"Discovering a Fatih is very difficult. Because when they take over a body, they merge permanently with that body, so scanning their souls yields no results. Moreover, they are very good at concealing their movements and the terrifying nature of their leadership. Worst of all, the Conquest Gate can send them to places where the probability of being discovered is lowest."
An excerpt from Information on the Celestial Plane
Azderos, Northern Tundras.
Regardless of their type, dragons were known for their territoriality. Thus, their neighbors usually preferred to leave empty spaces between them. The bordering of their territories meant that a dragon could prefer to attack them at any time and set its sights on its territory. Therefore, Albiria's expanded territory after adulthood was surrounded by areas devoid of any powerful predators.
Of course, this category did not include magical creatures like the alpha winter wolf. These creatures, which could be prey for young dragons or juvenile titans, did not concern any territorial monsters as long as they did not foolishly challenge their authority.
Flying through the snow and storm, trying to make sure his altitude did not draw unwanted attention, Ülgen was currently flying in the empty areas beyond his mother's territory. In terms of location, he was in the southeast. He knew that beyond this region lived a bronze dragon with good orientation skills.
One of the enemies of evil dragon species like white dragons was metallic dragons like bronze dragons. Metallic dragons, mostly with good orientation skills, did not hesitate to help their own kind and other creatures. Because of these qualities, an endless war was raging between chromatic dragon species, including white dragons, and metallic dragon species.
His mother and the bronze dragon had fought several times in the past. Despite not being equal in power, his mother's cunning nature prevented her from being killed by the bronze dragon. Moreover, despite their selfish natures, white dragons knew how to cooperate when it came to metallic dragons. Therefore, his mother did not engage directly in battle without another nearby white dragon.
Three years had passed since their last battles, and the hatred between the bronze dragon and Albiria had widened the empty space between them even further. The expanded empty space was a boon for Ülgen.
Even if he flew at full speed, it would take him minutes to reach his destination. Of course, in return, he would draw the attention of powerful creatures in the vicinity and unnecessarily engage in a life-or-death struggle. Despite having greater power than his peers, he had no intention of taking foolish risks.
After hours of slow and stealthy flight, he hovered in the air for a while. When he looked around and sensed no danger, his body began to shape-shift. Polymorph must have been an impossible spell to learn at his age. But with Ülgen's level of intelligence and the hereditary legacy in his bloodline, the process was quite easy. Moreover, he even knew how to manipulate the transformation to not show his age.
Soon after, a muscular human of almost two meters tall descended to the ground. He had a beard reaching down to his neck and messy hair. He wore the attire of a northern barbarian. After scanning his body with his bright gray eyes, he began to smash a nearby snowdrift with his fists.
Despite his appearance, he displayed supernatural strength. With each punch, a large mass of snow scattered around. The dispersal of the snow mass took less than half a minute. Then he plunged his hands into the ground and pulled out a sword about one and a half meters long, along with its scabbard.
Drawing his scabbard and looking at the steel of the sword, which emitted a dangerous gleam even in the snow, he smiled. The large sword had been found years ago next to the corpse of a warrior while wandering in the surrounding empty areas. It was a much higher quality weapon than what he could find among the barbarian clans in the area for his human form. "Come on, you haven't seen blood in a long time. You must be thirsty..." he chuckled, sheathing the sword and placing it on his back.
Then, he began to walk towards the area in his mind with normal strides over the snow. It didn't take him long to reach the foot of a mountain. This mountain was close to the bronze dragon's territory, but the dragon hadn't included it in its territory because there was no valuable metal inside. Ülgen smiled and waited, looking up at the summit of the high mountain.
He didn't have to wait long. "Who are you, stranger? Drop your sword immediately!" echoed the words in the common tongue, accompanied by a figure with an axe and a dozen warriors surrounding him.
Eight of them held close combat weapons, while four aimed with javelins or bows. The figure with the axe, who seemed to be their leader, was a powerful human of nearly two meters tall, just like Ülgen. His muscles, which the monster skin armor couldn't cover, and the aura he emitted indicated that he had the power to fight even with magical creatures.
The black-haired man, holding his axe in a combat position, suddenly widened his eyes. "Lord Ülgen, you have surprised us!" The hostility in his voice had changed one hundred and eighty degrees, replaced by a friendly attitude.
"Hahaha, little Sven, you have grown quite strong since I last saw you." As the warriors lowered their weapons, Ülgen and Sven embraced each other in a friendly manner.
After their embrace, Sven scratched his head with a proud but shy smile. "Yes, my lord, after receiving your blessing, we continued our training. I was the first to reach rank three." Then, he gestured to one of the warriors to advance to the clan ahead of them. The return of their real leaders should be known!
