Chapter 96 21. Horizontal Roller
"These tadpoles in the hatching pool may be Lizardman Cold Lizard Riders. They are about to grow up." Chupakoko introduced.
Lizardmen are one of the core species of lizardmen created by the Old Ones, bred from a prehistoric crocodile or alligator discovered in the swamps of primeval Lustria. More intelligent than their crocodile ancestors, Lizardmen can walk upright on their powerful hind legs, freeing their arms to wield brutal and heavy weapons, but this also deprives them of the speed and swiftness of the crocodiles' four legs.
From the moment a lizardfolk emerges from the pool, battle is ingrained into their brains. They are not born individually, but as a cohort, a complete military unit, and they will fight side by side for the rest of their lives.
Born together, the lizardmen share the same coloring and markings, as if copied and pasted. They share a common mindset, so single-minded in their duties that they lack any concept of thought or individuality. They are governed by a strange, unspoken synchronization pattern, turning and ambushing as one, without any verbal command.
On weekdays, Lizardmen are responsible for protecting the temple city. When war breaks out, Lizardmen are the core combat units. They are 2.4 meters tall with a hunched back and can become cold-blooded and ruthless predators.
Cold Lizard Riders and Temple Guards are subspecies of Lizardmen, and the numbers bred in the hatching pools are extremely rare. Even rarer than the first two are Scarred Veterans and Ancient Blood Warriors. From the moment they are born, their unique scale patterns and pale, bleached skin predestines them to be extraordinary.
After watching from a distance for a moment, Darkus left. He didn't ask about the drop rate or anything like that. He wasn't an Archdruid who could magically transform every tadpole in the pond into a giant white lizard with a wave of his hand. He had to be reasonable.
He went to the Pyramid of Kotego again, but to no avail. Daxus even touched the statue of Kotego despite the protests of the Skink Priest, but it didn't activate anything or his body turned into a little sun.
"I'm not the only one who specializes in Behemoths, am I? Or the one who can't control Tyrannosaurus Rex? What about Quetzalcoatl, Deinonychus, and Thunder Dragon?"
Darkus shrugged helplessly at Chupakoko and spread his hands, showing Master Ma, who was observing him through Chupakoko's eyes. Last night's conversation had finally made him understand why Master Ma had nonsensically invited him to take a bath the first time they met. It seemed Master Ma had been observing him since the moment he arrived in Lustria.
There was nothing more to see next, so Daxus went to the Grand Market to meet up with the Duruchi. He found an opportunity to sternly warn the beast trainers, led by Kallion, once again not to pray to Anes Lema on the continent of Lustria. If they attracted the attention of the Wild Hunting Goddess and received an oracle ordering the beast trainers to capture and hunt behemoths, they would have to bear the consequences themselves, and he would not care.
Chupakoko led the Duruchi up a high bridge tower. The tower was so high, almost as tall as the observatory of the distant Southern Star Pyramid. Nests atop the pterosaur hatchery held numerous pterosaur eggs. These eggs were also brought back by Skink bounty hunters, who ventured into nests high on the mountain cliffs or from the treetops hundreds of meters above the ground. Of course, bounty hunters would also capture pterosaur hatchlings directly if they had the chance.
Pterosaurs often glide through the air, rarely flapping their wings, instead using the warm air rising from the jungle to keep them afloat without getting tired. They can remain airborne for days on end, and many Pterosaur Skink Riders serve as messengers and scouts.
They also possess considerable combat prowess. On the battlefield, they serve as the Lizardmen's vanguard, their Skinks and Wyverns merging into one, unleashing deadly poison-laced javelins or fire-leech slings. Skilled riders can harass larger armies before direct confrontation, gradually weakening them before swooping down and annihilating them in one fell swoop.
The trainers rode the pterosaur for a few laps in the sky, mainly to let Kaleen evaluate and experience the pterosaur. He performed several lateral rolls and turning stunts in the sky, sometimes pulling up high and sometimes diving low.
"Isn't he afraid of overload? Why doesn't he do a Cobra maneuver?"
Other pterosaurs circled above Dacus's head, and the cubs chirped around him. He fed them with dried meat, just like feeding pigeons in the square.
Chupakoko was next to Darkus, making fun of Kallion's poor flying ability. He said that the pterosaur's huge and tough wings were surprisingly agile, allowing it to fly at full speed in the dense jungle and easily avoid obstructions such as branches, vines and trees. He suggested that Kallion try flying in the jungle.
Kallion's feedback was very good. He believed that this ferocious flying predator with a sharp beak and claws and a mouth full of sharp teeth like steel needles was more flexible than the dark Pegasus and faster than the manticore, and was very suitable for Duruchi.
After resting for a while, Kallion took the trainers back into the sky on pterosaurs. He wanted to try pterosaur formation flying.
Daxus, the other Drukis, and Genevieve stayed on the high bridge. The Drukis and the Midnight Noble looked at the scenery of Hesiota, the horizon where the jungle met the sky in the distance, and felt the scenery of the continent of Lustria, while he was holding a stone map and studying the next route.
The next day was relatively simple. Thanks to the elves' physique and the magical powder prepared by the spirit lizards, the wounded and sick recovered.
He began gathering supplies; the journey ahead was long. He stocked up on dried meats, Skink powder, insect repellent, and other supplies. Daquus didn't visit the weaponsmith area; the Lizardmen's clubs and sawswords wouldn't be useful to the Drukki; they were too heavy to swing. However, he did stockpile javelins, spears, and Skink scale-skin shields.
In the square of the Southern Star Pyramid, the good brothers Chupakoko and Pichipochi hugged each other and said goodbye again in a hissing and clicking voice.
Weapons, gold-inlaid stone tablets and baggage were all ready and placed on wooden racks on the backs of the Dark Ankylosaurus and the Ancient Triceratops.
The Drukis were still the same old faces, Daquus, the three Takia siblings, Elmir, Genevieve, Walter and Baine.
The team of animal trainers led by Kallion and pirates led by the captain of the Black Ark Pirates were only missing one pirate. Perhaps the long journey and battles to come would result in even greater losses.
On the lizardman side, the heavenly spirit priest Chupakoko and the ancient blood warrior Tiga led the team.
Tiga did not ride a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Behind him were about thirty spirit lizards who served him specifically. He was responsible for commanding two teams of 100 lizardmen warriors.
A group of sixteen giant monitors and one hundred skinks were commanded by Chupakoko, along with two hundred-man skink skirmishers and ten pterosaur riders.
Mazdamuddi floated out of the observatory on a carriage and looked down at the team in the square from the Southern Sky Star Pyramid.
By this time the Chupacoco brothers had finished saying their goodbyes.
Mazdamundi raised his hands, the yellow light in his eyes growing brighter.
The next second, Dacus's team appeared in the square of Pahkos. His heart trembled uncontrollably, not because he was surprised by Shilan's great power, but because of the power of destiny!
In the City of Ashes, there is a powerful being or something waiting for Dacus in Pahkos.