Iron Dragon's Advancement Journey

　It had finally gained its freedom… The ability to summon high-level elemental beings and then mold them into armor was something few in all of Faerûn could possess, let alone a warrior. Although the elemental beings had different attributes, Fultan was absolutely certain that the warrior who had taunted the assassin's corpse by hanging it on the wall was the true dragon who had previously fought the Flamebe in the air!

　Casalos was charging forward, the Vicious and Shadow Dukes were holding their own, the Whisper Duke was packing his valuables and incidentally drawing monsters for Casalos, the Faceless One was on his way, and no one paid any attention to the little mage who had gotten involved, even though she had strangely used her dagger and spells to block the attacks of two high-level assassins, and almost tore one of the assassins in half with a scythe made from a tree branch.

　The little mage's melee combat skills with two-handed polearms seem to be far superior to her magical abilities, even surpassing Casalos, who only knows how to use brute force to sweep and leap, causing the high-level lightning elementals, shaped into armor, to frantically strike with lightning. With the blessing of magic, her basic attributes such as strength and agility are not inferior to those of an assassin. At the same time, her dagger-wielding skills are comparable to those of the two assassins who tested Casalos.

　But she really doesn't have the relevant job level; she's a pure mage. Who knows how this mage's skill tree and feats were arranged to be so skewed... Well, nobody knows, at least not vampires.

　The two dukes and six counts or lieutenants were already overwhelmed by Casalos's unreasonable dismissal and had no time to care about the predicament of the two cannon fodder assassins.

　Casalos wielded his greatsword, unleashing a series of sweeping slashes, horizontal parries, and upward thrusts—a wide-open attack devoid of any finesse, leaving him riddled with openings. If he were an ordinary warrior, any vampire, with its agility, would have easily drained him dry, without even needing magical suppression. But the half-dragon Casalos possessed extraordinary strength, and his entire body was crackling with lightning of remarkably high spellcasting power.

　Just like Duke Taebrun, the drow vampire duke, a powerful figure in Westgate City, second only to the two others and thousands above others, a wanderer with a combined level of 16, he would be sent flying by the slightest glancing blow from that wildly swinging greatsword, and would be half-burnt by the lightning pillar that followed. If it weren't for the vampire's supernatural power of high resistance and high damage reduction, as well as the support of the characteristics of undead creatures, he would have been reduced to ashes by the lightning long ago.

　Not to mention the six much weaker earls and lieutenants, who didn't even dare to directly withstand the electric arcs bursting from the half-dragon warriors.

　I don't know where this monster half-dragon warrior came from. If I had known this would happen, the wicked duchess would never have come knocking on my door. It's all that damned fat pig's fault. He had information about the half-dragon warrior but refused to share it.

　Dalia now had no choice but to hold on. Her high-level spells, used to restrain and support the vampires locked in combat, were their only hope for survival. If she stopped casting, the group, including the Shadow Duke, would be hacked to pieces by the half-dragon warrior in just a few rounds, with no chance of escape—the warrior's opening lightning spear throw was still fresh in their minds. Without the protection of magic, none of them were confident they could dodge that terrifyingly powerful lightning ball.

　As advanced undead beings, being chopped up doesn't necessarily mean they "die." But vampires aren't liches, so they need some body tissue—at least part of their head or brain, or their heart—to survive. How could random lightning strikes leave them with such large chunks of intact tissue?

　Releasing them would allow them to teleport away... But thinking of the potential wrath of the Faceless One, Dalia immediately abandoned the idea. More than half of the core power of the Dark Mask was here; if it were all lost, the Faceless One would surely cut off her head and soak it in the holy water.

　The only reason the wicked duchess could keep going was that, just now, the Faceless One had made contact with her through a mental link.

　The most powerful being behind the Dark Mask, whose masters of several vampires are about to join the battle, will turn the half-dragon warriors into one of them!

