From the look of things now, Orion and Gareth are naturally the best allies for each other. Both of them had come here with the intention of forging a partnership. After that would come Jorik and Ironhoof—those two were also potential allies.
Among them, Lord Jorik had a blood tie to that white dragon. As a core figure in this, there was no way they could just leave him out. And so Orion and Gareth waited by the river for Jorik for half a month.
Finally, on a certain day, a dragon roar came from the sky and landed on the opposite bank of the river. Explore more adventures at
"You've asked me here—what do you want to know?"
Lord Jorik wasn't dumb; he'd already guessed some of what Orion and Gareth had on their minds. Orion and Gareth exchanged looks.
Orion spoke calmly, though there was a serious note in his voice.
"Lord Jorik, we'd like to know what the ultimate goal is for this southward campaign. Where exactly are we headed? Who's the enemy? When does it end?"
Time, place, and enemy—those were the questions Orion and Gareth cared about most.
Once Orion finished, Jorik went quiet for a while. Maybe he was deciding how much to say. Eventually, he spoke in a subdued tone.
"Our goal is to keep pushing all the way to the far south. If you reach your limit along the way and want to pull out, I don't think my ancestor will force you to stay."
"As for the enemy, down in the south there's a group of humans called the Utessar Kingdom. As for how long this war will last, nobody can say."
"But here's one thing you can count on: as long as the war keeps going, the dark beast tides won't hit. That's what my ancestor and a demigod have agreed on. This southward march is an opportunity for all of us. The land down there is far more fertile, and I imagine you don't want to stay in these frigid northern regions forever, right? It's cold, and resources are scarce."
Orion fell silent, frowning slightly, eyes half-closed. Jorik had laid out so much new information that he didn't quite know where to begin. Orion had originally assumed that Frostsire's territory wouldn't be too far, and that maybe the fighting would only last through four or five territories. Clearly, he had underestimated both Frostsire's determination and his abilities.
From what Jorik shared, Orion could already visualize that the coming conflict was basically a sprawling north-south war, involving everyone on this continent. No race or realm would be able to avoid it.
Across the river, Gareth was likewise stunned. She remained speechless for a long time.
"Lord Jorik," Orion said at last, "to be blunt, even if the three of us join forces, we can probably punch through three to five territories before losing too many troops and having to turn back."
He was probing for information on whether other allies might join them. Jorik shook his head, responding in a firm, almost exuberant tone:
"It's not just you. Any lord who doesn't want to remain in the north will sign on for this war. As long as we reclaim my ancestor's territory, you can seize whatever else you want to the south.
"This is an opportunity for us all—think of it as a giant wave, and we're just drops of water within it."
The more Lord Jorik spoke, the more excited he became, as if he could already see himself back in his ancestral land, slumbering in a field of blossoms.
"Lord Jorik, if that's the case, we propose that the three of us form an alliance," Gareth chimed in. "We stand or fall together. That'd give us a better shot at survival while cutting down on our losses when wiping out enemy forces."
This was exactly what everyone had in mind. Orion and Gareth wanted Jorik as an ally so they wouldn't be on their own.
Meanwhile, Jorik needed them as allies because, in all honesty, both the quality and quantity of the troops he could muster were lacking. He needed solid partners to reinforce his status as a direct descendant of Frostsire.
That, in fact, was why Jorik had come all this way and shared intel with Orion and Gareth.
"I don't object. I came here precisely because of you two."
Lord Jorik agreed to the alliance.
"I'm also in," Orion said. Having Jorik serving as a link between them and the white dragon Frostsire was clearly a good thing. In such a massive war, not having allies would likely mean an early exit—and the loss of any potential benefits.
Thus, beside that little river, Orion, Jorik, and Gareth signed an equal contract. Afterward, their three armies began drawing closer to each other, gradually merging forces.
Meanwhile, over on the Desolate Plains, the centaur Khan Ironhoof sensed that Orion, Jorik, and Gareth were converging. He, too, made his way toward them.
Ultimately, before this group had even left Thunderwood Forest, the centaur Khan Ironhoof joined up.
Now four Legendary level leaders were working together: a giant, a centaur, a half-dragon, and a glacial dragon. They brought a lot of troops, too.
Orion had his cannon fodder troops and cave spider armies; Gareth had her scorpion squads and fiend serpent forces; Jorik had his icefield snow wolves and snow monsters; Ironhoof had his centaur armies and ogre cohorts. Notably, the centaur armies had some aerial combat ability, which made for a neat complement.
Seeing these three Legendary plus one glacial dragon stand united—amassing an army of nearly 3000K troops—Jorik's confidence surged. As they neared the insectoid territory, Jorik almost hoped that bug-lord would put up some resistance, so this allied force could show off its strength.
But Lokiviria, the insectoid lord, turned out to be quite tactful and had already prepared to head south with them. However, Lokiviria was at middle Legendary level and refused to follow Jorik, who was weaker. So the insectoid lord did not actually join this alliance.
Insectoids never form alliances with those they view as weaker. From Lokiviria's standpoint, he was following Frostsire, not Jorik.
Which explained why, in a temporary tent soon afterward, Jorik looked anything but pleased.