Chapter Summaries

Garos resolved to pursue strength without abandoning caution after reflecting on his raid. Ironthorn Viscount recruited a Dragon-Hunting Order to avenge Edmund, and agreed to sacrifice ten years of his life to track the dragons.

• Garos relived the exhilaration of the raid, then vowed to become strong enough to live without restraint while remaining cautious.
• Ironthorn Viscount grieved Edmund’s death and swore to kill the dragons responsible.
• Ironthorn Viscount assembled an experienced Dragon-Hunting Order and brought it to the Ser Wilderness by teleportation.
• The Dragon-Hunting Order found only Dragonflame-scorched earth and discovered that Conifer Valley had been destroyed to conceal the dragons’ tracks.
• The Conjurer proposed a tracking spell fueled by blood and hatred that would cost Ironthorn Viscount ten years of his life.
• Ironthorn Viscount accepted the price and ordered the Conjurer to cast the spell.

Ironthorn Viscount used a blood ritual to track Garos and set out with the Dragon-Hunting Order, while Garos led his followers north toward the Borderlands to escape a crackdown and find new opportunities for growth. Garos kept watch for pursuers and regretted that Ironthorn Viscount remained beyond his reach in Federation territory.

• Ironthorn Viscount let the Conjurer cut his wrist and create a Tracking Mark that pointed north toward Garos.
• Ironthorn Viscount declined to wait for the garrison and led the Dragon-Hunting Order north to pursue the Adolescent Dragons.
• Garos explained to the Red Dragon, Iron Dragon, Samantha, and the Fairy Dragon that the group needed to keep moving north to avoid a crackdown and continue gaining resources.
• Garos and Sorog chose the Borderlands north of the Estonia River as their new territory, where the dragons could operate near trade routes and beyond the reach of the Trail of a Thousand Snakes' defenders.
• Garos sent the Red Dragon and Iron Dragon ahead to clear the path while he watched the skies for any pursuing legion.
• Garos looked south toward Lothern Federation territory and lamented that Ironthorn Viscount was too far away for him to confront.

Garos led the Molten Iron Clan north through the Wilderness toward the frozen tundra while the Dragon-Hunting Order tracked them. Near the Estonia River, the hunters found the resting horde and prepared to use the Gladiatorial Array Disk to isolate and kill Garos.

• Garos reflected on the difficulties of migrating with the growing Molten Iron Clan and hoped this would be their last forced retreat.
• The Ironthorn Viscount’s Dragon-Hunting Order followed the Blood Curse north, convinced that the migrating monsters included an intelligent Hybrid Dragon.
• On the fourth day, the Dragon-Hunting Order reached the southern bank of the Estonia River and secretly observed the two-mile-long horde preparing to cross.
• The Conjurer revealed the Gladiatorial Array Disk, which could trap marked targets and hunters together in an enclosed space.
• The Dragon-Hunting Order decided to target Garos first, believing the horde would be easier to handle once its leader was gone.

Garos was ambushed by the Dragon-Hunting Order and pulled into a Gladiatorial Space, where he faced eight specialized dragon hunters. The chapter ended with Garos assessing the danger as the hunters prepared to attack.

• Garos watched his subordinates build sturdy rafts to cross the Estonia River and planned to establish a fortress dragon lair in the borderlands.
• The Dragon-Hunting Order used Shadow Stealth to approach Garos, but Vera sensed something was wrong and warned him.
• Eight hunters emerged from the Shadow Realm, and the conjurer used a red stone plate to transport Garos into the Gladiatorial Space.
• Garos recognized Shadow Binder Karios and Steel Oath Leo among the hunters and realized their party was a greater threat than the diamond giant had been.
• Garos suppressed his anger and focused on finding a way out of the hunters' trap.

Garos was trapped in the Gladiatorial Space by the Dragon-Hunting Order, which included the Ironthorn Viscount seeking revenge for his son. After the Paladin attacked, Garos committed to killing his enemies, but the hunters began coordinating their assault.

• Garos tested the blood-colored barrier with his Flame Dragon Breath but stopped when he realized the hunters were waiting for him to tire.
• The Conjurer explained that the costly Gladiatorial Array Disk was a powerful imitation of a Legendary Artifact and that Garos could not break it.
• Ironthorn Viscount revealed himself, and Garos provoked him by recounting how he had killed the Viscount’s son.
• The Paladin rejected Garos’s accusation of hypocrisy and struck at him with an Evil-Banishing Slash, which Garos dodged.
• Garos prepared to fight without restraint as the Conjurer bound him with Shadow Chains and the war priest empowered the hunters’ weapons and bodies.
• The beast hunter fired a rain of arrows at Garos’s vulnerable points, while Garos dodged or endured the attacks with his hardened scales.

