Shattered Stone Grounds

Ochre Valley, Shattered Stone Grounds.

This was where the Nickel Dragons gathered, though it was hardly a pleasant place.

Jagged rubble lay piled in chaotic heaps, washed by mountain floods into holes large and small. All kinds of junk littered the ground, fermenting into a thick, rancid stench.

The four Nickel Dragons bounded and hopped back into the Shattered Stone Grounds in a bustling, jubilant cluster. From time to time, they let out excited shrieks, each savoring the day's "spoils."

"Did you see that Glow Dragon's expression?"

One Nickel Dragon grinned, flicking his forked tongue. "Taking two pieces of ore from it was like taking its life. Heh, that aggrieved look when it let go!"

"And that Thorn Dragon was really begging for a beating. Like it had been starving for centuries, clamping down on a rotten Roe Deer and refusing to let go no matter what."

Another Nickel Dragon hurriedly chimed in. "Was its name Jili? Was it Jili? From now on, every time we see it, we beat it! Ochre Valley is only so big—I'd like to see where it can hide!"

"The funniest one was that Tungsten Dragon."

The black patch on Bido's head twitched as he smugly said, "At first, it thought it was something special. A few words later, and it went soft. Hahaha! Who knows whether it'll crawl back in the end."

"That guy Leijieduolei wants to draw a clear line between himself and us? Whatever. He was a useless thing relying on nothing but his surname and bloodline. Ferrum's name was far more useful than his."

"I think even if we really ran into a Higher Species, we could use that name to scare it off."

They chattered all at once, repeatedly relishing how they had robbed the Glow Dragon, beaten the Thorn Dragon, and frightened away the Tungsten Dragon. Every time they retold it, they burst into a hearty, satisfied roar of laughter.

But as they laughed, Bido, who led the group, suddenly stopped.

The three Nickel Dragons behind him could not halt in time and crashed into one another in a chain. Just as they were about to curse furiously, they saw Bido's frozen expression.

Following his gaze, the Nickel Dragons were all startled.

To prevent retaliation from other Dragon Hatchlings, they had left a companion behind to guard the Shattered Stone Grounds. Yet at this moment, that companion was crouching outside the nest like a gatekeeper, baring his teeth as he desperately signaled to them with his eyes.

At the center of the Shattered Stone Grounds lay a steel-gray Chrome Dragon, larger than any other Chrome Dragon. His claws and horns were sharp, and the bony spikes on his body gleamed with honed brilliance beneath the sunlight.

Hearing the commotion, he slowly lifted his head and calmly gazed at every returning Nickel Dragon with a pair of yellow-orange vertical pupils.

Ferrum Solax.

Bido's mind buzzed. His scales trembled faintly. Hadn't they said Ferrum was a loner who rarely interacted with other Dragon Hatchlings and never concerned himself with matters in Ochre Valley?

What was this guy doing here?

Bido invoked this name every day, using it to frighten Lesser Dragons and bluff other Heavy-Metal Dragons. It had worked like a charm, so well that he had nearly begun to believe Ferrum was truly the backing of the Nickel Dragons.

But only at this moment did Bido suddenly remember that he did not know Ferrum at all, nor did he have the slightest idea how to approach him.

"Ah—woo."

After several seconds of silence, Bido swallowed all his shock and suspicion. A fawning smile spread across his face as he scrambled forward in a most humble posture. "Boss Ferrum!"

With a flick of his tail, the other Nickel Dragons hurried forward as well, lowering their bodies and putting on obsequious airs.

"Boss Ferrum, why have you come here personally?"

"We were just talking about you, Boss. We heard you were injured while fighting Hidorivi, and we were all worried sick. We've been asking around for your nest's location, wanting to bring you some wild food."

"We Nickel Dragons were born close to Chrome Dragons. Look, Boss—even the color of our scales is nearly identical."

Ferrum did not move, merely watching them in silence. After a long while, he finally asked, "Are all the Nickel Dragons in the Shattered Stone Grounds here? I've waited a long time already. I don't wish to wait any longer."

"Not just the Shattered Stone Grounds—all the Nickel Dragons in Ochre Valley are here."

Bido answered at once. "Including me, there are five Nickel Dragons in total. Though we are the fewest in Ochre Valley, every one of us is capable. Whatever Boss Ferrum tells us to do, we'll do it."

Ferrum narrowed his eyes, his gaze slowly passing over each of their faces as though he intended to remember them all.

"Good."

After a moment of silence, he nodded. "Since you wish to follow me, then offer tribute."

