Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 718 - 662 Child of War

Lyle sat cross-legged atop Dragon Ridge, finding the sensation of riding anything but pleasant. The scales of Alcalon were the hardest among his siblings, and when he got agitated, the scales would slightly curl up like sharp knives, making it seem as if Lyle was perched upon a mountain of blades that could tumble at any moment.

Entering Greatwood Forest, the shrill cries had never ceased, a symphony of life’s piercing screams and the furious roars compact enough to compose a complete score. The dense canopy and sprawling undergrowth squeezed the already narrow field of vision further, feeling as if ravenous beasts were lurking around, surrounding the Black Dragon like a dining table.

After the twelfth deep breath, the oppressive atmosphere changed. The sounds around became more distant, though the high-hanging foliage was still like a dark, deep green gloom hovering overhead. Lyle’s feelings did not improve, as the jungle falling silent was clearly not a good sign.

"Where are we, Al?"

The Black Dragon’s voice was calm, even showing a hint of joy.

"We’re almost home. My tribe’s territory is on the barren, dark side of the mountain peak, and we have now entered the hunting grounds of the Ancient Human Clans."

"So we’re safe now?"

The Black Dragon stepped forward with his front paw, turning his head for the first time to look back at Lyle on his back.

"This is just the beginning, Lyle..."

A sudden roar blasted fiercely into Lyle’s head, an enormous bellow from above, a voice so loud that Lyle, unprepared, felt the world spinning around him. Through blurry vision, he saw a bulky shadow tear through the shade and plummet straight down from the sky.

Lyle was about to roll off the dragon’s back, not just about to. Alcalon swiftly twisted his body, adjusting his posture just before the shadow could crash onto his back, followed by a swift lash of his tail. The dragon’s tail struck the shadow, and the collision erupted with a thunderous boom.

The sound of bones cracking was all too familiar to Lyle. He tumbled onto the dragon’s wing, watching as the injured figure spun in midair. A louder roar ensued, and the man’s irregularly twisted left arm was wrapped around the dragon’s tail, not flung off. With the swinging momentum, his body charged towards the Black Dragon, clutching a grotesquely designed Bone Axe in his huge arm.

He had chosen the soft belly as his target, where the scales were softest.

"Fool!!" Alcalon was in his element, his left wing cradling Lyle as his claw struck from below, hitting the burly man’s torso. He flew like a punch bag, smashing through two oak trees and flattening a patch of burdock.

Lyle was placed amidst the shrubs, while Alcalon let out a derisive sneer, his eyes dark and malicious. Under Lyle’s gaze, the fallen bulky man’s mouth bled, his left arm twisted like a noodle. Using his right hand to prop himself up, turning the fall into a sitting position, he mustered his remaining strength to let out a beastly howl.

Alcalon pounced, like a collapsing mountain crashing down. "Scream! Scream again, I dare you!!!" His fist, the size of the burly man himself, pummeled repeatedly, smashing him into the ground and turning the surrounding underbrush blood-red.

"Fool, is this how you ambush? You grew wings?! If you can’t fly, then walk the earth like you should, waste!! Get up again! Come on, get up!!!"

Alcalon was mauling the man as if mad, beating him into the earth, the soil churning around them, forming a small mound. Lyle instinctively raised his hand and discovered something quite surprising.

The man was four meters tall, his brown-red hairy leg twice as thick as Lyle. Dressed in primitive animal skins, his face was hard, marked with wild patterns. Could this creature even be considered a member of the human race?

The vegetation here was lush, heather growing waist-deep, but for the Ancient Human Clans, it would only reach their knees. Why Lyle knew this was because at some point, such a pair of legs had appeared beside him. Another of the Ancient Human Clans with a wolf-head covering was carrying a Bone Bow, his dark brown skin marked with green stripes. His features were rugged, those small eyes now fixed intently on Lyle, a hand as big as a millstone gesturing above his head.

"An unawakened cub? Never seen, tribesman?" His speech was unclear, as though his mouth was stuffed with a bellows.

