Ember Dragon

Chapter 33: Northern Wind's Eagle Guard (Part Four)

Alger dove rapidly, planning to leverage the red dragon's massive, unwieldy size to bypass its side and strike from a blind spot at the rear.

"Strike first, gain the upper hand."

Cassius's slit-pupil eyes glowed with violet arcane light, instantly discerning Alger's flight path. His powerful claws followed the trajectory and struck.

"Igor!"

Alger squeezed his legs tightly around his giant eagle, jerking the reins to sharply veer right, executing a course change mid-dive to barely evade the swipe.

"Whoosh—"

The sound of the air being sliced came from behind.

Alger guided his eagle to the side, brow furrowed, heart pounding in his chest.

Looking back, he could still see the few surviving Eagle Guards, just within sight, pursued by roaring wyverns.

"At the very least, I have to hold out until they escape completely."

Alger muttered to himself.

It felt as if he'd taken a lap around Death's doorstep.

The creature before him was uncannily agile—nothing like an ordinary red dragon. It could even sense his attack vectors, making typical feints and harassment tactics ineffective.

Cassius, meanwhile, was intrigued by this agile eagle knight.

"Annoying, like a fly."

"But they'd make for quite a formidable unit."

He watched the eagle flying in tight circles, releasing a breath of sulfur-scented heat.

Alger continued his circular maneuver, searching for an opening in the dragon's defenses until he identified a blind spot.

"There it is!"

Once again, he dove headlong, unwavering.

Gripping his silver sword, Alger slashed toward the dragon's body with all the momentum of his dive.

"Clang—"

Not only did he fail to injure the dragon, but the impact left his arms numb.

The struck scale gleamed with a metallic golden sheen, as if he'd struck solid metal.

" Body of Storm's Resonance!"

Cassius let out a slight hiss, and a surge of lightning flickered across his claws, quickly spreading across his body.

Alger immediately retracted his sword, but the electricity traveled down the silver blade, shocking both him and his eagle.

A sharp screech echoed as the eagle's feathers flared, standing upright, arcs of electricity surrounding its body. Pain shot through it, leaving it paralyzed and weak.

"A red dragon, yet… how could it…?"

Although Alger's physique was resilient, the surge of electricity still brought intense pain, though it wasn't enough to incapacitate him completely.

He barely managed to control his eagle, maintaining balance to prevent a crash. However, each wing beat triggered crackling sparks, forcing him to glide at a low speed with minimal movement.

"A spellcaster!"

This red dragon was a spellcaster!

And this lightning wasn't innate but learned magic!

Alger cursed inwardly; facing a dragon mage or dragon sorcerer was the worst possible scenario.

He looked back to see the red dragon grinning, teeth exposed, its golden eyes gleaming ominously.

His instincts screamed danger, and he tried to close his eyes, but it was too late.

"Spectral Bind!"

A heavy, searing-hot iron chain coiled around Alger.

He wanted to believe it was an illusion, yet the scorching pain was undeniably real, nearly impossible to resist without dedicated training.

The more the target believed in the illusion, the more vivid and convincing it became.

Now, in Alger's vision, his body bore charred, blistered wounds from the fiery chains.

Both he and his eagle spiraled downwards, dragged by the chain's weight.

"No! No!"

"This isn't real!"

"I haven't avenged my family yet… I can't…"

"Die here!"

Alger let out a hoarse, defiant shout.

Summoning his willpower, he forced himself to shut his eyes, relying on his sense of airflow to guide the eagle into a gliding maneuver, overcoming the spell's grip by sheer determination.

When he opened his eyes again, everything had vanished—the chains, the flames, the wounds.

Even Cassius, high above, seemed momentarily impressed.

"Impressive—evading a fully effective spell. Truly the Northern Wind's Captain."

This remarkable feat jogged Cassius's memory of the eagle knight's reputation.

Alger Yeoman, the infamous Gatekeeper boss in his past life, known as the "Eagle's Claw" and "The Razor of Lackman," Captain of the Northern Wind's Eagle Guard.

He had led countless hunts against tieflings under Duke Brad, gaining notoriety as a merciless executioner, destined to become a death knight in the future.

Alger had lost his parents as a child and, under Brad's manipulation, grew up believing they were sacrificed by tieflings to devils, becoming the Lackman family's most loyal warrior and instigating the horrific "Tiefling Camp Massacre."

But when Alger approached the truth behind his parents' deaths, his once-revered Duke transformed him into a mindless death knight, leaving him to eternally wander the Duke's grounds atop a skeletal eagle.

With this knowledge, Cassius resolved to spare Alger.

Not out of mercy, but as a strategic play for his plans to seize Northwind Fortress. To Cassius, goblins and kobolds were expendable; losing a few was inconsequential.

Yet, someone like Alger, a devoted member of the Duke's guard and an elite eagle knight, could yield immense value in his scheme.

The red dragon swooped down, reaching the slowly gliding eagle knight from behind.

Before Alger could react, Cassius cast twin spells simultaneously, targeting both knight and mount.

"Sleep Spell!"

A flash of magical light enveloped them, and the exhausted knight and his eagle succumbed to a deep slumber, drifting down until Cassius's powerful claws caught them mid-air.

Ordinarily, Alger's strength would have made him immune to sleep spells, but after the grueling battle, he was drained and unable to resist.

"So, you resisted an illusion…"

"But can you resist physical control?"

With a dismissive smirk, Cassius tossed them to the ground.

[Due to your strength and the enemy's "sleep" status, you gain access to the following details.]

[Northern Wind Eagle Guard Captain]

Name: Alger Yeoman

Type: Medium Humanoid (Human), Lawful Neutral

AC: 18 (Mastercrafted Plate Armor)

Speed: Flying 90 ft, Walking 30 ft

Strength – 17

Dexterity – 16

Constitution – 14

Intelligence – 11

Wisdom – 13

Charisma – 12

Class Level: Fighter (Eagle Knight) Level 8

Mount: Anzeta Subspecies Giant Eagle (Level 4)

Martial Weapons: Longsword, Shortsword, Greatsword, Longbow, Heavy Crossbow, Lance

Simple Weapons: Dagger, Shortbow, Light Crossbow

Proficiencies: Riding +14, Military Strategy +9, Hunting +7, Athletics +6, Perception +4, Leadership +4, Survival +4, Investigation +2, Tracking +4, Stealth +4

Passive Perception: 14

Languages: Common

Actions: Group Attack, Commander's Strike, Diving Attack, Aerial Brake, Quick Turn, Slash, Pierce, Rapid Strike, Second Wind

Feats: Alertness, Follow Through, Great Weapon Master, Heavy Armor Use, Riding Expert, Flight Mastery

Combat Equipment: Eagle's Cry Silver Sword, Lackman Standard Plate Armor, Eagle Guard Cloak

Challenge Rating: 9 (5,000 XP)

"Quite the impressive stats."

Cassius clicked his tongue in admiration.

In principle, death knights are traditionally transformed paladins—but for this setup, let's not worry about that too much.