Empire Of Souls 139 Next Steps 4

"Father, I can't wait to see you tear that monster up. This time we will surely be victorious!"

"Yes, we will finally take full control of the Steppes and grow strong enough that none can shake our rule. Maybe then we can even expand further and bring more dragons into our clan. Who knows father, perhaps it won't be long until you ascend to G.o.dhood and then you can create your own pantheon. One with only dragons!"

The Black Dragon King smiled at the enthusiasm his two youngest children showed.

"It isn't that simple, becoming a G.o.d is far more difficult than you can imagine. It could take thousands of years, especially for a dragon. I have already been at this step for several thousand years as it is. Well, I am not far. Anyway, enough of this talk. We still have some friends to entertain."

"Father, must we really lower ourselves to deal with these Barbarians? With you here, who would dare defy us?" asked the gaudy young dragon.

"Hmm, it's not so simple. That monster is stronger than expected and we will need the help of these Barbarians. They are stubborn and they don't fully believe that their ancestors are dead. They still think they can treat with us on an equal level. It's fine to let them delude themselves for now. We need to be careful, two of your elder brothers were beaten badly and will take a long time to recover and your eldest brother and sister are protecting our home. I brought the two of you to gain some experience, just observe quietly."

"Tch, fine. OWW!"

Once more the young male dragon was smacked in the back of his head by his sister causing him to reel in pain.

"Just follow father's orders and shut it!"

"Alright, that's enough you two. Let's go meet with the chiefs of these tribes."

The group of dragons didn't delay any longer. None of the Barbarians had gotten close to the dragons when they landed and had kept a wide berth from them. They were too afraid to approach and as the dragons walked through the camp, they made sure to leave a clear path for them. It wasn't long before they arrived at the Chief's tent and entered with fearsome steps and a powerful presence. This greatly intimidated all around them.

These Barbarian tents were crude and made of some unknown beast's hide and held together with long, thin pieces of wood. They were tied together with rope and were decorated in a variety of colors and hand paintings. Their civilization was a relatively low level of development, but they were a powerful group that shouldn't be underestimated. They also had significant wealth in their possession due to raiding and the extensive trade done with foreigners. The Steppes did not lack for resources because of this, it was just that they were a people who preferred fighting to anything else.

After entering the chief's tent, the dragons fanned out around the Dragon King and faced off against the Barbarians within. Barbarians were a diverse group of species and these Barbarians were mixed between Orcs, Humans, and various Werebeast People. The Werebeasts appeared to be various humanoid catlike, vermin, and canine people. The group a.s.sembled here were the most powerful members of the tribes gathered here, the commanders and other chiefs of both small and large tribes. They were all master cla.s.s beings except for their chief who was radiating an aura of a Legendary being. He was the only one seated, but he rose when the Dragon King entered.

"Haha, it seems you have recently broken through! Difficult times produce heroes, don't they?" Laughed the Dragon King.

Although it may have seemed like he was complimenting the chief, but in reality it was a laughter of contempt. A new Legendary being couldn't possibly get in his eyes, but he had to keep some semblance of pleasantries.

"Ah, I just recently broke through! If not for me expending so much effort to advance, then how could I take so long to a.s.semble my warriors? Of course, this delay has brought quite a fortuitous opportunity. The Harkul chief is dead and the Harkul are no more and now there is a ripe opportunity for my tribe. It is a good thing I took your advice and didn't head into those dangerous waters. With your support, it won't be long until I am the chieftain of the Horde!"

The chief didn't mind the contempt, he already knew that dragons were extremely arrogant and just the fact that the Dragon King had said this much was already showing him some respect. He didn't show any lack of respect towards the Dragon King. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

With a smile and nod of satisfaction, the Dragon King laughed once more.

"It is good you, Urkuul, know your place. Don't forget your promise to me. You will rule the Horde and you will worship me as your deity. Once I become a G.o.d, there will be a place for you in my pantheon when the time comes."

He may have said those words, but inwardly he was sneering.

'There is no place for savages like you among our n.o.ble kind. My heavenly kingdom will exist only for our superior race!'

It went without saying that he wouldn't share his true thoughts. Tools were meant to be tools and didn't need to concern themselves with the plans of those who wielded them.

"But there is something I do not understand." the chief of the Urkuul tribe's brow creased and he seemed as if there were something heavy on his mind.

The chief was not some young and inexperienced fool, he was an old sly Orc who had fought and schemed his way his entire life. Although he had publicly submitted to the Dragon King, this didn't mean that he didn't have his own concerns and ambitions in private.

Seeing his hesitation, the young son of the Dragon King grew frustrated, "Spit it out!"

His father raised his brow towards him but said nothing and waited for the chief to respond.

"It's just… I am a little concerned… I mean no disrespect, but the original plan has failed. The expeditionary army was defeated and there are… troubling rumors."

The Dragon King and dragon elders were composed but the younger dragons who included the Dragon King's own children lacked such a calm demeanor. When they saw the hesitation, and the chief's words which bordered on insubordination, they grew angry.

"How dare you speak to my father that way, you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!"

"Do you think that we can't kill every last one of you here right now!?"

"Ungrateful savages, you are only alive due to our lord's mercy!"

'SILENCE!" the Dragon King roared, silencing the group of dragons.

"They are young, don't mind them. It is true that the defeat of the expeditionary army is… unexpected to say the least, but it doesn't change much. If we can defeat that monster and his army of traitorous sc.u.m, we will certainly achieve our objective. If anything, this may even be a better situation. It will take a very long time for the G.o.ds to organize another expedition. By then I will have full control over all of the Steppes. How can they hope to defeat a united Horde with the aid of my Dragons and Dragonmen? Especially once I ascend!"

Once more, the chief carefully considered his words, "I do not doubt that you will be victorious! I only worry that once you are ready to ascend, will the G.o.ds truly allow it, given that their plan failed?"

The Dragon King snorted, "I did my part as best I could! There was never any mention of such a monster and I hadn't yet fully recovered to my full strength after my long sleep. How could I possibly be blamed for their loss? You do have a point though…"

Seeing that the Dragon King had conceded on something, the other dragons were surprised. Their King was excessively arrogant, but at this time he seemed different. Normally, he wouldn't even stoop to speaking to such lowly beings.

"It isn't so simple getting that last spark of insight to ascend, I can feel that within a few hundred years I will be able to do so. The loss was something unexpected and I did my part as best I could, so they can't put all the responsibility on my shoulders. This is a mess for them and there will be some bickering among the churches for a time. Perhaps sending emissaries to allay their fears would be wise. We can pledge to unite the Steppes in preparation for their return and use this opportunity for my ascension. At that time, we can negotiate with them further. There are only a few tricks they can do to try to stop me, but it won't be so simple for them."