　88. A Different Kind of Battle

　Using the coverage advantage of the giant weapon, he swept across a large area, forcing back the encirclement of several vampires. He instructed the lightning elementalist to suppress the power of the spells and continue to provide continuous electrotherapy to these guys instead of directly destroying their bodies. Then, under the cover of his lightning-filled body, he exhaled a weak dragon breath that was transformed into lightning energy and shaped into a certain lightning spell, disintegrating the spell thrown by the vampire priest. Casaroz also had extra energy to pay extra attention to the condition of the little mage who had jumped out to help on the street.

　It played very easily.

　To be honest, Casalos was more at a loss with the half-dragon form than the human form.

　Under Tona's guidance, it adapted to a humanoid form quite different from its dragon form. The secret lay in using its hands as wings instead of forelimbs, making it easy to overlook the fact that it lacked a pair of supporting limbs. After all, the humanoid form stands upright on two legs, while the dragon form stands upright on all fours. By using its hands as wings and ignoring the missing forelimbs, the difference between the two becomes much smaller, no longer resembling the awkward way it stood on its hind legs as a dragon—some dragons do like to do that, but Casalos is not one of them.

　From the very first trial in the Dragon's Treasury dungeon, Casalos frequently experienced high-intensity one-on-many combat. When standing upright in dragon form, his robust dragon body blocked the full range of motion, reach, and power of his true dragon wings. He also lost the solid, stable foundation of standing on four limbs, significantly raising his center of gravity, making him extremely prone to falling and greatly increasing his vulnerable area exposed to enemies.

　Paying such a huge price only brings the benefit of freeing up two forelimbs. It's hard to say about other dragons like Casaloz, but the forelimbs of the Kingdom Sky Dragon are specially designed to support its massive thoracic cavity, which houses and protects the lungs, heart, and basal blood vessels; its well-developed chest and abdominal muscles designed for flight; its enormous wings; and its heavy forequarters, formed by its long neck and head. To ensure reliable support, the dragon's forelimb bones are short and straight, with a narrow range of motion in the joints and concentrated muscle groups, making its movements relatively clumsy and its power limited. Using its useful wings as decoration to stand upright and use its forelimbs for claw attacks is simply not worth the effort… or more accurately, it's pure suicide.

　Taking the currently available Survivor dungeon in Dragon's Treasury as an example, once in combat, if Casaroz stands on all fours and intentionally lowers its body, ranged attacking insects up to 30 meters away will lose their attack angle due to the obstruction from melee insects. Its dragon wings can also serve as an effective blocking and deflecting defensive surface against ranged attacks. However, if Casaroz stands upright, ranged attacking insects hundreds of meters away can effectively attack it as long as it lowers itself to the open area between the ground and flying insects. It will also lose the significant effective defensive cover provided by its wings, making it vulnerable to concentrated fire from a single attack.

Chapter 163

　The effect is to fight at least two high-ranking vampires.

　While the guys in the alley were still observing and the assassin hidden in the shadows hadn't attacked again, Casalos threw out the prepared casting medium, focused on performing specific actions and chanting a spell, beginning to cast a spell in the standard human mage casting procedure.

　"Spellcaster!"

　"Interrupt him!"

　Two different exclamations rang out from the alley, followed by a cloud of misty shadow rushing onto the street and lunging at Casalos. The two assassins who had attacked earlier then reacted and, under the cover of the shadow, launched a coordinated attack from the left and right.

　However, it was too late. Casalos's spellcasting speed exceeded their expectations. A four-meter-diameter magic circle appeared in mid-air, illuminating the dark street. Crackling arcs of electricity flickered from it, connecting to the surrounding ground and striking out scorched, shallow craters. Debris flew everywhere, forcing back the nearby assassins.

　A hand formed from lightning extended beyond the magic circle, patting its edge. Then came a second… and as if crawling out of a well, a gigantic humanoid creature emerged from the magic circle. It had no legs; its lower body was a vortex-like object spewing arcs of electricity, proclaiming its identity as a high-level lightning elemental being.

