harleyscars Page 19
Page 19
However, Casalos also has to consider another threat: if the Koto Murlocs abandon large-scale attacks and instead use small elite teams for decapitation strikes, then most of these current arrangements will be ineffective.
According to Aisen's speculation, this 600-person Kotao fishman tribe may have 3 to 4 level 8 or 9 warriors, and there is a high probability that it has a high-level priest, or a high-ranking warrior whose professional level has reached level 10 and who has already faintly touched the threshold of the Exemplar Path.
Not many are needed. As long as two level 8 warriors, accompanied by four or more supervisors, approach, Casalos will have to run away as soon as he receives the warning.
If a high-ranking priest or a superior warrior is leading the group, the warning will likely fail, and Casalos might not even be able to escape.
Although the followers of Mother Ocean are ugly, they are not stupid creatures. On the contrary, they have a higher average level of intelligence than humans and once had a glorious civilization, so it is not surprising at all that they would come up with decapitation tactics.
Therefore, Casaloz placed its temporary lair on the dome, which was more than a hundred meters above the top of the stone pillar. Deep down, it had long been prepared to abandon the Karrick tribe.
Iron dragons have never been benevolent dragons that keep their promises; they tend to be neutral in order.
As the second night arrived, the Kou Tao fishmen still did not attack, but the nine warriors of the hunting party returned in time, adding a glimmer of hope to this defensive battle.
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Author's Note: ————————
I'm feeling a little better today, but I still have cramps whenever I eat. I forced myself to drink some porridge and I felt a bit stronger. I should be back to normal by tomorrow...
42. Dragon and Servant: The Accumulation of Advantage
The return of the hunting party was like a milder dose of stimulant injected into the Carrick tribe.
After consulting with Casaloz, Eisen hurriedly went out with his guard Svent to greet him. Then, a howl that summoned all the tribe members rang out, and the kobolds who were busy in various places stopped what they were doing and gathered on the stone platform in the center of the mushroom bush, which was where Casaloz had used as a temporary mattress.
A huge bonfire was lit, dispelling the darkness that had shrouded the area after the fluorescent light had dimmed. The kobolds, dressed in their most "magnificent" clothes—mostly just tattered red or orange rags with bone ornaments—gathered around the bonfire, chanting the name of Casalozs and praying in its name to slaughter the dragon maggots brought back by the warriors and distribute them to each kobold according to the quota set by the director.
"No way, what does your successful 'hunt' have to do with me..." Casaroz thought to itself, but the legacy from the Atheros reminded it: "'Good friends are reliable, close family members stand by your side, and a carefully chosen partner might die to protect you, but only the kobold tribe will always serve you.' Tsk tsk, thanks to the kobolds, even the chromatic dragon..."
Chapter 41
It can produce philosophers.
Casalos turned his attention to the nine warriors who had returned from their successful "hunt" of the dragon maggots. They were undoubtedly the strongest warriors in the Kalik tribe, a truth proven by practice. However, the warriors referred to here were not the warrior profession created by humanoids.
Because they haven't undergone any systematic professional training, they lack combat roles. This is typical of kobolds, these cunning and weak humanoid reptiles. Their average strength is less than half that of an ordinary human, and their lack of stamina and endurance makes them almost unsuitable for combat roles. However, the sparse dragon veins have endowed them with the talent to become sorcerers.
According to Casalos, these nine warriors, like Svent, could be considered a rough elite of the kobolds, slightly stronger than ordinary kobolds, but not by much. In contrast, the Kotō murlocs were still completely outmatched.
Following the instructions of the kobold commander, the kobolds who had obtained their share of dragon maggot flesh entered a relatively open mushroom thicket and took turns attempting what they called "dragon seeking" meditation, projecting their thoughts into their hearts and embracing the source of the kobold bloodline.
Even the kobolds who weren't meditating were unusually quiet and still. The gentle breeze blowing through the tunnel and the crackling of the unattended torches in the distance were clearly audible.
As a clan-wide feast held only once every six months, they would normally celebrate until the second round of glowing lights. But now, in this life-or-death moment, the celebration of the warriors who had returned unscathed from hunting dragon maggots has been greatly simplified. The busy kobolds simply gather together for a feast, share their allotted dragon maggot flesh and blood and meditate on the dragon, before quickly returning to their intense work.
