Chapter 310: Chapter 212: Eight Peaks Mountain (Part 3)
David and his fellow dragons all turned their heads in astonishment to see that within the undulating The Dark Mountains, several towering fortresses were hidden among the peaks.
They were constructed from tough stone and gleaming iron, each face embedded with arrow slits and trebuchets. Tall city walls encircled the fortresses. Every stone seemed to narrate tales of past battles and glory, and the scars and cracks on the walls were like ancient historical etchings.
At the same time, David, his pupils contracting, also spotted creatures on full alert, hidden behind the crenellated battlements of the fortress.
Dwarves.
Simultaneously, some patrolling Dwarves must have spotted their group of ’visitors,’ as they sounded the war horns of the city’s defenses.
Then, rows of Dwarves in tattered armor swarmed out of the stone gate like marching ants, taking up positions along The Great Wall that stretched along the mountain ridge outside the castle.
David immediately understood and smacked his lips. It seemed the Teleportation Gate had opened a bit ’too deep’... directly in front of the Eight Peaks Mountain fortress of these Skanis Dwarves. This might even be the ancient battlefield where the Battle of the Five Armies erupted a thousand years ago.
Dwarves, like the High Elves, are a Long-lived Race.
The roars of the Evil Dragons, accompanied by their breath, were still ringing in the air; how could it not provoke the Dwarves’ vigilance?
"Five-colored Evil Dragons, leave our Eight Peaks Mountain fortress and territory at once, or else we may consider this an unexpected declaration of war."
Although these Dwarves were caught off guard and probably not fully equipped, some even with the red flush of a hangover on their faces, their eyes showed little sign of retreat.
As they spoke, the Dwarves in the rear readied the ballistae and catapults on the city walls, preparing to launch them at any moment.
The Dwarves in the front, in turn, raised their hammers and axes, forcefully banging them against their shields, creating a powerful resonant clang. For a moment, the noise was thunderous, like a flood tide sweeping over half the fortress with impressive momentum.
This stance immediately put the already severely injured Viola and the others into a stressed state. They reacted like threatened cats: front limbs pressed to the ground, tails sweeping back and forth beating the earth, wings outstretched, and emitting deep roars.
Unexpectedly, in the face of this tense situation where a fight could break out at any moment, David, also badly injured, unfurled his wings, took to the air, and hovered aloft.
His crimson wings beat slowly. The lingering effects of Bloodscale Fury, combined with his injuries, made his bloody aura even more potent. Fine, hair-like trickles of Dragon Blood coursed across his scales as if alive, making him look as though he were clad in a battle garment shimmering with blood light. In a voice that was half-wild and half-solemn, he said,
"Didn’t you see we just had a fight with those long-eared ones and urgently need a place to rest?
"There’s a saying, ’The enemy of my enemy is my friend.’ Is this how you Skanis Dwarves treat friends who have come from afar? Hm?
"Send for your Tisay Lord to come and meet me."
The lead Dwarf was initially displeased by David’s bold and impudent attitude. However, his expression changed when he saw the Elf arrow feather still lodged in David’s chest. More specifically, he noticed the magical inscriptions of the Moon Elf deity upon it, and his pupils contracted. Then, to the disbelief of all the other Dwarves watching, he pounded his chest, bowed his head, and said,
"Son of the Crimson Calamity, Flame Steel Dragon David Uthos, Your Highness, please wait a moment!
"I will go and report to our Tisay Lord right away."
For a moment, the group of dragons was confounded by the Dwarves’ sudden shift from audacious hostility to respect.
Just before, they seemed eager to chase them away from their doorstep.
How come they now recognized their lord?