Defeating the World with the Power of One Dragon!

Chapter 100: Garoth's Fear

Night enveloped the territory of the Bonegnaw Clan as the adult Stone Giant Targon approached with heavy footsteps. Each step caused the ground to tremble slightly.

Standing about ten meters tall, its massive body was composed of gray-white granite, with ancient bronze rings embedded at the joints that emitted low metallic grinding sounds with every movement.

The muscular ogres appeared like underdeveloped children before the adult giant. Even the Gluttonous Ogre Karu seemed significantly smaller in comparison.

Gluttonous Ogres were advanced variants of ogres that could reach legendary status with sufficient food. But giants themselves were powerful creatures on par with dragons, naturally growing to legendary strength with age, never inferior to Gluttonous Ogres.

Targon lowered its head to survey the ogre camp before it. Dried animal bones hung on crooked palisades, and numerous sorcerers were visible throughout the territory. Groups of well-equipped, burly ogre warriors - many elite specimens over four meters tall - sat around campfires tearing raw flesh from some large beast, fat sizzling as it dripped into the flames.

"Are you the leader?" Targon's voice rumbled like grinding stones.

It stared at the Gluttonous Ogre standing taller and more distinctive than the other ogres, its stone eyes revealing surprise. The Stone Giant recognized the Gluttonous Ogre immediately, feeling pleased. An ogre clan with a Gluttonous Ogre possessed potential far beyond ordinary ogre clans. Bringing them under its banner would rapidly expand the Stoneheart Clan's subordinate forces, making it easy to establish a foothold here.

Establish a foothold, accumulate strength, and return to their homeland - this was the Stone Giant's aspiration.

As for failure? Targon never considered it. Normally, if presented with both dragon and giant to serve, ogres would overwhelmingly choose giants over dragons.

The reason was simple. Ogres possessed extraordinary size because they carried giant bloodline traces, sharing ancestral connections with giants. Moreover, the Ogre God was a minor deity within the Giant Pantheon, just as the Kobold God belonged to the Dragon Pantheon.However, what Targon didn't know was that it had arrived too late. The Gluttonous Ogre had already submitted to a more powerful dragon. While ordinary ogres might revere giants, a Gluttonous Ogre's potential matched giants, and Karu - never having been crushed by a Stone Giant - held no such reverence.

Karu wiped meat scraps from its mouth and rose leisurely. Standing about six meters tall, its body appeared more compact and dense. Though several sizes smaller than the Stone Giant, its head barely reaching the giant's chest, the Gluttonous Ogre showed no fear, striding forward boldly to look up at Targon. "I am Karu, King of the Bonegnaw Clan."

Seeming dissatisfied with looking upward, Karu summoned two elite ogre warriors to lift it by the legs until its head slightly surpassed the giant's.

The Gluttonous Ogre nodded approvingly, licking meat fibers from between its teeth before growling, "Big guy, what brings you to my territory?"

Cracks resembling a smile appeared on Targon's rocky face. "I come from the Cliff Channel in the west." It raised an arm westward. "The lands there are ten times vaster than here, with prey so plump their fat drips."

Several young ogre warriors perked up at the mention of prey.

Noticing this, Targon continued, "My kin are assembling a mighty army. Valiant warriors like you should stand with the victors. There will be endless prey to stuff your bellies round."

Stone Giants were undoubtedly intelligent beings. It knew how to appeal to ogre nature.

Karu blinked, accepting a raw liver delivered via Float spell by a nearby sorcerer, taking a savage bite. "Sounds nice, but the Bonegnaw Clan fares well enough now." It licked blood from its tusks. "Why should we obey you based on empty promises? At least bring food, equipment or other resources to make me consider submission."

Despite its brutish appearance, Karu possessed sharper wits than ordinary ogres - a rough exterior hiding cunning, as evidenced when it first encountered Garoth and tried tricking the dragon to land.

Targon's stone eyebrows (actually protruding rock ridges) furrowed. It had expected these simple-minded ogres to submit immediately, but this Gluttonous Ogre proved craftier than anticipated.

Stone Giants consumed minerals. While hunted creatures could be given to ogre clans, they lacked spare equipment or resources to offer. Subjugating vassals was meant to benefit themselves, not expend their own reserves to support subordinates.

Before the giant could respond, Karu recalled Garoth's instructions, masking its true intent behind a simple facade as it took another bite of liver. "Hmm... the western channel must be very distant. Why abandon rich lands to come here? This puzzles me."

The Stone Giant hesitated briefly.

Tell the truth? Admit their clan was defeated by a Blue Dragon, forced to abandon their territory in desperate flight? That after six years of wandering through hardships they'd arrived here seeking stability?

Targon's stony face remained impassive. "To expand our territory." Its voice rumbled like falling rocks. "Not content with just the western lands, we sent kin here to establish a foothold, then gradually expand our domain."

Its rigid stone features showed little expression, making it impossible for the secretly observing Garoth to discern truth from lies.

"A Stone Giant clan seeking territorial expansion... From its words, it has companions - not traveling alone. More giants might come later."

Garoth habitually considered worst-case scenarios, tentatively accepting the giant's claims as true.

"Why must others always disrupt my peaceful life?"

The potential arrival of more giants filled Garoth with fear - fear of discovery, fear of being slain. Alarm bells rang loudly in his mind, the perceived threat greater than what he'd sensed from the Blackrock dwarves.

Dragons and giants were absolute mortal enemies, bearing ancient blood feuds rooted deep in their lineages. Chance encounters in the wild never ended peacefully.

The moment Garoth saw the Stone Giant, he felt instinctive revulsion and hatred, an urge to charge forth and slay it. With tremendous willpower, he suppressed this innate impulse.

Garoth disliked being controlled by instinctual desires like giant-hatred, which brought unnecessary trouble and conflict. If possible, he'd prefer peaceful coexistence with giants.

But the other party likely wouldn't share such sentiments.