Apart from the four kobolds who entered a special state during the first and second batches of meditation.
Of the four kobolds, Casaloz is most familiar with Sven, Eisen's bodyguard.
As Eisen had predicted, the psychic energy emanating from the Bejuri Gem Dragon within the Dragon Maggot successfully stimulated Svent's burgeoning bloodline, naturally transitioning him from his Dragon-Seeking Meditation state into the Dragon Ritual. If nothing unexpected happened, after maintaining this meditative state for at least a full day, he would become the tribe's sixth Dragon Vein Sorcerer.
An additional spellcaster, even if it's just a level 1 spellcaster, is a decent bonus.
The other three did not enter the Dragon Ritual, but the psychic power of the Distortion Reality allowed them to successfully embrace their own bloodline, causing some strange changes in their bodies. Before long, they too will obtain the elite template like the nine warriors.
After watching the banquet conclude, Casalos rose from his prone position, drawing the attention of all the kobolds.
"Excellent! The Carrick tribe's strength has increased once again!"
The dragon's voice echoed in the darkness: "I believe you are now qualified to swear an oath to me and become my most loyal servants. I have finished speaking. Who agrees and who disagrees?"
The kobolds were momentarily stunned, then suddenly erupted into a frenzied cheer... Who knows what they translated Casaloz's quirky dragon language into, but they would never refuse to serve a dragon: every kobold's body and soul are dedicated to the dragon, both literally and metaphorically.
Whether or not this oath is taken, the Karic tribe is already essentially Casalos's servant; this is merely a ceremonial process. The dragon's pride makes Casalos unable to ignore such a ritualistic procedure, and the kobolds' fanatical worship of dragons makes them unwilling to overlook this process of great significance to them.
Unexpectedly, this ritualistic process created a mysterious connection between Casalos and the Carrick tribe.
After crawling and reciting the oath written by Eisen, the kobolds inexplicably developed a craving for iron ore.
The first kobold, puzzled, got up and tried to pick up a piece of low-quality iron ore that was scattered around and swallowed it. Soon, a thin metallic coating similar to Casalos scales grew on the surface of its scales, covering the mottled colored spots on the main scales and reflecting the flickering firelight. The kobolds became excited again, and the second banquet celebration began.
“This is completely unscientific…but it’s really magical!” Casalos exclaimed. The abstract legacy of the Atheros had already told it what had happened. Just now, the kobolds of the Kalik tribe who had completed the oath ceremony had collectively advanced to become its dragon servants.
"So, although the risks are higher, the method of cramming all the knowledge into the brains of the hatchling dragon, like the chromatic dragon, still has its advantages. At least after becoming an orphan, it can make good use of it, unlike the sub-dragon which becomes an armchair strategist and only knows what happened when it occurs..."
Casalos had seen dragon servants before, back when he was being chased by a green dragon in the jungle, and understood what they were like. As the name suggests, dragon servants are creatures that serve and assist dragons. It is a reward bestowed by Asgrath upon lower races who serve his children, a non-bloodline possibility for them to gain advancement.
The kobolds who had just been promoted to dragon servants hadn't received much enhancement or change; at most, their scales, covered in a metallic membrane, had hardened slightly, and they would immediately sense when Casalos was in danger. A true advancement would require a long time.
However, given the current situation, any slight improvement is a good thing, and Casalos has gained a little more confidence in defending the fluorescent mushroom patch.
43. Second round of confrontation
Perhaps due to internal affairs, or for some other reason, the second attack by the Kou Tao fishmen was delayed until the fifth night when the fluorescent light went out.
The ferocious weasel had smelled the stench brought by the rising cyclone from the surface layer early on, and cried out in alarm. The kobolds then brought out all sorts of homemade double-shot light and heavy crossbows, climbed onto the corresponding cliff-side fortifications, and stood ready for battle—the truth is often contrary to the widely circulated rumors, the kobolds actually have a highly developed level of handicraft production technology.
