"Aww, what a cute kitty!"
Jaina reacted quickly, reaching out to pet the black cat.
The cat tilted its head slightly and stepped back half a pace. Her fingers barely brushed the tip of its ear before missing entirely.
Jaina puffed out her cheeks at once.
"You won't let me touch you either?" she glared at the black cat, a hint of stubbornness flashing in her eyes. "Catch it for me!"
Paval and several guards exchanged glances. Although they found the order a bit baffling, they still obediently rushed forward.
The first guard lunged, arms spread wide, about to grab the cat—
The black cat lightly leapt to the side. He missed completely and slammed face-first into the ground.
The second guard charged in from the side, trying for a bear hug. The black cat crouched low, slipped right between his legs, and even flicked its tail as it passed.
The third guard went for a full diving tackle. The black cat jumped up, stepped on his back, and sprang away. The man smashed headfirst into the wall with a dull thud.
Several grown men tumbled into a heap at the street corner, tripping over each other in utter embarrassment.
The black cat sat on a nearby step, looking down at them from above.
It licked its paw, elegant and completely indifferent.
After licking for a moment, it suddenly seemed to realize something, froze briefly, then spat several times—
That expression, that posture—was it disgusted? Had this paw stepped on something filthy earlier?
The guards' faces instantly flushed red.
They swore it—this cat was mocking them.
Absolutely mocking them!
The black cat cast a contemptuous glance at the group.
After turning into a cat, he found this body unexpectedly useful.
He could revert at any time, but for now, he didn't want to.
Because this form was better suited for watching that corner.
No one would ever suspect a cat casually grooming itself by the roadside of being a spy.
He even noticed he had become more agile than usual—those clumsy guards couldn't even touch his tail.
Unfortunately, this had been a blind stroke of luck—a wild magic surge triggered by accident. Normally, Polymorph couldn't be cast on oneself.
Why not?
Bad design.
Just as he smugly scratched his chin, a chill suddenly ran down his spine.
Frost Nova!
Centered on Jaina, a wave of frost exploded outward.
She precisely controlled the force; a pale blue cold surge swept across the street, instantly freezing a thin layer of ice over the ground.
Allen didn't even have time to react—his four paws were already frozen to the ground, unable to move.
Are you serious?
You used Frost Nova just to catch a cat?!
And didn't you say you'd just learned Frostbolt??? You've barely learned Frostbolt and you're already this proficient with Frost Nova?!
Jaina walked over with light steps, scooping the black cat up in one arm.
With her other hand, she waved lightly, and the frost elementals she had summoned dissolved into specks of starlight.
The ice on the cat melted.
But Jaina's arms were already wrapped tightly around it.
Soft. Warm. Carrying the faint heat of a young girl.
Just as the black cat was about to hiss at her in protest, that hand began to pet him.
From the top of his head to his back, from his ears to his chin—gentle, practiced movements, carrying a certain…
A certain…
Comfort.
His body softened uncontrollably.
...
Night fell.
A bright moon hung high, its silver light washing over the streets of Menethil Harbor.
Jaina had long since left, but the black cat still crouched in the shadows at that same corner.
What happened today should be buried forever.
If any third party ever learned of it, Allen would personally knock them unconscious until they forgot everything.
At last, a furtive figure appeared.
The man wore coarse gray clothes, shoulders hunched, glancing around nervously as he approached the wall.
He looked around again and again. Once he confirmed no one was nearby, he took out a rag and quickly wiped away the blood-red eye symbol on the wall.
Then, looking back every few steps, he hurried off.
He didn't notice that in the shadows behind him, an elegant black cat was following.
Hobert rushed back to his shabby rented room, locked the door, tugged on it to make sure it was secure, then finally let out a long breath.
Feeling guilty, he blew out the oil lamp and stumbled toward the table in the dark, intending to pour himself some water to calm down.
Creak—
The door opened.
His hand trembled, nearly dropping the cup.
What?
That's impossible! He clearly remembered locking the door!
He slowly turned his head.