　The dissipating electric arcs covered a wider area and were far more powerful. A small storm gradually formed around the elemental creature, with gales tearing open the windows of the surrounding old buildings and emitting a ferocious howl.

　The sleeping residents and tavern guests were awakened by the damned noise. The braver ones peeked out the window and immediately cried out in alarm, and chaos ensued.

　The black mist was still ten meters away from Casalos when the magic circle finally disappeared. The high-level lightning elemental, freed from its restraints, opened its bright white eyes and transformed into a bolt of lightning, falling onto Casalos.

　The scattered, violent lightning suddenly converged, then danced joyfully on Casalos's body, like shimmering armor.

　Casalos raised his greatsword high and slashed down at the oncoming black mist. Before the sword could even touch the mist, which was still three meters away, a thick bolt of lightning suddenly appeared and shattered it. The shrill screams were drowned out by the crackling of the lightning and the smell of ionized ozone. A steaming, charred figure fell out and convulsed on the ground.

　"idiot……"

　A soft curse echoed from the alleyway, followed by subtle fluctuations of negative energy and the unnatural weaving of a magical network. The spellcaster had made his move.

　Casalos thrust his greatsword behind him, drew a short spear from his waist, and hurled it into the dark alley. The arcs of electricity leaping on his armor automatically gathered on the spear, weaving it into a bright ball of lightning that crackled and hissed as it flew into the alley.

　The two assassins finally found the moment when the lightning on Casalos's body receded. Two daggers, gathering shadows, shot out at lightning speed, one aimed at his face and the other at his side waist, which was unprotected and exposed after the throw.

　"The fragile human form is such a hassle."

　Casaroz muttered to himself, he hesitated for a moment between taking the two daggers head-on in his half-dragon form and rolling away to avoid them. In human form, his agility was also constant at 10, but the sharpness brought by his high perception and the speed of his thinking brought by his high intelligence were far beyond what a few vampires or humans could match. So far, everything in the battle had been like slow motion to him, although he himself was the same.

　Before it could make a choice, it felt two small force field walls appear almost simultaneously in front of and beside it, blocking the trajectory of the flying dagger.

　"Watch out!" The warning came shortly after, and a girl in a robe holding a dagger jumped out of the second-floor window of the tavern, rolled forward on the street to cushion the impact, and stood up right next to Casalos: "I'll help you deal with these damned evil creatures."

　Casalos wasn't particularly surprised to see the female mage suddenly appear. It was true that evil abounded in Faerûn, but so were meddlesome righteous individuals; this mage might even be a harpist. But…

　"Don't you know the Featherfall Technique?"

　Casalos asked a question, ignoring the "Are you kidding me?" look on the girl's face. He picked up his greatsword and swept it horizontally, drawing a crescent-shaped arc of electricity. This forced the two assassins who had failed to throw their daggers back again. He then spun around and swung his body upwards, creating a wall of lightning that shattered the two unknown spells that flew out of the alley.

　The lightning ball that flew into the alley exploded, and the flashing light illuminated two figures: a richly dressed, thin, and pale noblewoman, and a dark-skinned, skinny half-drow.

　The exploding lightning found its target, surging into the air and converging into two thick bolts of lightning that instantly struck the two figures. However, they were blocked by a magical shield that suddenly appeared. The shattered arcs of electricity punched dozens of charred holes into the bluestone walls and ground on both sides of the alley.

　Casalos dragged his greatsword into the alley, leaving the meddlesome little mage alone to face the two assassins.

　Before Casalos could get close enough to see the distance between the two leaders with his dark vision weakened too much, six figures similar to those in the black mist surrounded him. A strong smell of blood accompanied by six sharp short weapons attacked from tricky angles, blocking all his possible routes of movement in all directions.

　The spells that inflict four different negative effects—slowness, weakness, trembling, and dizziness—also apply to it simultaneously.

　It stepped into a trap that had been prepared in advance.