Ülgen nodded approvingly. "Tell me what has happened in the last five years while we go to the clan." Sven and young Fatih walked side by side, followed by the other warriors.
They appeared relaxed as a group, but they were not neglecting to scan the surroundings with sharp eyes in case any dangerous predators appeared. Ülgen appreciated the caution of the warriors. Clearly, much had changed since he last saw them five years ago.
Five years ago, Ülgen had learned the polymorph spell and was exploring the surroundings to interact with some human societies. At that time, he had seen nearly a hundred northern barbarians, including children and the elderly, fleeing from danger. When he saw that the danger was another group of northern barbarians chasing them, a plan had formed in his mind, and he had acted to rescue them.
Back then, despite being much weaker than his current state, the leader of the followers had only posed a little challenge to him. After clearing all the dangers and enjoying a feast, he had convinced the clan, who looked at him in awe, by transforming back into his human form and taken them under his protection.
Later, he learned that the clan's name was Whitefang, which he quite liked. He had settled the clan members, who entrusted their lives to him, on the mountain they were currently traveling to. With the knowledge he had gained about developing civilizations in the Celestial Plane, even the dwarves would not call it a bad mountain settlement that they had dug into the mountain.
However, the process was slow due to their small numbers. As a Fatih, Ülgen was not content with what he had, of course. He had discovered a few more weak clans in the distant surroundings and taken control of them without anyone noticing, gathering hundreds of northerners and settling them on the mountain without leaving a single person behind for the risk of discovery. With the increasing population, the Whitefang clan had begun to establish a significant settlement within the mountain. At this point, because time was running out, he blessed a young man and three dozen skilled warriors with dragon's blood to establish authority in the clan.
The young man was Sven. According to what he told, there had been internal disturbances in the clan resulting in the deaths of several people after he left. But Sven and the warriors had not hesitated to establish authority by suppressing those with malicious intentions with bloodshed. With the authority established, the development of the clan had rapidly increased.
Before Ülgen left, he had left behind texts containing much information in the language of the northerners. Additionally, he had provided Sven with tips on managing a community and information about the direction in which he wanted the clan to develop. The young northerner, who absorbed everything he learned like a sponge, had quickly become a true leader in the clan.
While hunting wild animals and magical creatures in the empty lands, both their fighting forces and food shortages were solved. Clan members with expertise in stone craftsmanship, woodwork, leatherworking, and more began to emerge among the northerners. The texts provided by Ülgen had started to elevate the Whitefangs beyond other clans.
Additionally, with the increased number of warriors, they could embark on long hunting expeditions or engage in battles with other clans. Moreover, since their main territory was much farther from other clans, there were hardly any concerns about revenge. They had learned to hide in snowstorms and advance without leaving tracks.
Within five years, they had raided the clans four times and managed to bring in nearly two hundred more northerners under their protection. They had also expanded their settlements within the mountain and engraved Ülgen's stone statue in their squares. Seeing the dragon figure every day had a positive effect on maintaining authority and preventing them from forgetting.
Their population was now eight hundred and fifty-six. About four hundred of them were warriors, and except for a few new recruits, most had experienced battles and hunts. The gender distribution was balanced because the loss rate in clan wars or hunts was quite low. Given the harsh conditions of the north, both men and women had no choice but to be warriors.
Ülgen nodded approvingly as he processed everything Sven had told him. Four hundred warriors, along with the rank three Sven, were sufficient to move on to the second phase of his plan.
After their conversation, they entered the hidden passage in the mountain. The secret passage was wide enough for five humans to pass through at once. It both prevented the entry of large creatures and restricted the agility of smaller ones. Moreover, there were small gaps where warriors could attack and defend more comfortably. In the event of a defense situation, the hidden passage would turn into a death trap swallowing incoming enemies.
They walked in the secret passage for ten minutes. Finally, they emerged into an opening, and a loud cheer echoed through the depths of the mountain. Hundreds of warriors and clan members greeted the white dragon Ülgen with enthusiasm, changing their destinies.
Advancing a few more steps to bathe his imposing figure in praises, Ülgen decided it was enough and released his dragon aura, causing the Whitefangs to stand in awe.
"The Whitefang clan, you have not disappointed me in the past five years while I was away! You have grown stronger, and there is no trace of your former selves. Today, a celebration will be declared in your honor!" he shouted, raising his hand to calm the enthusiastic cheers before continuing, "Let everyone eat, drink, and revel as they wish! Tomorrow, we will embark on a Dromkez!" With these final words, an incredible excitement erupted in the clan.
A Dromkez! An ancient concept from the glorious days of northern barbarians. It meant conquest and new beginnings. They were going on an expedition, and if successful, they wouldn't need to hide in a mountain anymore!