novelraw Chapter 18: Danger
Chapter 18: Danger
Tears blurred Samantha's vision as regret and grievance filled her heart.
Suddenly.
Through her blurred sight, she vaguely saw a black-and-red dragon silhouette soaring into the sky from the Iron Fir Hills.
The pursuing goblin wolf cavalry also spotted the black-and-red dragon silhouette, startling them into trembling fear.
Setting aside hobgoblins and bugbears.
Ordinary goblins possessed decent intelligence but were notoriously cowardly bullies with poor combat discipline. They swarmed en masse when advantaged but scattered immediately when facing strong foes.
Goblin wolf cavalry were braver than regular goblins.
Yet their cowardly bully nature remained unchanged.
Upon seeing the soaring black-and-red dragon silhouette, their initial blurred vision mistakenly took it for an adult dragon, nearly scaring them to death.
However, upon closer inspection of its size. Their fear instantly evaporated.
Just another young dragon.
Perfect - hunting two young dragons at once would let their tribal alchemists craft numerous powerful artifacts to strengthen their tribe.
The situation stabilized.
The goblin wolf cavalry stood ready, gazing at the dragon silhouette in the sky.
"Goblins are cowardly bullies yet viciously vengeful."
"Since we're intervening, none of these goblin wolf riders can be spared."
Garoth narrowed his eyes, instantly reaching a decision.
He dove from the sky, sunlight glinting off the metallic edges of his wing membranes like drawn executioner's blades, their air-rending descent screeching sharply.
Five poisoned arrows shot toward Garoth's torso.
The red iron young dragon didn't dodge - the arrowheads sparked against his rugged black-red scales before bouncing off like striking an anvil.
——Dragons varied greatly in constitution. Garoth's scales far surpassed normal young dragons, rivaling even adolescent dragons.
Wings beating, generating gale-force winds to accelerate his dive.
In the blink of an eye.
Garoth neared the ground with impossible speed, far exceeding goblin expectations.
"Scatter! Scatter now!"
Facing the diving black iron young dragon whose wingspan resembled fifteen-meter blades, the goblin wolf cavalry felt overwhelming threat, immediately dispersing to evade the draconic assault.
But their reactions came slightly too late.
The front riders couldn't even look up in time.
Garoth's wing blades swept horizontally like guillotines.
Helmeted heads and leather-armored torsos............severed limbs launched skyward as arterial sprays painted the rain-dampened earth crimson.
A single dive.
Half the goblin wolf cavalry perished.
Blood cascaded from his wings as Garoth spiraled upward, twisting midair to dive again.
His initial attack had shattered the goblins' courage, sending them fleeing wildly without resistance.
Yet every group had its exceptions.
One goblin wolf rider, realizing escape was futile, shouted: "Hold formation! Hold!"
His cries drowned in the gale from the young dragon's wings, failing to rally his kin as even his gray dire wolf tucked its tail in fear of draconic majesty.
Gritting his teeth.
This level 5 elite goblin wolf rider leaped from his mount.
Rather than fleeing, he charged Garoth with raised falchion, leaping high to deliver a two-handed slash at the young dragon's head.
"Great Maglubiyet, witness me! Grant courage and strength!"
He prayed in the goblin tongue to their deity.
Wham!
Garoth casually swatted the goblin.
Overwhelming force shattered the goblin midair, splattering viscera radially across the ground in gruesome demise.
The surviving wolf riders completely broke, fleeing chaotically.
One minute later.
Shadow condensed rapidly as Garoth descended, crushing a goblin's skull and its dire wolf mount beneath his claw.
Thus perished all goblin riders.
Quasi-spell skills, dark gold tail ring, dragon breath - none had been employed yet.
The surviving dire wolves trembled like sieves, tails clamped, not daring to move.
"Keep them as emergency rations."
Garoth decided against immediate slaughter.
Then he beat his wings, scattering clinging gore and blood into the surroundings.
He turned toward the collapsed Samantha.
Meanwhile, Samantha's pupils reflected her elder brother's blood-misted silhouette.
Heat vapors rising from his bloodied scales mixed with metallic scent, his massive wings and muscular limbs exuding raw power, every contour speaking of steel-forged might and draconic majesty.
Simultaneously.
The ground began rumbling violently.
Samantha turned to see an Earth Rampage Bear charging toward them, a bison slung over its shoulder.
"A level 8 Earth Rampage Bear! We're doomed."
Despair filled Samantha's heart.
She didn't believe Garoth could defeat such a foe, and its trajectory left no doubt of its target.
"Garoth, dearest brother."
"I apologize for my past arrogance and foolishness."
Samantha wailed openly: "I can't fly now - leave me! Save yourself! Earth bears can't fly after you!"
Observing the distraught, sobbing young dragon.
Garoth mused how the wilderness must have taught her harsh lessons about reality's cruelty.
"Run! Why are you just standing there?"
Samantha cried urgently.
Meanwhile.
After giving the red dragon a strange glance, Mobel the Earth Rampage Bear ignored her entirely, accelerating into a sliding kneel that carved furrows in the damp earth before stopping neatly before Garoth.
"My liege, your meal awaits."
The bear rumbled, presenting the bison.
Like a rooster getting strangled, Samantha's wails cut off abruptly.
"Mobel is my vassal. Fear him not."
Garoth's delayed explanation left unclear whether intentional or accidental.
"Garoth, beloved brother, thank you. Henceforth I'll obey your commands, seeking only to follow beneath your wings."
Regaining composure, Samantha bowed her head.
Garoth studied her briefly: "You've chosen wisely."
The perilous wilderness made additional draconic subordinates valuable - provided they obeyed and proved useful rather than burdensome.
"What befell you these past days? Speak."
He commanded.
Samantha recounted her painful experiences without omission.
Garoth clicked his tongue internally at her recklessness upon hearing the tale.
No wonder she'd been reduced to goblin prey unable to fly.
Red dragons, even young ones, shouldn't struggle so unless grievously wounded - like having her wings shredded early on.
"Not even I dare circle active mines, detouring well beforehand."
"You've got nerve."
Operational mines rich in resources belonged to Lothrian Federation states, guarded by troops wielding advanced alchemical weaponry even the Iron Dragon Mother avoided provoking.
The wilderness's true apex predators weren't monsters, but these garrisons.
"I acted rashly. Never again."
Samantha shuddered recalling her close call.
She'd nearly died despite being nearly a kilometer up and distant - any closer would've been certain death.
Just then.
Garoth's gaze sharpened as sunlight glinted off something in a dead goblin's grasp.