Most people only know that kobolds are good at making traps, but they forget, due to their habitual thinking, that those ingenious trigger-based traps are themselves alien weapons that ultimately cause damage.
Various types of double-shot crossbows are the ranged weapons that the Kobolds are most skilled at creating and using.
The kobolds who had climbed onto the outer fortifications had not yet seen any Kotau fishmen, nor had they noticed any signs of the dim fluorescent mesh being obscured, so they held their breath and remained silent.
About five minutes later, the shortest fluorescent line began to flicker intermittently. The Kou Tao fishmen had really arrived, using their unique ability to stick together to climb the smooth stone pillar!
Several directors gave a soft shout, telling the kobolds to relax, be quiet, and wait; now was not the time to attack.
The second line from the bottom up started flashing, then the third... until the dark shadows blocking the fluorescence at the top crossed the center line of the grid, and there were no more shadows blocking the bottom, then the overseers suddenly let out a sharp, high-pitched howl, like the howl of wolves under a full moon.
Ouch!
At a command, the strings snapped and the first row of kobolds lay prone on the planks of the wooden planks that had been glued with quicklime. Regardless of whether they could see or not, they blindly fired two short arrows straight down with their double crossbows. Then they quickly got up, retreated, and slowly reloaded. The second row followed suit and lay down to maintain the firepower.
The muffled groans and grumbling curses were crystal clear in the darkness. Only after three rounds of firing did a few bolts of lightning and javelins retaliate.
The lightning bolt struck the rubble bunker and exploded into sparks, but failed to cause any damage.
Bound by gravity, the javelins completely lost their power as they rose, and many didn't even reach the stone pillars to fall back down, causing a few more muffled groans—some unlucky ones were stabbed by the falling javelins.
Two sharp shouts rang out, Kou Tao the Fishman
Chapter 42
The pointless retaliation ceased.
They shrank their formation as much as possible, pressing their bodies against the stone pillars, with shield-bearing warriors at the forefront, rendering the kobolds' short spears ineffective.
"That's exactly what we've been waiting for—you to shrink your formation!"
Casalos, hanging upside down on the dome, felt a surge of joy and let out a loud dragon roar.
Upon receiving the dragon's command, the kobolds, who had remained silent until now, finally erupted in excited shouts, dumping baskets of quicklime fragments that had been prepared at the top of the cliff in the Koutao fishman climbing area. The white rain of stones fell, crashing headlong into the rising air currents clinging to the stone pillars, bursting into a hazy, gray snowflake that tumbled, leaped, and fell, enveloping the Koutao fishman group.
The fragments, which were of a certain size, first slammed into the shields of the front-line Kou Tao merman warriors, whose surfaces were covered in slime. They stuck to the shields with a clanging sound, making them heavier and heavier.
The merfolk warriors, bewildered that the rubble couldn't harm them at all, folded their shields and shook off the stone dust to speed up their climb. The rubble then fell directly on them.
Their bodies are always covered with a thick layer of mucus, which is a secretion from their skin and is the basis for their slippery special ability to take effect.
The grayish-white particles were too light to trigger the slippery effect; instead, they were stuck to the mucus and adhered to the bodies of the Kou Tao fishmen, then gurgled and bubbled up tiny air bubbles.
For the time being, no fish-men cared about this; they continued climbing with their eyes closed until they felt it getting hotter and hotter, at which point they realized something was wrong, but it was too late.
The strongest merman warrior at the front let out a scream as it struggled to shake off the slime and pebbles, but its irritated skin continued to secrete more slime, sticking to even more pebbles.
Soon, the mucus on its body surface began to boil, bubbling and steaming out a white mist. The inescapable high temperature and the burning sensation from the alien creature reduced its adhesive effect for climbing, and coupled with the violent struggle, it lost its strength and separated from the stone pillar, falling into the water with a mournful cry, splashing up a small wave.
It was not alone; screams echoed from the stone pillars, and then one after another, Kou Tao fishmen joined the ranks of those falling from mid-air, waving their limbs and crashing down incessantly.
Many of the fish-men are not actually disabled; they jump back into the water on their own initiative.
If you jump from this height with the right posture, you might not die. Even if you lose consciousness, the lake water will dilute the poisonous stuff on your body. But if you try to climb back up, you might end up being boiled alive...