Moonlight poured in through the open doorway, casting a pale silver beam across the worn wooden floor.
Within that light, a large shadow stretched and grew longer… closer… closer—
His heart nearly leapt out of his throat.
Clutching the cup tightly, he leaned against the table, legs weak, unable even to run.
The shadow paused at the doorway.
Then—shrunk.
A black cat stepped gracefully into the moonlight.
Hobert froze for a moment.
Then he exhaled in relief, almost collapsing.
So… just a cat?
He was about to curse—
The black cat lifted its head, amber eyes gleaming faintly under the moonlight.
Then it spoke.
"Kneel."
The moment his heart had just settled, the cat suddenly spoke human language.
Its voice was low and commanding, carrying an irresistible force.
Command!
[Saving Throw: Failed]
[Target Number: 20]
[Roll: 3 (6 base − 2 low Wisdom − 1 frightened)]
[A cat spoke to him. A cat. In human language, ordering him to kneel. He thought he must be dreaming, but that force surged straight into his mind, crushing him until he could barely breathe. His knees bent uncontrollably—thud.]
Hobert dropped to his knees stiffly, trembling all over. The cup slipped from his hand, water splashing across the floor.
Was he dreaming?
A talking cat?
Before he could process it, two dark tendrils suddenly emerged from the void! Like living things, they wrapped tightly around his arms, squeezing painfully.
The sharp pain made him realize—
This wasn't a dream.
This was real.
The black cat walked closer, each step landing in the moonlight—and on his racing heart.
"That mark," the cat said, its voice calm yet chilling, "who told you to draw it?"
Hobert's teeth chattered. He could barely speak. "I—I—spare me! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"
He confessed everything in one breath. He was a down-and-out mage apprentice.
He had come from Dalaran to Menethil Harbor to make a living.
That mark—the bleeding vertical eye—he had learned it in Dalaran, from an underground organization. That group specialized in taking in people like him: untalented, frustrated, and without prospects.
At this point, Allen thought, Oh? Even Dalaran has Teron's faction?
"The organization told me… to come to Menethil Harbor. After a group of people arrives from the south, I'm supposed to draw that mark somewhere as visible as possible," Hobert said, voice trembling. "Besides that wall corner, I also drew it at the docks… I just followed orders! I don't know what they're planning!"
People coming from the south?
Could it be… you're actually here to receive me?
Am I Teron's accomplice?
Wait.
Today, another ship arrived from the south!
That suspicious vessel he had noticed.
The tendrils tightened suddenly, binding Hobert into a tight bundle. Allen manipulated them, tossing him onto the bed and wrapping him in the blanket like a rice dumpling.
The black cat turned and dashed out.
After a few steps, a flash of white light—
Allen returned to human form.
Standing under the moonlight, his mind raced.
Should he go wake Morgan and the others at the inn? Warn Captain Dylan? Alert the local garrison? Or investigate himself first?
If that blood mage mark was a signal, what exactly was it signaling?
Why act in Menethil Harbor?
Something clicked—but not quite fully.
The suspicious ship… Menethil Harbor… Kul Tiras vessels… the sea…
The Tomb of Sargeras…
The Tomb lies in the endless sea, surrounded by storms and raging winds, so…
They want ships.
The orcs don't have large ships—they need to seize them to reach the Tomb of Sargeras!
They could act at any moment!
Allen broke into a sprint toward the docks.
The night wind howled past his ears as buildings blurred by. He crossed street after street, turned the final corner—
The harbor was right ahead.
And in the next instant, his suspicion was confirmed.
He saw it.
BOOM—!!!
A massive explosion erupted from the docks! The shockwave shook the ground, flames shot into the sky, lighting up half the night! Wood splintered, thick smoke billowed, and several ships moored at the pier were already ablaze!
Amid the towering flames—
A black dragon soared into the sky!
An adult black dragon, vast enough to blot out the heavens, its jet-black scales gleaming with metallic cold under the firelight. Its massive wings spread wide, each beat stirring violent winds.
It roared toward the sky, and that draconic cry made the entire city tremble!
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