"Are we going to war with the Bloodhoof Clan?"
Under the twilight glow, the red dragon Samantha's eyes seed to flicker with flas as she asked excitedly.
All red dragons were warmongers at heart. She longed to tear open enemy chests with her claws and listen to their desperate wails.
"We can't leave threats unresolved before the dragon sleep."
The red iron dragon narrowed his eyes. "The Bloodhoof Clan poses a danger to us. We can't ignore them."
"While Sorog is sleeping in Dragon Valley, I can assist you in commanding the vassal army." The red dragon licked the keratin on her lower jaw. "Let's gather the vassal forces and crush them in one sweep, showing those vermin the might of dragons."
Playing with ants could no longer satisfy Samantha.
She wanted real war.
Garoth looked toward the Bloodhoof Clan's territory. "For the Bloodhoof Clan to rise in the borderlands, they must have exceptional strengths. We must approach this carefully."
He clearly understood the Bloodhoof Clan wasn't like the minor clans they'd encountered before.
The minotaurs had their own pastures and mineral veins, multiple strongholds, and even deployed sky-watching spells to guard against aerial threats.
Currently lacking intelligence,
blindly charging at the Bloodhoof stronghold with the vassal army would be unwise.
Even if they crushed their forces, failing to eliminate the Bloodhoof leaders and chieftain would lead to endless guerrilla warfare troubles later.
"Samantha, refine 95 purity black oil for ."
Garoth turned to Samantha.
High-quality black oil was a controlled resource, with its value tied to purity. Caravans typically brought 90 purity black oil - each percentage increase beyond that beca exponentially harder to obtain. The highest purity they could provide was 94, only two barrels, with no channels for anything beyond.
However, after acquiring proper alchemy tools from the last caravan,
the red dragon alchemist's refining skills had improved, allowing her to upgrade 94 purity to 95.
Higher purity black oil provided Garoth more potent energy per unit volu while being less prone to saturation overload - effectively his personal 'magic potion'.
Most human adventurers consud potions to enhance themselves before battle.
But for dragons' massive bodies and drug resistance, most potions were prohibitively expensive yet barely effective, hence rare to see dragons using them. Garoth, however, had black oil as his special enhancer.
"Those advanced alchemical golems supposedly run on 99 or even perfect purity black oil in their energy channels. I must taste that soday."
Garoth mused.
Following his orders, ogres carried the precious two barrels of 94 purity black oil from the cellar.
"Refining 95 purity requires a furnace. Crucibles only work below 95."
Samantha explained. "My alchemical furnace is in the workshop at Sulfur Hills. It'll take so ti."
"Then go imdiately with the black oil." Garoth nodded.
But Samantha didn't leave right away. "Brother, didn't you obtain an array disk from those dragon hunters earlier?"
Her wisdom surfaced. "Have the vassal army engage the Bloodhoof warriors while we drag their leader into the duel space."
"Even without Sorog, three dragons ganging up would guarantee his death."
The faerie dragon Vira suddenly appeared from nowhere. "Four dragons! Don't forget ! I can use illusions."
She then turned to the white dragon Trixie, grinning. "Big one, I'm Vira, third among the Ignas brothers."
The faerie dragon always identified as one of the Ignas brothers.
The white dragon gave the tiny dragon a surprised look, never expecting a dinsional dragon in Dragon Valley. Regardless of strength, faerie dragons were rarer than gold dragons in the Material Plane.
"A runt like you? One hoof stomp from a minotaur would flatten you. Stay out of trouble."
Garoth dismissed.
"Don't underestimate ! I've beco a Dreamweaver Sorceress - this class was practically made for !"
Vira declared proudly.
To keep up with her Ignas brothers, she'd chosen the Dreamweaver Sorceress path, succeeding easily thanks to her innate talents.
As she spoke,
the faerie dragon shook her body, using her scale powder as dium to suddenly expand into a massive dragon over twenty ters long - even larger than Trixie.
She snarled nacingly with earth-shaking roars, an imposing sight indeed.
Until Garoth's tail poked her, deflating the giant form like a burst balloon back to kitten-sized miniature.
"Though illusions shatter upon touch, the lifelike quality... had I not seen the transformation, I might have been fooled. You could indeed be useful."
Garoth considered.
The faerie dragon's illusions wouldn't fare well in direct combat, but used unexpectedly at the right mont, they could achieve remarkable effects.
"What was that for?!"
The reverted faerie dragon spun around angrily.
"You may join, but must follow my commands absolutely."
Garoth's words made her beam with joy.
He told Samantha, "The duel array disk is single-use. I don't want to waste it on so borderland minotaur when it holds greater value."
After his juvenile dragon sleep, Garoth's power would surge again.
Enemies like the Bloodhoof Clan would beco insignificant then, but they weren't the borderlands' true rulers, and the Permafrost Tundra's chaos warranted caution.
The array disk should be saved for more critical monts.
Its spatial barrier wasn't indestructible, but if opponents couldn't breach it in one strike, they'd be trapped in dilemma. Garoth could still use it post-sleep.
"True, not worth wasting on minotaurs."
Samantha agreed.
She then lifted the two barrels of 94 purity oil and flew toward Sulfur Hills.
Previously there, she'd dug pits to ignite sulfur with dragonfire, creating sustained flas for her alchemical furnace.
With the furnace and so blueprints,
she could attempt larger alchemical creations.
But having acquired them recently, ti constraints prevented any completed projects yet.
This Dragon Valley visit was partly to personally share the furnace's successful setup with Garoth.
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