That being the case, why did they not flee right away?
That was because they lacked the strength to do so. Their instincts told them that if they ran, they would be slain in a single blow from behind. Even so, the eyes of that black being reminded the Quagoa of their desire to live.
“OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
That roar seemed to come from deep beneath the earth. The Quagoa whimpered in response, and took several steps back.
And then, as though to seize the opportunity which had presented itself, another being identical to it appeared. And then—
“Hiiiiiii!”
One of the Quagoa screamed.
As they looked toward the owner of that voice, they saw their comrade who had lost his head.
He was dead. There was no doubt about that. However, his arms started moving, as though grasping for something. It was clearly not a spasm or anything like that.
The only conclusion they could draw was that the corpse was moving.
As though trapped into a nightmare, the still-living Quagoa found themselves imprisoned in a cage of fear.
Clang, clang, went the two massive suits of armor, and then they raised identical, bizarre swords: flamberges.
“So, according to the assault team’s report, they haven’t found a way to bring down the door yet, am I right?”
“Yes!”
The Quagoa whose pelt was streaked with red frowned as he listened to his underling’s report.
He was Yozu, commander of the Quagoa vanguard. He possessed a hide that was as tough as orichalcum and his resistance to metal weaponry was even greater than that of regular Quagoa. He was a superior member of his species, a Red Quagoa.
Yozu turned his eyes from his bowing subordinate to the fortress on the other side of the suspension bridge. Beyond the fortress was a tunnel, and after the tunnel was the Dwarven city.
After conquering it, they would have a good location for a base and all their competition for ores would also be eliminated at the same time.
The combination of expanded territory and an unprecedented haul of ores and minerals would make the Quagoa great.
Once that happened, the Quagoa would someday come to rule the entire mountain range.
“If only we could defeat those Dragons…”
Yozu looked around worriedly after accidentally blurting out his true thoughts.
If anyone reacted, they gave absolutely no sign.
That put Yozu somewhat at ease.
The Quagoa had taken the former Dwarven capital as their home base.
The Royal Palace still stood proud within the city, but it was now the domain of the White Dragon. He was a Frost Dragon, who could exhale freezing breath.
The Quagoa had forged an alliance with the Frost Dragons. However, anyone who knew even a little bit about the truth would know that this was nothing like a relationship of equals. The Clan Lord might have prettied it up by saying that it was for mutual co-prosperity and whatnot, but not even the Lord himself believed what he was saying.
The truth was that the Dragons were strong, and their servants, the Quagoa were weak.
To the Dragons, the Quagoa were little more than emergency rations or convenient pawns.
Yozu had once met the Dragons in the presence of the Lord of the Clans, and that was the impression he got after hearing the mighty voice which emanated from its massive jaw. He was also shocked at the sight of the Lord groveling before the Dragons.
He did not want to see a great hero reduced to that state, but Yozu was not stupid. He keenly understood the insurmountable difference between the might of the Dragons and the Quagoa.
Even so, he could not permit the Dragons to treat them like idiots.
…We can’t do anything about it now. If we fight that Dragon Lord, the Quagoa race (we) will suffer irrecoverable damage even if we win. But… someday.
He was not the only one holding that wish in his heart. All the Quagoa who had met the Dragons — in other words, all the upper-class Quagoa — had the same desire.
To begin with, they needed to find a way to become immune to freezing breath. If Quagoa like that were not born, they would take terrible losses.
The search for that way would take a lot of time.
Yozu swept away his dark emotions. Right now, he had to destroy the Dwarves. That had not been done yet. It would be foolish to let worrying about the future affect what he could do in the present.
Yozu summoned his subordinates.
“Oi, destroy the fortress and then see if we can widen the tunnel walls to let more people in. We need to prepare as much as possible before the main force—”
Suddenly, Yozu’s ears stood up. He thought he had heard a scream from somewhere.
No, it might not have been a scream. It might have been a threatening noise made by a monster. The problem with being underground was that it was very difficult to tell where sounds came from.
This time, however, he knew instantly.
That was because he saw the Quagoa from the assault team fleeing from the fortress while screaming at the top of their lungs.
A hubbub came from the Quagoa around Yozu.
Given the state of the Quagoa who had come back, it was very clear that they were terrified and confused. Several Quagoa even shoved their buddies from behind, and the latter tumbled into the Great Rift.
“What’s wrong? Is there an emergency?”
One of Yozu’s subordinates answered: “We’re not sure. Could it be a Dwarven counterattack?”
That was not possible. A Dwarven counterattack was well within the expected range of responses. It would not cause the assault teams to flee in panic.
It must have been some sort of special attack. Yozu had once heard that boiling oil was very painful.
“Gather the men and find out what’s going on. If it’s a Dwarven counterattack, continue the advance. We must not let them take the fortress back.”
Yozu’s men formed up into a company per his instructions, and they began crossing the bridge.
The screams continued during this time, and the assault team continued fleeing.
What were they running from? Was it the result of the mysterious power called magic?
As Yozu thought about the matter, a pair of silhouettes appeared at the door of the fortress.
They were big, black… somethings.
“—What, what are those? Giant Dwarves? Dwarf Lords?”
Yozu had never seen such beings before. Although he knew that the Dwarves used armor as part of their equipment, and that some sets of armor covered the entire body, what he saw now was completely different from what he had seen then.
In their right hands they carried wavy-bladed greatswords, while in their left they had massive shields.
Given that the Lord of the Clans was slightly different from regular Quagoa in appearance, the Dwarven Lords probably looked different from regular Dwarves.
Yozu did not know the true identity of the beings which stood at the entrance of the fortress like Nio statues[5]. However, his animal instincts told him that they were dangerous entities.
He also understood why the assault teams had fled from those monsters with all their might.
His subordinates around him were frozen in shock, the same way he was. The only beings that still moved were the Quagoa running from the fortress. They did not look back; their energies were fully focused on getting across the suspension bridge.
The black suits of armor roared.
Even at such a great distance, the cry ripped through the air and made his fur stand on end. Yozu’s guts clenched and turned cold. It was like feeling a Dragon’s roar through his entire body.