Chapter 74: The Dwarf High King, Jandres 1 |
The Goblin Duchy, Blackrock Pass.
The once-sturdy fortress walls were now riddled with massive craters and scorch marks. The Dwarf High King, Jandres Stonegrip, sat astride the back of a giant iron-feathered eagle with an astonishing wingspan. Clad in gleaming mithril heavy armor etched with glowing runes, the gaze visible through the slit of his helmet burned with a cold fury, like steel fresh from the quenching forge.
Jandres looked down upon the battlefield below. His Dwarven army, those tenacious children of the mountains, surged like a torrent of molten lava, wave after wave crashing against the hastily erected Goblin defensive lines.
The Goblins far outnumbered the Dwarves, holding the advantage in sheer quantity.
At the center of their formation, one colossal figure stood out.
A war golem, assembled from rusted steel, massive gears, and an alchemical boiler belching thick smoke.
It stood thirty feet tall, its heavy steps making the earth tremble. Each swing of its thick arms could send several Dwarven warriors flying like ragdolls. The searing steam blasts and scattering explosive bolts spewing from its chest inflicted horrific casualties on the Dwarven infantry.
This steel behemoth had become the backbone and pillar of confidence for the Goblin army. Countless Goblins swarmed around it, emitting piercing cheers, using vicious poisoned crossbow bolts and crude explosives to hinder the Dwarves' advance.
"Alchemical golems! Too many! Where did they get so many alchemists?!"
For the better part of this year fighting the Goblins, alchemical golems had emerged from their ranks endlessly. At first, they were simple golems for mining and such, but later, even these war golems appeared, posing a massive obstacle to the Dwarven army.
Not only that, the combat quality of the Goblin army was rising, and their logistical supplies of food and fodder were uninterrupted, making it impossible for the Dwarves to end this war quickly.
All of this pointed to one thing.
Humans.
King Jandres's gaze turned icy, harboring a peculiar sentiment towards humans.
"For the mountains! For our fallen kin!"
Amidst the chaotic battlefield, King Jandres's voice, deep as thunder, pierced through the cacophony, clearly reaching the ears of every Dwarven warrior below, injecting renewed strength into their weary bodies.
He saw that alchemical golem. It was this very thing that had held his elite legion at bay for three full days, causing countless brave Dwarves to fall on the charge.
Now, it was time.
"Screech!"
The giant iron-feathered eagle suddenly let out a piercing cry. Receiving its master's will, its massive wings snapped tight.
The man and eagle plunged like a black meteor, suddenly tearing through the murky air, diving straight for the alchemical golem strutting at the center of the battlefield!
Their speed was so great it left a blurred afterimage in the air.
The Goblins below spotted this deadly aerial threat, and panicked shouts erupted.
Crossbowmen around the golem frantically raised their weapons. Poisoned bolts and crude explosive arrows shot skyward like a swarm of locusts.
The iron-feathered eagle deftly twisted its body, its tough feathers deflecting most of the attacks. The few that hit were easily blocked by Jandres's armor, producing crisp clanging sounds.
The altitude was dropping rapidly!
Five hundred feet, three hundred feet, one hundred feet!
Just as the golem's ferocious head came into view, its heat-blasting cannon ports beginning to swivel and aim at the uninvited guest in the sky, King Jandres suddenly stood up on the eagle's back!
"Perish!"
A war cry that shook the heavens erupted!
King Jandres's leg muscles bulged, and his body, imbued with the strength of mountains, leaped without hesitation from over fifty feet in the air!
He gripped a massive warhammer wreathed in dancing arcs of lightning with both hands.
The Dwarven treasure, the Forgehammer of Thunder!
In that moment, time seemed to freeze. All eyes on the battlefield were involuntarily drawn to that golden figure wrapped in lightning, plummeting rapidly from the sky!
Gravity and acceleration bestowed unparalleled kinetic energy.
Jandres calculated the landing point with precision—right at the core boiler of the golem, protected by layers of thick steel plates!
"BOOM—!!!"
Like heavenly thunder striking the mortal realm!
A deafening roar overwhelmed all other sounds on the battlefield!
The Forgehammer of Thunder, carrying the full force of Jandres's body, the power of his descent, and the unmatched fury of the Dwarf King, slammed squarely into the chest core of the alchemical golem!
"CRACK! SCREECH—!"
The sound of rending metal erupted!
