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Chapter 345: Rescue and the Tree Web
Chapter 345: Rescue and the Tree Web
Later in the evening, Charlie joined them, looking more exhausted than the rest, his face as glum as overcooked cabbage.
"I've been flying for over thirty hours!"
At dinner, Charlie grumbled, "And I had to keep an eye out for the dragons the whole time, or else they'd bite me in half or knock me off my broom.
I think those Quidditch players should come here for special training. Weaving through a bunch of dragons on a broom would be way more useful than any practice on a pitch."
"They just want to play Quidditch, not risk their lives..." Kyle laughed. "...and I doubt the Reserve would approve anyway."
"Yeah, you're right. It's a shame, though. They're missing out on an incredible training opportunity."
Seeing Charlie's lethargic state, Kyle offered him a peppermint-flavored Exploding Bonbon.
"Want one? It's not as good as a Wake-Up Potion, but it should give you a boost."
"Thanks, I could use it," Charlie said as he took the candy.
Soon, a dull pop sounded from his mouth, and his entire face puffed up like an oversized toad.
Charlie shuddered and quickly rubbed his face with his hands.
"Much better," he gasped after a few deep breaths. "Amazing. I used to hate peppermint candies the most."
"Tastes change," Kyle remarked.
Charlie raised an eyebrow and smiled. "So, does that mean you'll come around to liquorice candies one day?"
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves!" Kyle replied immediately.
"What a shame, you're missing out on a delightful treat."
The Weasley children and Harry were loyal fans of liquorice candy. On the train, liquorice wands were one of Harry and Ron's essential snacks.
Usually, Kyle would set aside any liquorice candies he received and give them as additional gifts on special occasions, like Christmas or birthdays.
And now...
As Charlie had to patrol the reserve that night, he left soon after dinner.
Kyle saw him off with a large bag of sweets.
While there were wizarding communities and shops near the Romanian Dragon Reserve, they mostly sold alcohol, minerals, potions, and magical equipment.
The candies that were commonplace at Hogwarts were actually quite rare here.
Not that they didn't exist, but they were a hassle to acquire. Not only did they have to be delivered by owl from far away, but the variety and quality paled in comparison to Honeyduke's.
After Charlie left, Kyle returned to the tent, where several people were gathered, including Newt.
Their faces no longer showed any signs of fatigue, and they chatted happily, just as they had when they first arrived a few days ago.
The topics revolved around magical creatures, ranging from treating dragon injuries to post-natal care for Tusksows.
Kyle stood quietly beside Newt, absorbing numerous intriguing trivia.
Even Professor Lockner shared that he had inadvertently discovered an entirely new species of magical creature in the Barisan Mountains—a massive creature with four arms.
Before coming to Romania, he had been organizing the related materials and images and planned to publish his findings soon.
Everyone expressed keen interest, and Newt seemed particularly intrigued, indicating that he'd love to visit that location.
This time, the fire dragons rested a little longer.
It took three full days for the area around them to liven up again.
Kyle and Newt returned to the hill they had previously occupied.
The area they were responsible for had been decided before their arrival, likely taking Newt's age into consideration. This spot was slightly farther from the highest cliffs and was also considerably safer.
It was just a bit boring...
For several consecutive days, it was a chaotic mess.
But this time, there were noticeably more fire dragons that failed and retreated compared to before. Kyle could hear their shrill cries almost every day.
However, there was an exception.
The following day, a Romanian Horntail, exhausted from the battle, was swiped on the head by the tail of a Ukrainian Ironbelly. It flipped over in mid-air and plummeted straight down.
It just so happened that the location was near the hill where Kyle and Newt were stationed.
Either it didn't hear the cry of surrender, or the blow to its head had affected its senses, but the Ukrainian Ironbelly hovered for a moment before diving down as well.
Newt frowned and quickly Apparated next to the Romanian Horntail. He pressed his wand against its throat and made a series of short, sharp sounds, attempting to convey the message of surrender on its behalf.
But it was to no avail. His sounds were vastly different from the fire dragon's, essentially having a thick accent.
Under normal circumstances, the Ukrainian Ironbelly might have understood what he was trying to say, but now it was clearly agitated and couldn't hear Newt or Kyle at all.
"This is troublesome!" Newt's expression turned serious.
If it were to dive down, its nearly six-ton weight would be enough to crush the unfortunate Romanian Horntail to death.
Moreover, most of the spells to stop it would also harm it, affecting its subsequent battles.
As mentioned before, human wizards were not allowed to interfere in fights between fire dragons, no matter the reason.
"Obscuro!"
Newt had no choice but to cast a spell to create a thick fog around them, attempting to block its line of sight. Then, with a flick of his wand, he pushed the Romanian Horntail on the ground forward a short distance.
Kyle also cast softening and swamp spells on the ground beneath it, hoping to provide some cushioning.
Almost at the same time.
The surrounding trees suddenly elongated, turning into gigantic, sturdy "ropes" that reached into the mist and intertwined to form a massive net.
"Creak..."
Accompanied by a teeth-grinding, firecracker-like sound, the "tree ropes" snapped one after the other, but new ones quickly replaced them.
Finally, the Ukrainian Ironbelly came to a halt just under two feet from the ground.
Its claws were almost touching the tail of the Romanian Horntail, and if it had truly fallen, the Dragon Reserve would likely have gained a new tailless dragon.
The Ukrainian Ironbelly struggled for a while before gradually calming down. It roared in dissatisfaction and then freed itself from the obstructing tree net, taking to the skies once more.
"That was close, very close," a familiar voice said from behind.
Chris lowered his wand and walked towards the two of them. The tree net had been his doing.
...
(End of Chapter)
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