　"hold head high!"

　Casalos instantly transformed into a half-dragon with a short, high-pitched roar, resisting the status spells while the trembling roar sent six figures flying from the shadows. The sound waves swept across the wall, causing the bluestone to crack and creak before the wall collapsed upon impact with the flying figures, burying them.

　"Wasn't it worth exchanging dozens of assassins for your life? You insisted on going in yourself, and now you're in big trouble, my wicked wife." In a small high-rise building a few hundred meters away, a fat man, almost as big as a ball, put down his monocular binoculars and chuckled to himself, "My master, don't blame me. This dragon was clearly after you. How could I live if you didn't die first? Hehe..."

　87. Each with their own thoughts

　The fat man, also known as the "dead fat pig" in the words of the wicked Duchess Dalia, is Duke Fultan, one of the three dukes under the Faceless Ones, and he is in charge of the Dark Mask's intelligence network.

　When Casalos entered the city and killed the first thief, it used its secret intelligence network to conduct a detailed investigation into Casalos's identity. Although it didn't find any specific clues, this old vampire mage, who had been involved in intelligence work for countless years, quickly deduced Casalos's identity through connections. After all, Casalos had caused a great disturbance in Evanso, not far from Westgate, just a few days earlier. After reverting to its dragon form and leaving Evanso, it had even engaged in an aerial battle with the infamous "Flying Flame" over the Giants' Plains under the watchful eyes of many.

　The reason why the Vicious Duchess and the Shadow Duke couldn't find out Casalos's identity was mainly because they lacked sensitivity to information that wasn't directly related to it, but an old fox like the Whisper Duke couldn't possibly miss it.

　He even managed to guess Casalos's purpose in coming to Westgate City based on some scattered information. Of course, it was just a guess; he wasn't certain.

　Driven by a certain rebellious mentality, it chose to conceal the information.

　Vampires have absolute control over their former followers, but whether this kind of uncertain information, based entirely on guesswork without evidence, qualifies as absolute control is debatable. If it turns out to be wrong, is there a problem with it not reporting it? If it's right... then what happens when the Faceless Ones eaten by dragons crawl out of the dragon's belly to hold it accountable?

　As for the possibility that the Faceless One survived from the dragon's jaws... sorry, that's impossible, because it's about to faithfully fulfill its duty and deliver the two evil spirits, Shadow and Venom.

Chapter 24

　23. Falling into a trap

　The path down the mountain was somewhat rugged. The limbs of the monitor lizard were fine for short distances, but long journeys were a real test for its muscles, bones, and belly dragging on the ground. Especially in the jungle after the fire, which was full of soft mud and ash, Saloz's claws sank into the ground with every step, and its heavy belly and long tail plowed a long furrow behind it.

　It had to endure crawling slowly all the way, because before it had gone several thousand meters, it had seen two different green dragons fly over its head.

　Both green dragons were quite young, one probably in adolescence and the other a teenager. They were definitely not part of the colorful dragon army that besieged the sacred land of Athelon, but were likely members of a green dragon clan from the nearby area.

　These dragons, reeking of chlorine and covered in mushrooms and moss, are naturally lawful. After mating, they often develop strong bonds. The parents meticulously endow their offspring with effective manipulation skills and all the necessary abilities for saying one thing but meaning another. They rarely abandon their first litter—only the first litter. A chromatic dragon is still a chromatic dragon. During the growth of the first litter, green dragon parents are very likely to give birth to several additional litters of dragon cubs that they abandon to fend for themselves. A group of dragon cubs without dragon trade often makes the jungle where the green dragon's lair is located a mess.

　Once the first litter of dragon cubs reaches adulthood, the green dragon parents will drive their offspring away and each go their own way...

　Judging from the age and age difference between the two green dragons, this jungle is currently the territory of a pair of green dragons. Casalos has no choice but to continue to act as a giant lizard if he doesn't want to be targeted.

