Chương 73: Reborn as the Dragon — Chapter 73 - Attack

In the Weimons military formation. Two soldiers stood near the command tent, faces set in rigid solemnity. Their ears, however, were straining toward the canvas walls with great enthusiasm. Moments later, the sounds of fierce battle erupted from inside, vigorous, sustained, impossible to ignore. Both soldiers listened with considerable interest, their breathing growing noticeably heavier. A little over five minutes later, the sounds died out.

The two exchanged a glance, said nothing, and quietly shuffled several steps farther away. Soldier A: "The Knight Commander really is getting faster and faster." Soldier B: "I vaguely remember that Sir Weimons used to be an upright man. He ate with us, lived with us, shared our fortune, bore our hardships. But now... alas..." Soldier A: "If that Black Dragon were to attack camp right now, I'm not sure the Knight Commander would be in any condition to command." Soldier B: "Relax.

Last time, our grappling hooks dragged that dragon right out of the sky. It took dozens of sword strikes protecting that High Elf. Then it caught several Flame Burst spells on its way out. Who knows where it is now, somewhere licking its wounds, that's for sure." Soldier A: "Fair point. I'm going to take a piss. Keep an eye out."

"Go on, go on. You should treat yourself less. Peeing this much at night, that's kidney deficiency, plain and simple."

"Go to hell!" Soldier A laughed and cursed in the same breath, loosened his pants, and walked away from the camp toward a large tree at the edge of the formation. He took a deep breath, a deeply satisfied expression settling across his face. He hadn't finished his business when a large, furry hand clamped over his mouth.

"Mmph?!" His eyes went wide with horror. Before any sound could escape, he was dragged into the treeline with a quiet whoosh. Banana Wolf and Melon Wolf used their big underpants to gag his mouth, then lashed him firmly to the tree trunk. The Black Dragon master had been clear: be careful and thorough. The intelligence gathered by Bird Demon Leader Ji Taimei might not be accurate. If they wanted real information, they had to catch a human and pry open his mouth. So this was a very lucky soldier indeed.

Banana Wolf: "Now, we, will speak." Melon Wolf: "You, will answer." Banana Wolf: "If, you, do not speak." Melon Wolf: "You, not only, will die. You also, must eat shit!" The soldier stared up at the two absurdly muscular Gnolls and nodded frantically. Their Common Tongue of the Continent was rough around the edges, but he got the message well enough.

"Very good." You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Melon Wolf pulled on a pair of gloves, opened the small leather pouch at its hip, and laid out the torture instruments for the soldier's viewing pleasure. Then it leaned in with a vicious look.

"Tell me. You. How many humans? Any ambush? Come to Silvermoon Forest, want, do what?"

"Mmph mmph mmph!"

"SLAP—!" Banana Wolf delivered a Big Slap across the soldier's face, fangs bared, eyes savage.

"You. Why. Not. Speaking!"

"Mmph!" The soldier's face swelled. His ears rang. Tears of pure indignation rolled helplessly down the sides of his face since, given the gag, they had nowhere else to go. Just as Banana Wolf wound up for another Big Slap, Melon Wolf noticed the issue. It waited patiently for the second strike to land, then offered a quiet observation.

"His. Mouth. Is plugged. Cannot. Speak."

"Ahhh. So, that's, it!" Banana Wolf stared in sudden revelation, then patted Melon Wolf on the shoulder with genuine admiration.

"Melon Wolf. You. Very smart." Melon Wolf: "(￢_￢)?" The problem remained, though, they couldn't simply unplug his mouth. What if he screamed for help? Banana Wolf thought it over, then addressed the soldier directly.

"Now. I ask. Right, you nod. Wrong, you shake head. Understand?" The soldier nodded immediately, eyes glistening with tears.

"You. Have. Over two thousand people?" The soldier nodded.

"You. Have. Ambush?" The soldier shook his head.

"You. Want. Attack. Silvermoon Forest?" The soldier considered. Going after the Black Dragon would inevitably mean pushing through Silvermoon Forest. He nodded again.

"You. Poop. Dry. Or. Runny?" The soldier stared blankly into the middle distance.... After the interrogation concluded, Banana Wolf and Melon Wolf very mercifully gave the soldier a quick end. Then they made their way back to the monster army to report. Banana Wolf: "Boss, we, caught, a soldier." Melon Wolf: "Obtained, real, intelligence!"

"Can you two not do that, one wolf, one sentence? Pick one of you and talk to me like a normal person!" Su Nian looked at the two dazed-looking Gnolls with profound exasperation. He genuinely suspected they had spent so much time cultivating Tyrant Stink Bugs that the fumes had finally gotten to them. They wandered around with this vacant, slightly stunned quality that never seemed to go away. Banana Wolf and Melon Wolf felt a little wronged.

They only took turns because they wanted a fair chance to show their worth before the boss, they were brothers, from the same litter. But since the Black Dragon had spoken, the slightly older Banana Wolf stepped forward alone.

"Report, boss."

"Humans. Two thousand. No ambush. Normal days, they poop dry. Rainy days, they poop runny." The first two items checked out, consistent with Ji Taimei's latest scouting report. But the poop situation? Su Nian turned this over in his head. What was he supposed to do with that intelligence? He couldn't figure it out, but he let it go. His subordinates having unusual hobbies was perfectly normal. A good boss kept a tolerant heart. He waited a while longer.

RUSTLE RUSTLE, Kobold Bolikri poked his dog-head out from the undergrowth and reported with solemn respect.

"Master, the traps are fully deployed. Every possible human retreat route is covered. The density is guaranteed, one step back, five traps. Minimum."

"Excellent!" Su Nian dipped his dragon head in satisfaction.

"Your Kobolds are lower in combat strength, and your numbers are still thin. For the upcoming battle, stick to ambushes from the flanks. Don't engage directly." He turned.

"Anna, the humans have a large number of archers. When the fighting starts, you should, ""No. Anna stays with Brother." Anna's soft peach-blossom eyes met his with complete, unwavering certainty. Her arms locked tighter around his neck.

"I'll only be gone a little while. Half an hour. No — ten minutes, at most—" He tried again, because the outside was genuinely dangerous.

"No! Anna stays with Brother!" Every minute with him was precious to her. Even if dangerous things were happening outside. Anna's grip tightened. Her voice firmed. The faintest glimmer of tears appeared at the corners of her eyes, a clear warning that tears were on their way the moment he refused.

"Alright, alright." Su Nian exhaled, defeated. He picked her up carefully and settled her onto his back, wrapping her snugly in animal hide and securing her in place, leaving only the top half of her small head peeking out. He just needed to fly high enough. At his current scale armor density, the human archers weren't much of a real threat. And he had all of his subordinates down below. They were the main force.

A few well-aimed streams of dragonbreath would give that human army far more to worry about than one dragon in the sky. His mind was made up. Su Nian checked Anna's bindings one last time, firm, secure, not going anywhere, then drew a breath and let out a roar that shook the trees.

"All monsters, heed my command, ATTACK!" His wings beat the air. He surged upward. And flew straight toward the human army. ➤ Next: Hunting Time — Steel and Blood