All the fishmen returned to the lake, and more than half of them emerged from the surface after washing off the lime slime, staring fiercely at the stone pillar that resembled an insurmountable chasm.
"You vile kobolds, how dare you humiliate us with such a vicious method! You just wait!"
Two loud, garbled curses announced the failure of the Kotow fishmen's attack once again, giving the Karrick tribe a few more days to catch their breath.
As time goes on, Casalos's confidence in successfully defending will only grow stronger.
Thanks to the diligent work of the dog-headed people, the top of the stone pillar changes considerably with each passing day.
It's important to know that although these little guys have a lower challenge level, they are not "wild monsters" like goblins. They are, after all, dragon-origin species with true dragon blood, and were important members of the dragon civilization in the dragon age.
They have a clear social division of labor. Agronomists, alchemists, animal trainers, armorers, weapon makers, demolition experts, explorers, jewelers, and so on are all considered "professions" of technical work in humanoid civilizations, and they are also very common in kobold society.
However, these guys were naturally inclined to serve the tribe like any other member, so they were often treated the same as any other worker and thus overlooked.
As a new-era "four-nothing" iron dragon—lacking family protection, clan shelter, the protection of an ancient dragon overlord, and without any spiritual network education—Kasaros certainly couldn't let this continue.
With each additional day, Casaloz's reforms to the Karrick tribe would deepen, liberating the kobolds' productivity and significantly increasing their defensive capabilities.
As long as the Kou Tao fishman hasn't decided to carry out the decapitation operation before the next entry into the Dragon's Treasury, then everything is fine.
44. "Mechanical Fighting"
Kou Tao's third attack came two days after the second round.
They changed their climbing direction to a place farther away from the mushroom bushes, trying to avoid the warning and the tipping, but it was to no avail; they were once again covered in quicklime. This time, they were quite decisive; realizing they couldn't avoid the tipping, they jumped back into the water in time, and few of the fish-men suffered from severe burns all over their bodies.
The fourth attack was delayed for another week. They used shells to create a batch of strangely shaped V-shaped shields, resembling train buckets, covered with slippery mucus that could slide away anything that fell on them, completely obscuring the climbing team and rendering the quicklime completely ineffective.
However, after the quicklime failed, the kobolds directly hurled huge rocks that they shouldn't have been able to move, smashing the fishmen who were climbing with their giant shields, leaving them bloodied and battered.
The leader of the Kou Tao Fishman operation ended the attack with another declaration, "I will be back."
"Why does it look like a comedic villain?" Casaroz muttered upon hearing this, then turned to look at the mushroom bushes where rows of stone and vine-made bearing winches stood, pulling stones over a meter in diameter across grooves in the ground paved with sintered obsidian. These stones were transported to every edge of the stone pillars, then pryed up onto outward-sloping stone rails, piling them up in a row.
As long as you step on the barrier, the falling rocks will roll down; no force is needed to push them.
Many of the mechanical kobolds were originally capable of manufacturing these things; Casalos simply gave them some guidance on how to make adaptations to local conditions.
Without these boulders, the Kotō murlocs might have already attacked. Casalos is quite worried about these two level 8 warriors; thankfully, they don't seem too keen on leaving the group.
However, it's interesting that Kou Tao the fishman actually used a method that wasn't pure magic to break the lime pressure.
"Look, look, the puppies are improving, and you guys aren't weak either. You bunch of stinking fishmen who only know how to fight and kill have been forced by me to learn how to develop new siege equipment. This is a harbinger of the Renaissance, the beginning of your civilization's revival, and you don't even thank me. You're always cursing and swearing. If I could beat you... ugh, this is an arms race! How many more times can those stones last? Shouldn't you consider getting something new...?"
In just over a week, the small Karrick tribe has undergone far more changes than that.
Infrastructure construction is a massive project that requires a huge investment of time and energy to see results. The Karrick tribe is far from being able to truly compete with high-end forces with these few things.
Fortunately, magical matters have magical solutions, and perhaps there is a profound and mysterious magical connection between dragons and kobolds. In just one week, the Karrick tribe's high-end combat power has undergone changes that might not have occurred even in decades.
