Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Poison Dragon Swamp blended seamlessly into a marshy jungle, marking the boundary between the swamp and Half-Moon Lake. It was here that Orion and Slagor were about to part ways.

"I'm giving you one month," Orion said. "You can move your family and some of your young folk to Blackstone City. From now on, Poison Dragon Swamp will be a hunting ground—just a temporary base."

He gazed at the marsh before him. It was his territory. Slagor's first task upon returning to the swamp would be a full-scale migration, and his second task would be taking stock of their resources.

"As for the neighbors to the east, ignore them for now," Orion continued. "Once I reach Legendary level—and if they try invading my territory—then I'll pay them a visit."

He looked toward the east, where, beyond the endless marshes, lived a tribe of centaurs long at odds with Slagor's lizardfolk.

Slagor, being the cautious sort, had set his home in the swamp's center to avoid direct clashes with the centaurs, who disliked venturing too deep into the marsh.

"Don't worry," said Slagor. "I've got experience moving people to the Black Forest."

Orion rolled his eyes, at a loss for how to respond. With a quick wave, he dismissed Slagor.

"Have those little ravens sent out a return signal yet?" Orion asked, turning to Lilith, who happened to be talking to one of the broadskull ravens.

"The birds have already passed along our message," Lilith replied. "My sister's scouting team over on the southern edge of the Black Forest won't expect us to come back via Poison Dragon Swamp and the Barren Mountains."

Orion nodded. After quite a journey, they'd arrived at the junction of Poison Dragon Swamp, Half-Moon Lake, and the Barren Mountains. Once they crossed the Barren Mountains, they'd be back in the Black Forest.

"Where's Gronthar?" Orion asked. "Barren Mountains are his turf—tell him to guide us through."

Lilith merely smiled, then turned to Onyx. The trolls always stuck with Onyx, and Gronthar worked under him.

"Ha!" Onyx boomed. "Chieftain, I already sent Gronthar on ahead to scout. He'll have a quick route back to the Black Forest figured out in no time."

Orion nodded approvingly. "Good thinking. Besides guiding us, I also want to talk with him about the mineral deposits in the Barren Mountains. Our territory's expanded more than threefold by now, and if we want to keep growing, we need to raise both our population and our technology. We need to get a real start on smelting and forging so our weapons can be sharper and our armies ready for stronger enemies."

Due to the Black Forest's lack of sunlight, the Stoneheart Horde couldn't really develop agriculture—that was a natural limitation Orion couldn't change.

On the bright side, the Black Forest, Barren Mountains, and Half-Moon Lake were rich in minerals. Smelting ores and forging gear was now entirely feasible, and Orion wasn't about to let that chance slip by.

Not only that, the Horde already had ready-made spells—like petrification and enchanter's magic—that would be wasted if they didn't expand their metalworking capabilities. In fact, they had a lot of untapped potential, such as the obsidian golems' stone-crafting skills.

"All right," Onyx offered. "I can have Gronthar come back to talk, and let Brakthul guide us?"

"That works," Orion replied, satisfied with Onyx's suggestion.

Half an hour later, Gronthar—formerly the trolls' chieftain—came to see Orion. After two big siege battles at Thunderhawk City and Stormrage City, Gronthar's gaze had grown much steadier.

"Chieftain, you wanted to see me?"

Orion nodded and pointed toward the distant Barren Mountains. "Your people have lived in that area for many years. How well do you know the mineral distribution there?"

"Minerals, you say? Which ones exactly?"

"Iron, silver, gold—any rare ores, too."

Gronthar caught on quickly. "My tribe's been in these mountains for hundreds of years, so we know 'em like the back of our hand. In the northwest, where the Barren Mountains border the Black Forest and Poison Dragon Swamp, there're a few iron deposits. We used to grab exposed iron ore there and heat it up to make weapons. As for gold or silver, there are some veins in the east, too, but their hardness is too poor for forging, so we never bothered with them."

Gronthar grew more excited the more he talked. At one point, he even gestured toward a nearby spot. "Chieftain, there's a red copper mine ahead. That ore's also good for weapons."

Orion beckoned to a guard. "Dace, take a few giants and some trolls. Head to that mine and bring back some copper."

"Right away, sir!"

The rest of the trip through the Barren Mountains, Gronthar guided them. Whenever they passed somewhere important, he'd point out any nearby mineral deposits, and Orion mentally logged each location.

Ordering a quick stop before leaving the Barren Mountains, Orion turned to the tusked Gronthar. "Gronthar, I'm planning to form a weapons department within the Stoneheart Horde—our Military Forge, basically. Are you interested?"

Gronthar's face lit up. He knew Orion was assigning him a bigger role. "Chieftain, what exactly does this 'weapons department' do?"

"In simple terms," Orion said, "you'd be in charge of forging arms and armor for the Horde."

To Orion's surprise, Gronthar looked stunned. "Chieftain, does this mean you're not satisfied with our trolls' performance in the last invasion?"

Orion frowned. "Why would you think that?"

"Because trolls are all fierce warriors. We don't fear death! If you're telling us to make weapons instead of fighting, well, it sounds like you're putting us on the sidelines," Gronthar explained, puffing out his chest as if his tribe's honor were on the line.

Onyx came forward to clear the awkward silence. "Chieftain, trolls are a warrior race, and Gronthar thinks you looked down on them by shifting him to a forging position. They'd rather fight as soldiers than labor as blacksmiths."

Orion sighed in relief, finally understanding the issue. "In that case, Gronthar, you can stay with the cannon fodder troops. Just remember not to refuse when the Horde needs your tribe's help in finding ore."

Gronthar nodded eagerly, seeming much more at ease after that.