The World Dragon's Heir

When they reached the road, there was a small group of Mechanical horse riders present, speaking with the scouts in an urgent tone too quiet to be understood from a distance. The animated hand gestures on both sides said that they were in agreement, and it was not an agreement about something good.

"Hey, Dominic, you’re from the city, right? Come over here for a moment. The city is talking about shutting the gates for the next few days, or even a week. So if you want to get home, you should do it now." The scout called when they approached.

"So they have heard the news?" Dominic asked, running over to the mechanical horses.

"Not yet. They have been seeing numerous attacks on the farms and the outlying areas, so they’re considering closing the gates to keep the city’s civilians out of the way while they deal with the issue. We were sent to the town to inform them, and now we’re on the way back to let the Nobles know that things are getting ugly out here." One of the riders informed him.

Dominic looked to Wiz and Bella, who just shrugged. The choice was up to him, but they would obviously be staying at Wiz’s place. With all that was going on, Bella wouldn’t be accompanying the caravan on its next leg.

Assuming it was planning to leave the village at all.

"The caravan you came with isn’t leaving the town for another week at a minimum. They decided, after all the reports of attacks, it was time to take a little break and get everything polished up and ready." The rider added.

Well, that settled that question.

"I should get back to work. If there really is something big going on, they’re going to need tools and supplies much more than one spell caster. Plus, I need to prepare for the Royal Apprentice Intake Exams, and that requires more time to actually work in the forge.

Just stay safe, and don’t do anything dumb while I’m gone. You know, like charging an Ogre alone." Dominic joked.

Wiz smiled. "I’ll bring Bella with me for sure. Don’t worry, we won’t be headed out on any patrols until we get the news that the problem is solved. My parents are a Farmer and a Garden Witch, they’re not fighters, and I couldn’t bear to leave them exposed right now."

That explained why he was intent on getting so powerful but was still at home and not adventuring like others as well-trained as he was normally would be.

"Well, if you need a ride, hop on up here, and I will run you back to the city. What part do you need to go to?" One of the riders asked.

"I’m Pop’s apprentice, the smith by the staging area." he replied.

"Really now? That’s perfect, we were going to the staging area anyhow. That will be the first spot that needs the news, so we wanted to tell them before we let the Nobles know." The leader of the riders informed her.

"Alright. Let’s go then." Dominic agreed, and took the rider’s hand to toss himself up on the horse.

"I forgot how easy that is with someone who’s not in... wait, you are in full armour. How light are you without it?" The rider asked.

"I’m not some muscle-bound giant of a soldier. Plus, good armour is light and doesn’t tire you out just wearing it for the day." Dominic shrugged.

The riders took off, ending their banter with the need to hold on to the mechanical horse as it raced through the woods along the rough road.

Crossing that terrain made Dominic appreciate the strange contraptions a little more. They were far smoother to ride than the carriages, thanks to their ability to step over bumps and potholes in the dirt road, and when they weren’t escorting a convoy they were remarkably fast.

The way that the gears worked together, activated from a complex set of camshafts that adjusted the gait, was a marvel of engineering, and while they were technically a magical device, the magic only kept them moving, the rest was all mechanical actuation.

In short, he wanted one.

He really wanted one.

Dominic intended to find out how much they would cost when he got back to the city, but if his estimate were right, it would be most of a year’s wages for a blacksmith, even if he kept taking the escort missions once the city was sending out convoys again.

The only other option would be to learn to make one of them himself, but that wasn’t realistic unless he could either get himself enrolled in one of the universities or sneak into their library to copy the plans.

Perhaps Pops could hook him up with a little something to make some side money. He had been the one to recommend that Dominic take this trip, so there were likely more ways to make money that he didn’t know about yet.

As they approached the city, an ongoing battle between the Cygnia City guards and a swarm of Goblins was blocking the road, and a pair of Ogres in the distance could be seen giving orders.

"That’s the craziest thing that I’ve ever seen. Since when do Ogres and Goblins get along?" The soldier that Dominic was riding behind muttered.

"We saw another one today. It attacked that patrol you met on the road. We took it down, but even with half a patrol, we could barely keep it restrained until it died." Dominic replied.

"Well, the city guards have a bit more advanced gear. The Noble Officers have high-pressure rifles, higher level Enhancement Orbs and some powerful magic items. I’m pretty sure they can take care of them well enough.

What I don’t understand is why there are so many of them, and why they’re all here. I hope you’ve got a gun ready, there isn’t room for a bow when you’re riding second seat."

Dominic chuckled and shook his head.

"I’m a Sorcerer, I attack with magic." he replied, startling the rider.

"Well, that’s a bit shocking. I heard that you were a blacksmith."

"I’m that too. Trade skills and innate magic don’t always match up evenly. But give me some time, and I’ll make good use of them both."

The riders moved into a wedge formation, with the lead five riders taking out extendable lances from the side packs on the horses and charging through the Goblin force, while the rear five shot down everything that was getting back up.

Dominic fired [Arcane Blast] and lamented the fact that he couldn’t reach them to loot them. It felt a bit petty to consider that in this circumstance, but the need to get what he could, while he could, was trained bone deep. Plus, Pops would want as much of the copper from their daggers as he could get.

The horses came to a sliding stop as the ground seemed to explode in front of them. Dominic searched around for a shaman, but he couldn’t see the trademark bone necklaces and feathered ornaments of the goblin spell casters.

Then another explosion hit only a dozen metres to their left, and he realized what was happening. The city was firing cannons at the goblins, and they didn’t care enough to avoid firing toward the inbound riders.

"Get in past the guard lines as fast as you can." The team leader ordered, pushing his steed forward, running over the Goblins as he advanced.

The riders were kicking goblins away as they charged, doing their best to avoid being unhorsed. It was going fairly well, right until they reached the front ranks and realized that the guard wasn’t going to part for them to pass through.

"Dismount and fight your way clear!"

Dominic pulled his goggles down over his eyes and lifted his feet to stand on the mechanical steed, then launched himself over the front rank of mechanical horses with a dagger in each hand. The Goblins there were already unbalanced, and if he played his cards right, he could not only stab one to death, but also be the first to loot the corpses.

The unfortunate Goblin had no chance when a pair of daggers dug into its back, and Dominic landed on the soft, but filthy, pile of corpses.

There was definitely loot to be had, so he didn’t try to run between the guardsmen right away, and instead turned down the line, unleashing an [Arcane Blast] into a Hobgoblin, then slicing at his knee tendons, the same as he had done to the Ogre.

Against the weaker monster, the tactic was brutally effective. The Hobgoblin’s legs both collapsed, sending it to its knees, while the guard it had been battling crushed its skull with a war hammer.

That was his tactic of the day. Slice and loot, cripple the enemy and keep moving so they couldn’t break free from their opponent to fight him.