novelraw Chapter 116: The Iron Dragon’s Strategy
Chapter 116: The Iron Dragon’s Strategy
Tempering Heights, Ogre Camp.
As dawn approached, the dark sky slowly brightened. After a faint hint of pale light appeared in the sky, Karu arrived with the elite troops of the Bonegnaw Warhost.
“Karu, take the warriors of the Bonegnaw Warhost northward. Hunt down an iron dragon and fight for me.”
Garoth issued the order calmly.
“My lord, the Bonegnaw Ogres will crush the enemy beneath our feet and bite through their bones.”
Chewing the last piece of meat and bone in his mouth, Karu said in a muffled voice.
“No need to be so brutal.”
Garoth chuckled and said, “Your mission is to capture the iron dragon alive if possible, then bring it before me.”
“Aren’t you going to intervene?”
Karu paused briefly before asking.“No. This is a test for the Bonegnaw Warhost, a trial for you as the Grand Warlord.”
Garoth replied.
Karu nodded heavily.
Then, the dragon-blooded Gluttonous Ogre hoisted a thick, gleaming wolf tooth club and called the ogres to gather, preparing to march.
The main body of his wolf tooth club was forged from metal, with diamond-like sparkling spikes embedded on its surface.
These shards were ground from the remains of a Diamond Stone Giant’s arm, exceptionally hard and sharp. With Karu’s strength, even a blow to Garoth could break his defenses.
Taking a closer look at the ogres’ weapons—
Not only Karu, but some large ogre leaders wielded axes, warhammers, and other weapons that also gleamed faintly.
After defeating the Diamond Stone Giant, Garoth had awarded one of its arms as a prize to the Bonegnaw Warhost, along with some scrap remains given to other warhosts.
Most of these were used to craft weapons.
Led by Karu, assisted by his two deputies Ugor and the Twin-headed Sorcerer, the Bonegnaw Warhost quickly assembled. With a few captured kobolds as guides, they set off toward the Shattered Stone Beach.
Garoth flew high above, trailing behind.
Shattered Stone Beach.
The young iron dragon Sorog rested in the riverbed’s Dragon Nest cave, faintly feeling uneasy.
All the gnoll scouts had stayed behind at Tempering Heights and failed to return on time, leaving no news—suspected trouble.
Sorog flicked its tail and furrowed the dragon-scaled skin above its eyes.
“The red comet that descended on the Heights a few days ago must be extraordinary.”
Its instincts were sharp; it sensed that something had changed at Tempering Heights, though the details were unclear.
“Should I personally scout the giant camp?”
“No, that’s too dangerous. A king should not expose himself to such risk. If my presence is revealed, it would invite the giants’ wrath. I would lose Shattered Stone Beach, the territory I have cultivated over these years, and have no choice but to abandon it.”
The iron dragon’s gaze suddenly sharpened.
“The problem is, I have probably already been exposed.”
“I cannot rely on the gnolls to keep the secret under the threat of death—they would rather die than betray.”
Now, Sorog faced two choices.
One was to stay and hope the giants had not discovered it, continuing to live as neighbors with the Stone Giants.
The other was to relocate immediately and return later when stronger to exact revenge.
Sorog’s heart wavered.
It was ambitious, with grand plans to establish a dragon empire. Although proud and arrogant like other dragons, it had learned from experience. These years in the wild taught it to endure.
To realize its ambition, it would avoid sharp conflict in the face of overwhelming danger.
After hesitating for two or three seconds, Sorog’s gaze hardened. It prepared to migrate with its followers.
Retreating without a fight against the Stone Giants felt humiliating.
In truth, Sorog felt the shame deeply, but it did not resolve to fight the Stone Giants to the death. Instead, it etched this humiliation deep within, turning it into motivation.
“Damn Stone Giants!”
“The great Iron King will return and smash you all to pieces!”
It thought fiercely, then gathered its scant belongings and climbed out of the riverbed cave, summoning the kobold and gnoll leaders of the Steel Clan.
These followers had previously belonged to various clans.
After gaining their loyalty, Sorog, following the teachings of The Prince, had them abolish clan divisions and unify under the Steel Clan banner.
After uniting as the Steel Clan, these lowly creatures seemed to gain new hope in their hearts and became more motivated than before.
Sorog often studied The Prince and admired the iron dragon ancestor who wrote it. It took the ancestor as a role model, hoping to one day build an iron dragon empire.
“Whether climbing to the peak or falling into the abyss, I have benefited greatly!”
Sorog muttered a line from the ancestor’s memoirs, watching its followers gradually assemble before it.
Suddenly.
A faint tremor shook the ground.
Neither the gnolls nor the kobolds noticed.
But the iron dragon sensed it.
Its eyes narrowed as it looked southward.
A group of ogres marched heavily, pounding the earth and causing the ground to tremble slightly.
They were numerous, well-equipped, and strong-bodied—completely outmatching Sorog’s gnolls and kobolds.
Worst of all, they charged directly toward its location, with clear intent.
“Stone Giant’s followers?!”
“That’s fast.”
Ogres often served giants. At first sight, Sorog judged from its knowledge that they were a warhost contingent from the giant camp.
It nervously glanced back at the earth behind, then exhaled in relief.
Fortunately, the Stone Giants themselves had not come.
However, even this ogre warhost was formidable.
Seeing them surge forward like a black tide, Sorog immediately realized a frontal clash would mean certain defeat. The ogres were large and charged straight ahead at high speed. Without blocking them, if caught, Sorog’s followers would be wiped out entirely.
It quickly surveyed the surroundings.
Raging river, soft beach, dense reeds... a simple ambush plan formed in its mind.
Sorog hovered in midair, ordering the gnolls to quickly cross the river, while commanding the kobolds to use their natural digging talents to excavate concealed pits in the shallow riverbed.
Soon after, the vanguard of the ogres arrived and began crossing the river in pursuit.
Their bulky bodies sank deeply when stepping into the pits, severely hindering their movement. Those who avoided the pits were slowed by the rapid current.
Suddenly, the reed thicket on the opposite shore was parted.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Gnoll rogues fired poison arrows, forcing the ogres to defend waist-deep in water, turning them into near-motionless targets.
Underwater, some water-savvy kobold warriors lurked, using specially made bone hooks to tug at the ogres’ leg armor.
Taking advantage of the gnolls’ harassment, they targeted the ogres’ knee joints. Three ogres injured their joints and fell, swept downstream toward a sharp rocky area.
The young iron dragon swooped down.
A ball of electric sparks brewed in its mouth, ready to unleash Electric Fire Breath upon the ogres.
Boom!
A majestic figure shot into the air like a cannonball.
Sorog’s heart jolted. It spread its wings and soared higher to evade the attack, while clearly seeing the figure’s form.
It was a gluttonous ogre towering like a giant, displaying unmistakable draconic traits, with a strong red dragon aura. In its hand, it carried a wolf tooth club sparkling with fragmented light.