Bido blanked for a moment, then understood. Joy immediately leapt onto his face.

Sure enough, what his Dragon Legacy said was true. Chrome Dragons were the most evil of all Heavy-Metal Dragons, born as the leaders of Evil Dragons. They could become the heads of Nickel Dragons and lead them at the forefront.

"What are you all standing around for?!"

He swiftly turned and barked at the other Nickel Dragons, "Bring out all our treasures for Boss Ferrum to choose from! Hurry!"

The other four Nickel Dragons immediately moved, scrambling nervously into their respective burrows and beginning to search through them.

Before long, as if presenting treasures, they piled their collections piece by piece before Ferrum.

Several polished fish bones, ores with a metallic sheen, a stiff animal hide, scales shed by some unknown Dragon Hatchling...

Ferrum gave them a few glances and casually swept them aside. "Anything else?"

Watching his expression, the Nickel Dragons hesitated for a while before gritting their teeth and offering up another batch of treasure.

A chipped bronze wine cup, a rust-covered iron dagger, a bronze token of unknown use—things that appeared to have been stolen from the shantytown at some risk.

The Nickel Dragons were deeply reluctant, presenting these things with hesitation and unwillingness.

Ferrum stared at those items for a while before letting out a low sigh. "What a bunch of rats."

His voice was so low and soft that it was drowned out by the Nickel Dragons' noisy hissing. Only Bido saw Ferrum's lips move, as though he had said something.

"Boss..."

Bido hurriedly crawled a little closer, looking somewhat embarrassed. "There isn't much good stuff in the valley. Once we enter the Hatchling Stage and can leave this damned place..."

Before he could finish, Ferrum interrupted him. "Are you the one leading the Nickel Dragons?"

"Yes, yes."

Bido hurriedly answered.

"What is your name?"

"Bido Xinoz, Boss. Our names even share the same sound."

"What is that on your head?"

The string of questions crashed down on him. Bido subconsciously touched his head, then only realized what Ferrum meant as he met the Chrome Dragon's gaze.

"This black patch? Boss, it's one of my little distinguishing features."

He smiled ingratiatingly. "All of us Nickel Dragons look alike. If you find it hard to tell us apart, just look for this black patch. You'll know which one is me at a glance."

"It is ugly. I don't like it."

Ferrum said, "Rub it off."

Bido was completely stunned. He could only reluctantly raise a claw and rub at it hard twice.

"Boss, this..."

He still forced a smile. "This is my marking. I was born with it—it's been there since I hatched, grown from my bones. There's nothing I can do. I can't rub it off. If Boss finds it ugly, I'll find something to cover it."

"You are lying to me?"

Ferrum tilted his head, looking at Bido. "If you tear off the scales and skin, won't it come off?"

The noisy commotion in the Shattered Stone Grounds was forcibly strangled into silence in an instant.

The Nickel Dragons who had just emerged from their burrows, still holding chunks of ore in their claws, all froze. The mountain wind stirred the Shattered Stone Grounds' distinctive rancid stench, whistling mournfully through the silence.

Bido's claw hung suspended in midair, and the expression on his face froze with it. He arched his back and slowly stepped backward.

"I see."

All the fawning obsequiousness vanished from Bido's voice, and his face became calm.

His tiny eyes fixed on the Chrome Dragon, leaving only the peculiar viciousness of a Nickel Dragon. In a low voice, he said, "It seems Boss Ferrum does not truly want us to follow you."

"I do need some companions."

Ferrum calmly said, "It's only that you aren't qualified."

"If we aren't qualified, why make us offer tribute? Could it be that noble Chrome Dragons enjoy bullying weak Nickel Dragons like us?"

"I am not bullying you. I am humiliating you."

Ferrum lightly flicked his tail, sending all those treasures flying. They clattered across the ground in every direction. "Like this."

All falsehood and pretense had reached their end. As the Chrome Dragon pressed forward step by step, the Nickel Dragons finally ceased showing weakness, and no longer fawned or groveled.

Their expressions changed in unison. Beneath their dull gray-white scales, savage spines tightened and rose. All of them lowered their bodies, growling from their throats as they bared sharp fangs.

The Chrome Dragon who had dared to walk alone into the Shattered Stone Grounds was surrounded on all sides, trapped at the center of the dragon pack.

"I hate it most when other dragons talk about my black patch."

Bido enunciated every word, squeezing his voice through clenched teeth. "Let me see whether a so-called Higher Species truly does not bleed."

"Five Nickel Dragons."

Ferrum rose to his feet, looked around once, and flexed his claws. "Come at me together."