　When the volcanic eruption caused a forest fire, the various magical beasts that dominated the jungle and the flying species with excellent mobility fled the fire early on, leaving only ordinary beasts with poor mobility to be devoured by the fire. Casalos chose the huge giant lizard as a replacement form in order to gain an advantage in the fight for food, but unexpectedly it became a hindrance that restricted its movement speed.

　But it has no way to find a suitable hiding place, at least not yet, so far, to change to a form more suitable for long journeys.

　Its only consolation was that neither of the two older green dragons showed any interest in it, the "giant lizard."

　A teenager and a young green dragon alone might not pose much of a threat to Casalos, but their dragon parents are beings Casalos cannot afford to offend.

　The Iron Dragons hate the Colored Dragons, and the Colored Dragons reciprocate the Iron Dragons' dislike. Casalos put himself in their shoes; if he were a Green Dragon, he would never let a Iron Dragon cub escape from his territory.

　Well, given the green dragons' behavior, they probably won't kill Casalos directly. Instead, they'll use deception and vicious magic to control it, turning it into a slave for the green dragons' amusement and to seize their wealth.

　For Tielong, it would be better to just die.

　"Strange, how come there is a chromatic dragon's nest near the Athelon Holy Land? Is it for cover... but the Holy Land's location isn't hidden either, I don't understand."

　The further down the mountain you go, the hotter and more humid the climate becomes. The traces of the raging forest fire recede, and green vegetation that was not ravaged by the fire emerges. Vines and broad leaves block out the sky, shielding Casaloz from the view from above.

　It breathed a slight sigh of relief and prepared to find a secluded tree hole or something similar to change into a more convenient form, when it heard a conversation that made its head shield tingle.

　“Brother Shakales, your guess is correct. This giant lizard is indeed behaving very strangely!” A slightly immature voice flattered in a tone that sounded very hypocritical, using the language of dragons.

　"Hmph, the monitor lizards on the mountain survived the fire, yet they keep climbing down the mountain with food everywhere. They've already reached a climate unsuitable for them, and they still keep going down there. It's no wonder there are problems." The second voice was slightly more mature. It seemed unconcerned by the younger one's insincere tone, completely accepting the flattery, and didn't forget to continue its admonition: "Evar, you call me the cunning brother Shakales... We should take it back to the nest so our parents can examine it carefully and see how it differs from other wild beasts."

　Casalos cautiously stopped advancing, preparing to transform back into his Iron Dragon form for battle.

　"Look, it can understand what we're saying. There's definitely something wrong with it."

　"Damn it, we've fallen for their trap," Casalos cursed inwardly. The two green dragons hiding in the jungle had deliberately let him overhear their conversation to test whether there was anything wrong.

　It no longer harbored any other illusions, instantly deactivated its transformation, and kicked out with all four limbs. With the burst of power of 20 points of strength, it instantly lifted its entire body to the height of the treetop, then flapped its wings to gain lift and "catapulted into flight" at extremely low altitude.

　Fighting a green dragon in the jungle is the most unwise choice. Only by flying can you turn your three flying specialties into an advantage: generally speaking, no green dragon will master flying specialties when it is young.

　It deliberately flew a little slower and seemed slightly flustered.

　"Wow, it's an Iron Dragon! So the rumors that our lair is near the sacred land of the Iron Dragon are true?!"

　"Enough nonsense! Even if it were real, it's already destroyed! Now it's yours to handle. It's just a fledgling dragon. I'm sure you won't disappoint your mother, will you?"

　Amidst the scolding, a young green dragon, resembling a dark green giraffe calf with wings, with a large head, long neck, short tail, and long forelimbs, flew out of the jungle and chased after Casalos. The slightly older one, however, hid even better.

　Casalos flapped its wings in panic, fleeing towards the southwest valley against the jungle winds, but the headwind made it fly slower and slower.

