful surge of air erupted from her center, forming a visible wall of wind. The moment the bomb struck the wind wall, its trajectory deflected noticeably. The metal casing scraped against the magical energy, producing an eerie sound.

"Boom—!!!"

The impact occurred on the sea surface less than fifty meters from the team, kicking up a column of water twenty meters high. Salty sea water rained down like a downpour, drenching everyone.

Dren's notebook was instantly soaked, the ink bleeding outward and turning several days of hard work into nothing.

Chromie appeared behind Dren out of nowhere, holding a handful of nuts and chewing noisily, a mischievous smile hanging on her face. "Ooh, that was almost a 'precise hit'."

Dren wiped the seawater from his face and turned to look at Jaina. There was no trace of frustration in his eyes; instead, they gleamed with an excited light. "What did you just do?"

Jaina's staff was still glowing faintly. Panting, her chest heaving violently, she said, "Just... a simple wind barrier... I didn't expect the effect to be so good."

Her fingertips were still trembling slightly, clearly frightened out of her wits just moments ago.

Onyxia landed on the beach, reverting to her humanoid form with a trace of awkwardness on her face.

She awkwardly adjusted the folds of her black leather armor, avoiding everyone's gaze.

As if he hadn't heard the black dragon's explanation, Dren hurried over to Jaina and grabbed her shoulders with both hands. "You can control the bomb's descent trajectory!" His eyes were brightly lit, terrifyingly so, as if he had discovered a new continent.

"Maybe!" Jaina suddenly became a bit coy, a blush spreading across her cheeks. Dren's close proximity clearly made her a bit uncomfortable.

Onyxia crossed her arms. "Am I done?!" Her voice was filled with the annoyance of being ignored.

Inside the makeshift wooden cabin, Dren scribbled frantically on a blackboard while Magni and Jaina stood on either side, offering suggestions from time to time.

The wooden walls were pinned with various design blueprints and calculation drafts, and the corner was piled with semi-finished parts and tools.

"If Jaina's wind magic can influence the falling bomb," Dren drew a curve and a simple stick figure of a mage, "then theoretically, she can control the bomb's trajectory and final landing spot the entire way."

Magni stroked his beard. "But ground-level observation has limited visibility. If she could be in the air..." He dragged out his voice, leaving room for Dren to think.

Dren whirled around, drawing a white line across the air with his chalk. "Exactly! Jaina can ride on Onyxia's back! Preferably near the neck, for a wide field of view." The idea made him pace back and forth excitedly.

Jaina's face instantly paled. "What? Ride on... a dragon's back?"

"The ultimate aerial guidance system!" Completely immersed in his own concept, Dren gestured wildly. "You observe the target from high altitude using Eagle Eye, fine-tune the bomb's trajectory with wind magic, and Onyxia handles transport and deployment."

His speech was so fast it was almost hard to follow.

The blackboard in front of Dren was shoved aside violently, and Onyxia appeared with a furious expression. "Make me a mount?! Are you out of your mind?"

Dren was well-prepared. He hurried over and pressed close, whispering something that seemed to promise an incredible condition. Onyxia's anger visibly subsided, and she finally nodded reluctantly. "...Just this once."

Then her gaze lingered on Jaina for a moment, carrying a certain mischievous anticipation.

Jaina still looked pale. "I've never ridden a dragon before..."

"It's much simpler than riding a horse," Chromie materialized floating beside Jaina's head out of nowhere, crunching on an apple. "Just don't look down."

"If I don't look down, how am I supposed to control the bomb?" Jaina asked, frowning in confusion.

"Ugh!" The bronze dragon's expression froze stupidly.

After two hours of effort, Jaina strapped on Dren's custom leather saddle and safety harness, trepidatiously climbed up to Onyxia's dragon neck, and secured the saddle in place. The black dragon's scales were warmer than expected, but the edges of each scale were sharp enough to break the skin. Sitting here made it convenient to look down at the bomb's descent, but it also posed a tremendous psychological test for the observer.

"Hold on tight, little princess," Onyxia smiled maliciously. "I hope you're not afraid of heights." Her voice was full of the glee of impending mischief.

Before Jaina could answer, the black dragon leaped forward abruptly, spreading her wings. Jaina's scream was swallowed by the roaring wind. The ground shrank rapidly, and Dren and Magni quickly became two tiny dots.

Jaina felt her stomach churning and was forced to cling tightly to the dragon scales, her face pale.

"Eagle... Eagle Eye!" Fortunately, Jaina hadn't forgotten her duty. Trembling as she cast the spell, her field of vision suddenly cleared, and the distant target red circle seemed close enough to touch.

Onyxia hovered a thousand meters high in the air as currents brushed against Jaina's long hair. "Are you ready?" The black dragon's voice echoed in the wind, carrying eager excitement.

Jaina took a deep breath, feeling the thin air at high altitude, and responded firmly, "I'm ready!"

Her heartbeat gradually calmed, and her gaze grew resolute. She was a princess of Kul Tiras, a grand magus of Dalaran, and the ruler of Theramore; a little high-altitude dragon-riding was not an insurmountable difficulty.

She also knew that below, a pair of expectant eyes were looking up at the sky, waiting for this experimental hope.