Orcs

They rested briefly in an aspen grove near the foothills. The young dragons drank from a mountain spring while Caesar's Terror Wolf pack scattered to stand guard.

It was the second day since they had left the hills, yet the young dragons still had not found a suitable place to live. The terrain and environment of this other world were completely unlike anything Caesar knew. The farther north they went, the hotter the weather seemed to become.

"Splash..."

A faint splash sounded nearby. Soon, two Terror Wolves came back carrying freshly caught fish in their mouths. Wagging their tails, they sat down and placed the fish before Caesar as if currying favor.

"Good job."

Caesar did not stint on praise. He reached out with a claw to scratch the fur around the Terror Wolves' necks, then swallowed the tiny fish, which was no bigger than his palm.

After several years of recovery and breeding, the wolf pack had grown back to more than thirty. These obedient creatures knew well how to please their master. Caesar now basically kept them as pets. The journey was dull, but the little fellows brought him quite a bit of amusement.

"Hah."

Blakeshia, who had been watching coldly, spat. "Fine Terror Wolves, and you just had to raise them into house dogs."

She and Caesar had never gotten along, so bickering was inevitable. Worse still, Caesar surpassed her in every respect except spellcasting. His scales were hard, his claws and fangs sharp, and his body exceptionally powerful.

So what if she possessed magical abilities? In a real fight, even two of her would not be a match for Caesar.

What made her dragon eyes turn even redder with envy was that Caesar had already subdued a group of followers while still in his youth. The little female dragon felt even more unbalanced. She could not understand how this fellow, who did not even have dragon's might, had managed to acquire thirty Terror Wolves.

Even as his sibling, the black dragon's naked jealousy was obvious. Yet Blakeshia could do nothing about him and could only throw out a sarcastic remark now and then.

Caesar ignored her and turned away. Young dragons at this age were basically just like troublesome human children: the more you argued with them, the more energized they became. If you kept ignoring them, they naturally lost steam.

Blakeshia found no satisfaction in that, then saw Garon beside her staring stupidly at the little fish, drooling. Anger immediately rose in her. She slapped the fool on the forehead. "Come on, idiot. I'll take you to find something to eat."

Caesar sighed. "If you want to go, go by yourself. Don't take Garon with you, or I'll have to dig an extra grave later."

At that, Blakeshia's body trembled slightly, and she could not help stopping.

"You want to hunt at night? You're practically treating your life like it means nothing. The wilderness is far more dangerous at night than during the day. Do you know how many creatures sleep by day and hunt by night?"

"Of course I know better than you."

Blakeshia muttered, then lay down gloomily. The danger of going out at night in unknown territory was self-evident. Many large beasts and strange monsters in her memories were active at night. A few young dragons could not handle those creatures—more likely, they would be handled instead.

The warning not to go out after dark was no joke. Although black dragons also preferred to sleep by day and move by night, Blakeshia had no choice but to suppress the thought for now.

Awooo—

The Terror Wolves' howls were high and urgent. The young dragons all rose to their feet, instinctively becoming alert.

"The sky has been sealed off by magic. Something has come looking for us."

Blakeshia watched as the Terror Wolves slowly backed toward them. Her voice grew hoarse, edged with unease. Like a frightened cat, every gray scale on her body stood on end. She arched her back and bared her mouth, ready at any moment to growl like a beast threatening an enemy.

"Quiet. Don't make any rash moves."

Caesar stopped her and stared into the deep night. Anyone capable of sealing the sky possessed the power of a highly intelligent creature. Whether humanoid or some strange monster, they would not be easy to deal with.

The first things to enter his sight were pairs of red eyes. Figures were closing in on them from every direction.

"Humans?"

Even Garon, slow to react, became restless. In their eyes, humans were creatures far fiercer and more cunning than evil dragons, their wickedness nearly comparable to Abyssal demons. Young black dragons who fell into human hands had never met a good end.

"Friends, we are only travelers passing through."