In the past week, including Svent, a newly promoted Dragon Vein Warlock in the Dragon Maggot Feeding Ritual, the original six Dragon Vein Warlocks of the Karrick tribe seemed to have found a way to heaven by embracing the Dragon Seeking Meditation of their ancient bloodline. Their inner inspiration flowed like a spring, and they could easily enter a meditative state for an hour or two at a time. Every few days, they could enter a 24-hour meditative state to enter the advanced Dragon Walking Ritual. The level of the Dragon Vein Warlocks rose rapidly, with an average increase of 2 levels.
Aisen, who had the most frequent contact with Casaloz, rose straight to level 8, becoming the strongest member of the Horde capable of directly confronting the high-level warriors led by the Kotow murlocs...
However, it seems that Eisen has already made a rapid progress after the Carrick tribe swore an oath to become Casaloz's dragon servant.
Chapter 43
At the limit of her growth, her meditation over the past two days has completely returned to its original state of 15 minutes per day. She can no longer enter a meditative state easily, let alone initiate advanced dragon-walking rituals. The meditation time of the other dragon vein sorcerers has also dropped sharply, and judging from the trend, they may stop when they reach around level 6.
But besides them, 12 elite kobolds also reached a meditative state in their meditation. If they were given a little more time and luck, perhaps two more dragon vein sorcerers could emerge.
Less than one-fifth of the ordinary kobolds who became dragon servants also underwent new changes. After repeatedly consuming iron ore, their strength and physique increased significantly, slightly making up for the kobolds' innate weaknesses.
It is these changes that allow Casalos to now stand and watch the battle directly in the mushroom patch, instead of hanging upside down on the dome ready to dive in and provide support. If the Koto Fishmen don't have other powerful figures appearing, and are still led by two level 8 warriors, they will really only have a headache when they launch a real attack—the infrastructure that has finally started to improve will probably be half destroyed in a fight, and who wouldn't be worried in that situation?
Unfortunately, Eisen's rapid growth stopped just short of reaching level 9. Otherwise, once she reached level 9, she could have retrieved what had been stolen from her race—dragon wings—from her true dragon bloodline. With her dragon wings regrown, she could have soared through the air and, together with Casaloz, launched an aerial attack on the climbing Koto murlocs, completely breaking their spines.
Casalos suspected that all of this was closely related to his own strength. Perhaps after it developed to the next age, or after it gained substantial improvement through training in the Dragon Treasury, the high-end combat power of the Carrick tribe could grow even further.
By then, even if a high-level spellcaster or a superior warrior from the Koto murloc tribe were to personally lead an expedition, Casaloz and the Kalik tribe would no longer have any fear.
It will only take a little while longer for the Carrick tribe to dominate this nameless and remote Undercity Rift... if they aren't targeted by the Grey Dwarf slave-hunting teams or the patrolling Mind Flayer Shellships.
According to the kobolds in charge of calendar calculation within the tribe, as is customary, the Grey Dwarf slave-hunting teams will arrive at the Rift around the time the Flamelight is accumulating energy in the Dragon Treasury, while the Mind Flayers' shell ships will arrive a few days later than the Grey Dwarfs, just to avoid the arrival of the Grey Dwarfs.
Regardless of which team it is, they will become a new threat to the Kalik tribe. Although the war between the Kalik tribe and the Kotow fishmen is only a village-level brawl, the infrastructure changes that have occurred in the mushroom thicket are too obvious and will inevitably attract the attention of these underground residents who originally had little interest in the Rift.
Stunned by the stone, the Kou Tao fishman seemed to have temporarily retreated, remaining quiet for over a month without making any further moves, which was unusual.
As time went on, the grumpy, ferocious weasels grew tired of their days hanging on the vines and began to stir, injuring several kobold beast tamers. Casalos, who had always suspected these stinky fishmen of some grand conspiracy, also grew increasingly agitated. He gave the little guys a good beating to vent his anger and then calmed down to continue overseeing the kobolds' efforts to expand the city's defenses.
The city's defenses are now targeting not the Kou Tao Fishmen, but the Grey Dwarves and Mind Flayers.
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