Ashen Dragon

"Flame Breath Target!"

Another several short bursts of breath were released, and several Eagle Guards fell to the ground as blazing fireballs.

The remaining few Eagle Guards, as Alger wished, fled this place that had cost them heavy casualties under the pursuit of the Wyvern, spreading the Red Dragon's fearful reputation throughout the Anzeta Great Wilderness.

Letting them escape was partially due to the time-wasting factor of capturing Alger alive and partially intentional.

It was important to know that the Rackman Family's Northwind Eagle Guards totaled only around three hundred, and in just this one battle, they had lost one-tenth of their number. Such a unit was considered elite throughout the Northern United Kingdom.

A few days later, the news of a "terrifying Red Dragon" at Stormy Ridge spread to many places, and a wanted poster was also hung up at Northwind Castle, depicting a ferocious Red Dragon breathing flames from its mouth.

Location: Stormy Ridge, Ashen Nest

Target: Suspected young Red Dragon, codename "Flying Flame"

Bounty: 5000 Gold Coins

Adventurers, while chatting and boasting in taverns during their downtime, fantasized about becoming the legendary Dragon Slayer. They often said while sprawled on the table in a drunken stupor, "If that Red Dragon met me, its head would have been chopped off and taken to claim the bounty long ago!"

Of course, this was all talk for later.

...

Alger felt heavy-headed, his memories confused.

He first dreamt of his carefree and happy childhood, with his mother gently stroking his head and softly reading stories from a book. He ran through the alleyways, playing and laughing with newly made friends, the atmosphere filled with joyful sounds.

However, the scene shifted, and in the dream, he was crying bitterly on the street, searching everywhere for his parents, only to find two bodies in a dark corner, gutted and marked with eerie symbols.

A middle-aged man, whose face was indistinct and dressed in luxurious clothing, stood in the dark alley, patting his shoulder. His tone was grave as he said, "It was the Devil, the Devil's spawn that harmed them."

Following this were blazing flames, fleeing crowds crying out, rivers of spilled blood, women holding wailing children begging for mercy, and the Silver Sword in his hand emitting an eagle's shriek...

"No!"

"Huff, huff!"

Alger woke up from the nightmare, sitting up abruptly. He instinctively reached to his side, and only when he felt the familiar touch of feathers did he breathe a sigh of relief.

It was his giant eagle.

He checked his body all over; there were no new wounds, but his standard-issue plate armor and the Eagle Shriek Silver Sword at his waist were gone.

Heavy iron shackles still bound his hands and feet.

"Where am I?"

Alger immediately looked around.

The surroundings were damp and dark, with only the faint glow from torches on the rock walls providing any light.

All around were hard rocks, and bars made from thick tree trunks enclosed him. At the entrance, a fat Bugbear was sleeping against the door, its wooden club on the ground, while Goblins holding short spears patrolled the corridor.

"This is the dungeon of a monster's lair."

Alger immediately concluded.

He suspected that the Red Dragon had cast a spell to put him to sleep and then thrown him into the dungeon. Now, his sole objective was to find a way to escape, gather as much information as possible, and report his findings to His Grace the Duke.

But without any weapons, and with the cell firmly locked with heavy iron locks, escape seemed difficult.

"Hey, Bugbear, wake up."

Alger waved his hand, trying to attract the dozing Bugbear's attention, hoping to glean some information and find a chance to escape.

The Bugbear at the door suddenly woke up. Seeing Alger awake, it immediately began shouting.

"Quick, notify Lord Dolores, this human is awake!"

Alger lowered his voice and said to the Bugbear Guard,

"Do you want gold?"

"Give me the key, and I have..."

"Bah!"

The Bugbear spat at him.

It picked up the wooden club from the ground and left unceremoniously, muttering, "You humans always think you're so clever, thinking we're fools."

"You've already been stripped clean, nothing left, just a pauper."

"Someone, come!"

"This human is awake!"

With the Bugbear's robust shout, the Goblins ran to spread the news quickly beyond the dungeon.

"Damn it!"

"Let me out!"

Alger grabbed the bars and shook them with all his might, the heavy iron chains on his shackles clanking loudly, but the cell door was so strong that even an Ogre couldn't break it easily, let alone a weakened human, making the effort nothing but a waste of energy.

After trying for a long time, the sturdy wood bars still didn't budge, and Alger finally gave up on breaking the cell door by force.

He regained his composure, slumped down, and began to think carefully about a strategy.

"The Red Dragon kept me alive for a reason."

"It will interrogate me."

"This cunning evil dragon likely intends to harm His Grace, perhaps to steal treasures, seize a city, or even overthrow the government..."

"But no matter what it asks or demands, I must not reveal anything."

"It's a pity all my belongings were taken; otherwise, I could have kept some Wyvern Toxin on hand, ready to end my life if necessary."

Alger gritted his teeth, mentally prepared to face cruel torture.

Sure enough, three strong Bugbears approached from the end of the corridor.

They struggled with the rough key to unlock the iron lock, unfasten the heavy chains wrapped around the cell door, and slowly open the door.

The doorway was blocked by the Bugbears' bulky bodies, leaving no gap for escape.

"Come with me, human; the master wants to see you."

The Bugbear bent down and entered the cell, approaching Alger.

"Don't touch me."

Alger snarled fiercely.

But the Bugbear ignored him, stepping forward to grab his shackles, wrapping the chains around its hand, then dragging Alger out of the cell.

Other Bugbears surrounded him, lifting his entire body to ensure he had no chance of escaping.

"I tell you, this human tried to bribe me."

"But I didn't fall for it, haha!"

"Previously so imperious, now just like this once captured."

"Yeah, those Wyverns are useless, couldn't even handle one human, eating all that meat for nothing."

"Right, might as well share it all with us."

The Bugbears chatted and laughed among themselves while working.

And the weakened Giant Eagle Knight had no strength to resist.

If he were soaring in the sky on his giant eagle, Alger was confident he could single-handedly take down these ugly creatures, even mocking them with ease.

But now, trapped in the dungeon, weakened and shackled, the once-proud Giant Eagle Knight could only let these brute-force Bugbears handle him as they pleased, without any means of resistance.Nôv(el)B\\jnn