Garos fought the Dragon-Hunting Order in the Gladiatorial Domain, killing three hunters before the Conjurer and war priest nearly killed him with a shadow cage and Judgment Blade. As the Ironthorn Viscount moved in to finish him, Garos entered a blood-fueled third-stage state and slaughtered the remaining enemies, leaving the arena barrier to dissolve.

• Garos charged the Conjurer, but the Dragon-Hunting Order coordinated spells, arrows, explosives, and melee attacks to ground and wound him.
• Garos pretended Dragonbane Venom had weakened him, then trapped the Berserker’s axe and killed him with Flame Thunder.
• Garos killed the beast hunter with a Flame Thunder Breath and crushed the shadow assassin before charging the Conjurer.
• The Conjurer trapped Garos with Umbral Shadow Cage while the war priest’s Judgment Blade and Leo’s Evil-Banishing Slash inflicted grave wounds.
• The Ironthorn Viscount approached the fallen Garos, but Garos awakened a blood-red power, shattered the Viscount’s sword, and crushed him.
• Garos killed the Conjurer, Paladin Leo, potion expert, and war priest, then remained alone as the blood-red arena barrier dissolved.

After defeating the Dragon-Hunting Order, Garos began awakening Dragon Qi as his Magic Energy and life force merged. He had his wounds treated, ordered the Dragon-Vein Kin to cross the river and make camp, and slept under the guard of his allies.

• Garos endured a perilous fight against the Dragon-Hunting Order and awakened the transformation that would give him Dragon Qi.
• Garos recognized his poor perception as a weakness and expected Dragon Qi to let him learn Martial Dragon skills that could improve it.
• Garos gave the cracked Gladiatorial Array Disk to Sorog, and Sorog, Samantha, and Vera promised to guard him.
• Garos summoned the warlocks and Shamans to remove lingering energies from his wounds, while Kalu collected his spilled Dragon Blood.
• After six hours of treatment, Garos ordered the Dragon-Vein Kin to cross the Estonia River and make camp, then slept in a hidden place as his allies kept watch.

After a month of healing, Garos woke with his wounds fully recovered and discovered that he had become a Martial Dragon, gaining Dragon Qi and Claw Attack Mastery. He reunited with the dragons guarding him, advised Sorog to begin with a sorcerer class, and led the migration north toward the borderlands.

• Garos awoke from a month of healing sleep with his severe wounds completely healed.
• Garos sensed his newly awakened Dragon Qi and learned that his Martial Dragon class had granted him Claw Attack Mastery.
• The Fairy Dragon welcomed Garos, and Sorog noticed his changed presence and asked what class he had taken.
• Garos told Sorog he was a Martial Dragon and advised him to start with a sorcerer class before exploring other paths later.
• The migration procession set off north again as Garos flew above it toward the wilderness-tundra borderlands.

Garos and the migrating host searched the Borderlands for a suitable place to settle, finding an abandoned fortress that collapsed when the dragons entered it. Three days later, Garos spotted a resource-rich valley and sent Dire Wolf Knights to investigate it.

• Garos, Samantha, and the Iron Dragon searched the Borderlands for a settlement and left the Sulfur Hills as a possible future stronghold.
• Gnolls and elite Lizardfolk scouts found no threats inside an abandoned fortress, but it collapsed when Samantha and the Iron Dragon entered.
• Garos judged the fortress's intact foundation could still be cleared and used as a stronghold, and the migrating host continued onward.
• Three days later, Garos found a sheltered valley with an unfrozen lake, iron-needle pines, and nearby herds.
• Garos ordered the Scarlet Iron Cavalry Corps to send Dire Wolf Knights into the valley to check for danger.

Russell led the Dire Wolf Knights into an unexplored valley, where a pack of Two-Legged Wyverns attacked them. Garos defeated the scar-faced leader, Tasha, and brought the valley under the Ignas Siblings' control.