Another four-meter-tall giant fell from the top of a fifteen-meter-high tree, crashing to the ground. He let out a rough whistle, his hands grasping the thrashing tail of the Black Dragon.

"Stop hitting him, Child of War. Mikael has already fainted; he can’t hear you."

Alcalon ceased his beating, picking up the limp Mikael and tossing him next to his companion.

"Sarei, Mountain, I see you were all here." The Black Dragon bared his sharp teeth, scrutinizing Sarei. "Whose plan was it to ambush me?"

"Mine, but the plan went awry. Mountain was supposed to swing to the other side for a pincer attack, but he fell because he was too heavy. Mikael in the treetops didn’t hear, so he continued with the ambush part, and then he went down." Sarei gestured towards the slightly stuttering clansman beside Lyle, whose curiosity about Mountain was now focused on Lyle. Mountain curiously grabbed Lyle’s collar, as if intending to lift him.

"Who is this?"

"My friend, Lyle, not one of your clansmen. He’s always been this size."

"Oh, a little human." Shan lost interest and returned to his companion’s side.

Lyle felt he had been mocked. The Black Dragon shrugged its shoulders and explained, "The Ancient Human Clans have always believed that they are the true human beings, while you are just weakened small folk, and they have some sympathy for you."

"Are they all this size?"

"Not the children, Ancient Human kids are just a bit larger than children and about the same as yours, but they have the gift to unleash the limitations of their bodies, an ability that can be maintained in its regular state with the enhancement of dragon blood. An Adult Ancient Human stands over three meters two, tall without exception."

Ancient Humans, a tribe of well-developed giants, agile as wild beasts.

"Take him back, let the tribe’s Shaman heal him," the Black Dragon ordered. Shan responded with an acknowledgment, hanging his weapon across his chest, and carried his unconscious companion back.

Lyle watched the Black Dragon move its claws.

"Didn’t you hit too hard, Al, if this was only a training session? You were really pounding him into the ground."

"That’s right, if I could, I’d etch his defeat into his skull, but I still lacked a bit of force."

"Child of War is a term of endearment, little fella," Sarei, the Ancient Human who did not leave but joined the slow-moving procession of the Black Dragon, said. "Our tribe does not recognize losers. Mikael’s arm injury, if left to heal naturally, would force him to carry on subsequent hunting activities with a broken limb, which might starve him to death. Tribe Shamans are our scarce healers, and they only assist those in our tribe who are on the brink of death and unable to fend for themselves."

"So Al hitting hard is actually caring for him?"

"No, going for the kill is my habit, or perhaps a personal preference." The Black Dragon stepped between the two, using its massive body to separate Lyle and Sarei.

That feeling was... Lyle’s eyes shifted.

"Al, Mel is having a great time in Mackenbert, the dwarfs and fire elements there call her the Red Dragon Queen. Aren’t you worried? You are the eldest, after all."

"Ha, Imelt is just a female craving love and affection; she lacks the depth of a king."

"What about Kristo, then? Your brother seems like a strong contender for the throne."

"Ha, that lazy good-for-nothing who hates trouble. If not for the Blue Dragon Priest pushing him from behind, he’d sleep until the end of the world, with no sense of a king’s duty."

"And...?"

"Who else do you want to talk about? Bordelis? That lad just goes with the flow; he’s probably now immersed in a mermaid’s tender song; Claudia, that girl is uninterested in everything, she’s as indifferent as Kristo. Forget it, Lyle, I am the one with the king’s qualifications, to lead them, that is my mission, and my pleasure!"

"What I meant to say, dear Al, is that you really understand your brothers and sisters well, given that they don’t seem to care much about each other. And you..."

Alcalon’s dragon face came up close to Lyle, its somber face stretched long, a familiar ferocious smile revealing sharp teeth.

"I’m just overseeing potential rivals, avoiding any unstable elements that could disrupt my plans. That’s called being cautious, do you get it now?"

"Of course, dear Al, you’re a remarkable king... and big brother, wise and far-sighted."

"Shut up, Lyle, you’re still not worth my time to even pick my teeth with."