Caesar spoke quietly to the shadowy figures. He said it first in Draconic, then repeated it in the common tongue.

All movement stopped. By moonlight, Caesar caught a glimpse of sharpened stone gleaming. "The mountains are ours. The roads are ours."

A low, resolute, unfriendly voice came from the bushes. "You—are ours too."

There seemed to be a great many of them. A kidnapping? Were they human bandits?

"We are the children of the great Shadow Dragon Nasatolia."

Caesar made up a title for his mother. At a time like this, he had no choice but to invoke an elder from home to bolster their position. "Who are you?"

"There is only one black dragon nearby, but Sylvia drove her away seven years ago."

An older voice spoke. A figure pushed through the bushes and stepped into the light. He wore tattered robes and held a staff made of bone. Though old and hunched, his body was still covered in powerful muscles.

Green skin. A face that looked somewhat like a mix between a human and a pig. A sloping forehead, tusks jutting past his lips.

Orcs!

Behind him, as if boulders were moving forward, one tall orc after another emerged. They were burly and powerful, animal hides wrapped around their waists, stone weapons in their hands as they lumbered toward the young dragons.

Some of the orcs wore necklaces made from Fang, while others wore heavy horned helmets. Some were bare-chested, and as they walked, they violently slammed their weapons together.

To any clan or tribe, young dragons were gifts from the gods. They were small and weak, yet could fetch an astronomical price in human lands. Such a generous reward could even transform the miserable circumstances of certain impoverished tribes.

"Roar, lowly orcs!"

Garon and Blakeshia roared. Nearly fifty strong, brawny orcs forced them into an immediate fierce response, trying to intimidate their opponents and keep the orcs from closing in further.

The two young dragons were furious. This was a planned ambush. These green-skinned orcs had clearly discovered them long ago, otherwise they would not have deployed so many elite warriors, even bringing along the tribe's highly respected shaman.

"Roar, kill them!"

The powerful orc warriors clearly felt insulted and showed signs of collective agitation. "Kill those two little bastards, then capture the biggest one and sell it in human territory."

"Come on, you filthy trash! Let's see who dies first!"

Blakeshia roared, spraying a stream of strong acid nearly two meters long from her throat. She stood at Caesar's side with Garon, one on either side of him.

In truth, most adult black and Green Dragons had at least some orcs among their followers or slaves. From a dragon's perspective, what she said was not entirely wrong.

But when the enemy was strong and they were weak, provoking their opponents further was simply reckless.

These orcs were strong—extremely strong. Fifty elite orc warriors plus an old shaman whose strength was unknown. With such thorough preparations, even an adolescent dragon would likely have to avoid their edge and flee with its tail tucked between its legs.

If they truly fought head-on, even with the genetically mutated Caesar, three young dragons and a pack of Terror Wolves would be no match for these orcs.

Caesar saw the situation clearly. If a fight broke out, they would definitely be the ones at a disadvantage. The sky was already sealed; even escaping would be difficult for the young dragons.

What should they do?

"Skin those mongrels and use their scales to make armor!"

"I'll tear out the guts of you filthy trash and watch you die in agony..."

Battle was on the verge of breaking out. The orcs rubbed their fists together and shouted war cries, while the young dragons worked their throats in preparation for dragon breath. The Terror Wolves surrounding them all arched their backs.

This could not continue. If they started fighting the orcs, it would be over. Even if Caesar could later force his way out with his powerful body, Garon and Blakeshia would certainly be captured.

He could not let this battle begin!

"Shut up!"

With a bang, Caesar slammed a claw into the ground. The thunderous sound silenced both the clamorous orcs and the constantly provoking young dragons. His strength was astonishing; sharp-eyed orcs could even see tiny cracks spreading through the ground.

After briefly intimidating everyone, Caesar fixed his gaze on the old orc dressed unlike the others and spoke in a low voice. "If you want to capture us, how many orc warriors' lives are you prepared to spend?"