• Russell and the Dire Wolf Knights explored the valley, finding a lake, reindeer tracks, white-leaf pines, and red berries.
• Ten Two-Legged Wyverns ambushed the knights, and their leader knocked Russell aside as the formation broke apart.
• Garos arrived and used Dragon Might to make most of the wyverns submit.
• Tasha challenged Garos, but he defeated her with his strength and martial skill.
• Tasha accepted Garos's rule, bringing the wyvern pack and the valley under the Ignas Siblings' control.

Garos claimed the wyvern flock and assigned it to guard the valley, while Samantha and Tasha clashed over the wyvern leader’s defiance. After hearing several suggestions for the territory’s name, Garos declared it Dragon Valley.

• Garos ordered Tasha and the wyverns to guard the valley’s airspace and attack intruders.
• Samantha charged Tasha after the wyvern leader showed no reverence, but Garos stopped their fight.
• Tasha apologized to Samantha and agreed to submit, then counted the flock at over forty wyverns.
• Sorog, Vera, and Samantha suggested names for the territory, and Tasha explained that the wyverns called it Broken Claw Cliff.
• Garos named the territory Dragon Valley.

Garos trained his Explosive Scales by enduring attacks from Tasha and the adult wyverns, hoping to guide their evolution while his thorns also neared an evolution. After Russell arrived gravely injured, Frost Fang asked Garos to grant its father Dragon Vein Conversion.

• Iron Dragon led the Thrall Legion into Dragon Valley as Lizardfolk and Kobolds built fortifications along the cliffs, and the wyvern flock was counted.
• Garos had Tasha and four adult wyverns attack him so he could temper his Explosive Scales and explore ways to evolve their ability to absorb and use energy.
• Garos noticed that his damaged thorns were close to evolving, then dismissed the exhausted wyverns while Tasha volunteered to keep training with him.
• Frost Fang brought the badly injured Russell to Garos, and Garos reassured Russell that it had already proven its loyalty.
• Frost Fang knelt and asked Garos to grant Russell Dragon Vein Conversion, which Garos considered alongside Ugo and Hodge.

Russell survived Dragon Vein Conversion and became Garos's Iron Dragonkin, while Garos's kin expanded their territory and Sorog discovered a Gray Magnetite deposit. Centaur scouts spotted Sorog, revealing that the Borderlands' native monster clans had noticed the Adolescent Dragons.

• Garos offered Russell Dragon Vein Conversion, and Russell chose to risk the painful process so he could grow stronger and serve him.
• Russell endured the transformation, awakened an Iron Dragon bloodline, and pledged his strength, life, and soul to Garos.
• Hodge asked to undergo conversion, but Garos warned him he would certainly die, and Hodge withdrew his request.
• Garos continued his training as his kin developed Dragon Valley and the surrounding territory over the following month.
• Sorog found a large Gray Magnetite vein and flew to Dragon Valley to tell Garos.
• Centaur scouts watched Sorog leave, showing that the Borderlands' monster clans had noticed the Adolescent Dragons' arrival.

The White Mane Clan learned that an Iron Dragon had discovered their Gray Magnetite vein, and its three chieftain candidates clashed over how to respond. The Shaman made handling the dragon a test that would determine whom he supported as the next chieftain.

• A scout reported that an Adolescent Iron Dragon had excavated the Gray Magnetite vein and would likely return.
• Iron Hoof proposed ambushing the dragon with his charge regiment and heavy arrow squads, while Silver Mane argued for traps or poison.
• Elvie warned that the clan knew too little about the dragon and accused Iron Hoof and Silver Mane of putting their ambitions ahead of the clan.
• The Shaman said the dragon's arrival was a crucial turning point and pledged to support whichever candidate handled the matter properly.

Garos's thorns evolved into razor-sharp growths that rapidly regenerated, while Sorog chose the Psionicist class and began establishing an outpost at the Gray Magnetite mine. Nearby, Silver Mane and Iron Hoof watched the Iron Dragon's forces and agreed to consider joining forces against him in the contest for chieftain.

• Garos ordered the Gray Magnetite mine guarded by warband units and Kora Giant Eagles, with Kobolds assigned to excavate it, and Sorog volunteered to oversee the work.
• Sorog struck Garos's hardened thorns and injured his claw, then watched the broken thorns regenerate within moments.
• Sorog chose the Psionicist class to help manage the territory, and Garos encouraged him to pursue it.
• Garos launched his thorns into the surrounding terrain and continued training his Explosive Scales with attacks from Wyverns.
• Sorog led followers to the mine, where they built a camp, Kobolds began mining, and Kora Giant Eagles patrolled overhead.
• Silver Mane and Iron Hoof observed the mine's defenses and agreed to join forces against the Iron Dragon before competing to become chieftain.