The thick armor shattered like fragile eggshells. Blinding arcs of lightning instantly coursed through the golem's entire body. The internal gears, pipes, and boilers exploded under the unimaginable impact!
"BOOM!"
Scalding steam mixed with pungent alchemical fuel and metal shards erupted violently from every seam of the golem's body like a volcanic eruption!
The massive steel construct shuddered violently, emitting one final roar like a dying beast, then completely lost its supporting structure. Its colossal body disintegrated with a thunderous crash!
Huge chunks of burning, smoking steel rained down on the surrounding Goblin positions like a landslide, causing even greater chaos and screams.
The explosion at the core location sent out a wave of scorching heat, tearing dozens of nearby Goblins to shreds.
At the center of the battlefield, amidst the swirling dust and smoke, the figure of King Jandres landed steadily on the ground, kneeling on one knee, the Forgehammer of Thunder deeply embedded in the charred earth.
He slowly raised his head. His gaze, sharp as a blade from beneath his helmet, swept over the Goblin army, now plunged into massive panic having lost their central pillar.
After a brief, deathly silence came the mountain-shaking, ocean-roaring roars of the Dwarven warriors!
"For the High King!!!"
"The Wrath of the Mountains!!!"
"......"
The Goblins, having lost their golem, completely collapsed.
Their powerful weapon, on which their survival depended, was destroyed in an instant. Their proud numerical advantage became utterly useless before the Dwarven heavy infantry's overwhelming charge and the flames of vengeance.
Goblin overseers tried to maintain order but were swallowed by the green tide of fleeing troops. The Dwarven warriors, like unyielding rocks grinding over fragile dunes, hacked with battle-axes and smashed with heavy hammers, completely shredding the Goblin defenses.
Rout!
A one-sided rout!
The Dwarven army marched over the burning wreckage of the golem, crushing the remaining resistance like a steel tide, chopping down the black flag symbolizing Goblin occupation from the highest point of Blackrock Pass.
The Dwarven banner, etched with mountains and an anvil, rose proudly once more amidst the choking smoke of gunpowder, declaring the return of this strategic stronghold.
Standing atop this section of the wall, however, Jandres felt deeply troubled.
While they had captured cities and territories over these past months, the Goblin Duke himself remained unseen. This meant his carefully prepared eagle knights had been rendered useless, unable to swiftly end the war.
Now dragged into this quagmire, who knew how long it would last.
Just as Jandres was about to relax and savor this victory, a dust-covered Dwarven scout hurriedly reported, "Y-Your Majesty! Eastern Sea Port... urgent news from Eastern Sea Port!"
Jandres frowned slightly. "What about Eastern Sea Port?"
"Dragons! Five evil dragons! They raided Eastern Sea Port!"
The scout reported in a low voice, "Commander Hogg's Seventeenth Legion... it's finished! The barracks are a sea of flames, the treasury has been looted clean! Over five thousand of our kin... all captured by those winged reptiles! They tied up our brethren like livestock, loaded them onto ships! The port has been reduced to ruins and scorched earth, Your Majesty!"
"What?!"
Jandres exploded with rage. A terrifying aura of pressure suddenly radiated from him, instantly silencing the celebrating Dwarven warriors around him, their joy of victory evaporating completely.
He hadn't taken these dragons seriously at first, but he never imagined the dragon horde's claws would strike at the richest jewel of his kingdom while his main forces were deeply mired in the southern war!
Thinking of this, Jandres issued his command without hesitation, "Blackrock Pass is to be held by General Stoneguard. The main legion will withdraw immediately to Anvil Fortress for rest and await orders! Mobilize all the kingdom's eagle knights! Follow me to find the lair of those evil dragons and track the whereabouts of our captured kin!"
The eagle knights were the elite army Jandres had cultivated for over a decade.
Each one was a warrior of formidable strength.
Years ago, during his northern campaign in the Karugu Highlands, Jandres defeated the Giant Eagles that dominated the highlands and captured a large number of eagle eggs. He then began breeding Giant Eagles to form this knightly order.
Now numbering over fifty, they were the most elite warriors among the Dwarves. They were Jandres's trump card against the Goblin Duke, originally intended for a decapitation strike. But now that those evil dragons dared to act so brazenly, Jandres decided to deploy the eagle knights against them!
"My Dwarven Kingdom will not tolerate our kin being enslaved! Once assembled, we depart immediately to rescue every one of our brothers and sisters! We will wash away today's shame with the blood of those reptiles!"