　The young green dragon had no suspicions; it was normal for a fledgling dragon to run away from a young one. It slowly increased its altitude before accelerating and swooping down, catching up with the increasingly panicked Casalos in just a few thousand meters. It spread its wings fully to catch the airflow and slow down, then stretched out its hind claws to grab Casalos's neck.

　Just as it was about to touch, Casalos's indigo eyes narrowed, it half-folded its wings and turned into a diving posture, rolling to the left and using its hind claws to grab the young green dragon's outstretched claws, holding it firmly like steel pincers.

　A look of confusion flashed in the eyes of the young green dragon named Evar, but then he felt a tremendous force coming from his hind legs, and his confusion turned into panic.

　Let alone a teenager, even a green dragon in its adolescence is only about as strong as a normal iron dragon hatchling. Moreover, Casalos is slightly stronger than a normal iron dragon.

　The inexperienced young green dragon failed to utilize any of his advantages and was carelessly tricked by Casalos into a primal struggle, the outcome of which was predictable.

　The author says:

　Author's Note: ——————

　Last night I thought it was just from being tired, but it turned out to be the onset of a fever. Luckily, I slept it off and it wasn't the flu or anything.

　24. Green Dragon

　Casalos, in his tumbling motion, gripped Eibar's hind legs tightly, dragging and swinging them like a hammer.

　It was about the same size as the young green dragon, but weighed about 1.5 times as much and was more than twice as strong, leaving Evar with no chance to fight back and no opportunity to cast spells.

　Even a green dragon in its youth, with no prior experience, already possesses a level 1 spellcasting ability. This is Evar's greatest psychological support and practical advantage in daring to pursue the Iron Dragon hatchling alone. Unfortunately, it never unleashed any spells from beginning to end.

　His arrogance during the pursuit was fueled by Casalos's panicked escape, and once Casalos caught him, he lost his chance.

　It has neither the supermagic feat of being unaffected by spellcasting, nor the ability to cast silent or instant spells.

　After spinning the green dragon five times, seeing that its wings and neck were already straightened and drooping, rendering it incapacitated, Casalos stretched out its second hind leg, grabbed its neck, pulled it closer, and bit it.

Chapter 25

　The green dragon's relatively weak abdomen was torn open, and its stomach and intestines were ejected under high-speed rotation and abdominal pressure. Unlike other true dragons, the green dragons that live in the jungle do not have bony back plates and belly plates as solid vital defenses. The abdomen without bone protection is their fatal weakness.

　The young green dragon Evar howled and cried out for help to his older brother, while the slightly older green dragon Shakales remained hidden, whether intentionally or accidentally, it was unclear.

　Casalos steadied himself slightly, then plunged his entrenching shovel-like face into Eivar's abdominal cavity. He unleashed his long-charged dragon breath, and high-pressure, scorching electric sparks poured into the green dragon's mostly empty abdominal cavity, burning through the diaphragm and surging into its chest cavity, burning its heart, lungs, and basal blood vessels to ashes.

　Evar's screams abruptly ceased. Casalos glanced back at the direction where he had encountered the green dragon. Shakales still showed no sign of appearing, so he discarded the captured young green dragon's corpse, randomly chose a direction, swooped down into the jungle, transformed into a baboon, and quickly ran down the mountain.

　The green dragon parents will soon learn of their offspring's death. They may not grieve for their child's tragic demise, but they will certainly be enraged by Casalos's "intrusion" into their territory and his contempt for their authority, thus launching a hunt. Casalos needs to escape the green dragon territory as soon as possible.

　Appearing as a baboon, it runs and beats the trees it passes, occasionally picking up a few stones or branches to smash the treetops, deliberately startling a large number of birds. Then, when it finds an opportunity, it transforms into one of the cuckoos, takes off, and blends into the flock, heading south with them.

　Before they had flown far, two roars echoed from the east, and two black dots slowly appeared on the horizon, flying toward the direction where Evar's corpse was.

　Casalos had already drifted further and further away from the flock of birds. Unfortunately, this did not mean it had escaped the green dragon's pursuit.