Sorog encountered the White Mane Clan centaurs, who offered the Gray Magnetite mine and pledged loyalty to the Molten Iron Clan. Their apparent submission concealed a plan to kill him, and the chapter ended as Iron Hoof and Silver Mane launched their ambush.

• Sorog confronted Silver Mane and Iron Hoof after the centaurs approached the Molten Iron Clan’s mining camp.
• Silver Mane offered the mine and the White Mane Clan’s loyalty, while Iron Hoof claimed they sought protection and a chance for glory.
• Sorog remained wary but accepted their offer and ordered the centaurs to help build the camp.
• Silver Mane and Iron Hoof realized their poisoned mead had failed and decided to attack before more followers arrived.
• Iron Hoof hurled a magical spear at Sorog’s throat as Silver Mane sent paralyzing powder toward him and slashed at his wing joint.

Sorog was ambushed by Silver Mane, Iron Hoof, and their centaurs, but he escaped after remembering Garos's advice and refusing to be drawn into a prolonged fight. The centaurs reclaimed the Gray Magnetite mine, and Iron Hoof and Silver Mane began a duel to decide who would control it.

• Silver Mane and Iron Hoof led the centaurs in a surprise attack, wounding Sorog and surrounding him with commanders, archers, and elite warriors.
• Sorog calmed himself, used Hardened Body to withstand the assault, and blasted the centaurs with Electric Fire Breath.
• Sorog flew beyond the centaurs' attack range and left the camp, warning that they would pay for their betrayal.
• Iron Hoof and Silver Mane discussed what to do with the captured monsters and disputed who would control the Gray Magnetite mine.
• Iron Hoof and Silver Mane charged at each other to decide ownership of the mine in a duel.

Garos flew to the Gray Magnetite mine to punish the White Mane Clan centaurs who had ambushed the Iron Dragon. He swiftly defeated their commanders and forced the surviving centaurs to kneel in submission.

• Garos learned from Tasha that the White Mane Clan lived in western Dragon Valley, then set out to confront them at the mine.
• Silver Mane and Iron Hoof paused their sparring match when the Iron Dragon returned and taunted them from the sky.
• Garos arrived in a blazing descent, and the centaurs' arrows failed to pierce his scales.
• Garos grievously wounded Iron Hoof and Silver Mane with a claw strike and his explosive scales, while his tail swept away three elite centaurs.
• Garos ordered the remaining centaurs to kneel, and they submitted beneath his Dragon Might.

Garos and Sorog confronted the White Mane Clan after the centaurs deceived Sorog and attacked Garos. Silver Mane killed Iron Hoof to stop a doomed charge, then offered his own life to win mercy for the other centaurs, but the chapter ended with Garos claiming him for the Molten Iron Clan and the Ignas Siblings.

• Garos arrived and warned Sorog that he needed to become more vigilant after the centaurs had tricked him.
• Garos offered the centaurs a choice between submission and death, while Iron Hoof urged the White Mane warriors to charge.
• Silver Mane killed Iron Hoof with a thrown greatsword, then pleaded with Garos to spare the remaining centaurs.
• Garos told Silver Mane to redeem himself with his life, and Silver Mane tried to stab himself with a broken spear.
• Garos stopped the spear and declared that Silver Mane's life belonged to the Molten Iron Clan and the Ignas Siblings.

Garos prepared to bring Silver Mane to the White Mane Clan, but Elvie appeared and pledged allegiance while asking to challenge him. The battle began with Elvie using wind magic to attack Garos, and her strike was about to meet a shadow and a force of wind pressure.

• The Iron Dragon spared Silver Mane, who explained the White Mane Clan's situation and agreed to lead Garos there.
• Garos left the other captured centaurs under guard and set out with Silver Mane to settle the clan's submission.
• Elvie descended from the clouds, pledged allegiance to Garos, and requested a challenge according to centaur tradition.
• Garos accepted Elvie's challenge and recognized her Pegasus ancestry and Magic Warrior skills.
• Elvie enchanted her greatsword with wind magic, used a wind double to evade Garos's claw, and attacked his hind leg as a shadow formed beneath her and wind pressure descended.