Iron Dragon's Advancement Journey

Page 195

　"Understood. Prepare to send it to the castle."

　The communication ended. Dasha turned to the four of them: "It's done. Now we just need to wait for the transport sled."

　"How long will it take?"

　"It usually arrives within an hour."

　Sure enough, forty minutes later, a large sled pulled by four winter wolves came into view. The sled was driven by two humans who were also under control, their eyes vacant and their movements mechanical.

　"Routine transport," one of them said, his voice devoid of any emotion.

　"There's cargo," Dasha replied mechanically. "Four intruders."

　The humans got out of the vehicle, checked on the four people who were already "unconscious," and nodded: "Load them into the vehicle."

　Gaelos and his companions were roughly thrown onto the sled and piled up like cargo. For the sake of realism, they used no magical protection and ended up getting hurt badly from the fall.

　The sled started moving. The rhythmic footsteps of the winter wolf echoed as the sled glided swiftly across the ice. Through his squinting eyes, Gaelos could see the surrounding scenery rushing past.

　They passed several checkpoints along the way, and each time someone came out to check, but they let them pass after seeing that it was a routine transport. It seems that this kind of prisoner transport was quite common.

　About two hours later, the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped. Even a legendary paladin like Gaelos felt the biting cold.

　"We're here," Dasha whispered.

　Through his slits, Gaelos saw the Ice Queen's castle.

　It was a fortress made entirely of ice. The towering walls gleamed with a cold blue light, and sharp icicles protruded from the top like fangs. The city gate was a huge ice cave, with four ice elemental guards standing on either side.

　The sled stopped in front of the city gate.

　"Routine transport," the driver said.

　A human dressed in a blue robe stepped forward. This person's eyes were clear, indicating that he was not being controlled.

　"What goods?" the man who looked like a mage asked.

　"Four intruders. Captured at W-7 outpost."

　The mage came over to inspect them. His hands glowed with detection magic as he swept them over the four people.

　Gallos held his breath. This was the most crucial moment.

　The magical light lingered on him for a moment, and the mage frowned: "This... such a strong holy aura."

　"He looks like a paladin," another guard said. "Her Majesty the Queen recently needed to interrogate some members of the church."

　"Hmm." The mage nodded. "And this one," he pointed to Eisen, "Dragon bloodline, interesting. Send these two to the inner city dungeon, and the other two to the outer city."

　"Yes, sir."

　The sled continued onward, passing through the outer city. Gaelos secretly observed his surroundings.

　The outer city was quite large, with barracks, warehouses, and even training grounds. The controlled soldiers were training mechanically, their movements terrifyingly synchronized. In the sky, several white dragons lazily circled.

　The guards at the inner city gates were even more heavily armed. Besides the ice elementals, there were two clearly more advanced spellcasters.

　"Stop." One of them raised his hand.

　Another round of inspections followed, this time even more thorough. They even used some kind of magic that Gaelos didn't recognize.

　"Strange," the spellcaster muttered, "there's a strong illusionary aura emanating from this dragon vein."

　Oh no. Galos's heart skipped a beat.

　"Who cares?" another spellcaster said impatiently. "She's already in the dungeon, so she can't pull off any tricks. Hurry up, I have to go on patrol."

　"Too."

　They passed the inspection without incident. The sled continued deeper into the mountains, finally stopping in front of an ice tower.

　"The dungeon entrance," the driver said.

　Several jailers came out and took the prisoners. Galos and his three companions were dragged into the ice tower, and then down a spiral staircase.

　The temperature dropped lower and lower, and eerie runes began to appear on the walls. Those runes exuded an evil aura, sending chills down one's spine.

　Finally, they were thrown into a cell. The iron door slammed shut, and the footsteps faded into the distance.

　Gallos counted to one hundred, and only opened his eyes after confirming that no one was around.

　"Is everything alright?"

　"It's freezing!" Renn said, shivering.

　"I'm fine." Eisen had already begun inspecting the cells. "A standard magic prison, with a magic-suppressing effect, but not very strong."

　Martha also stood up, her golden eyes gleaming faintly in the darkness: "I can sense a very strong evil aura up there. The Ice Queen is in this tower."

　"Very good." Gallos stretched his arms and legs. "The first step was a success."

　"And then?" Eisen asked. "We can't stay here forever."

　"Of course not." Galos pulled a hidden dagger from his boot. "Give me some time, I'll pick the lock."

　"You can pick locks?"

　"I learned it when I was young." Galos had already started working. "Before becoming a paladin, I did quite a few... well, not-so-honorable things."

　Martha shook her head. "I shouldn't be surprised."

　Just then, a voice came from the next cell: "Hey, newbies, what are you doing here?"

　The group exchanged glances.

　"We are adventurers," Garros replied. "And you?"

　"Me? I'm an unlucky businessman." The voice carried a self-deprecating tone. "I came to the Great Glacier hoping to make a fortune, but instead of making any money, I almost lost my life."

　How many prisoners are still here?

　"Not many, maybe twenty or thirty. Most of them are unlucky guys like me. Oh, and a few rebellious tribal warriors."

　How often does the Ice Queen visit?

　"It's uncertain," the merchant's voice lowered. "Sometimes a few days, sometimes a few weeks. They come and take one or two people with them, and then..."

　"And then what?"

　That was the end of it. The people who were taken away never came back.

　The atmosphere grew heavy.

　"Don't worry," Gallos reassured him, "we'll find a way out."

　"Get out?" The merchant chuckled bitterly. "Young man, you're too naive. This is the Ice Queen's dungeon, and her minions roam outside. Even if you escape, what good will it do?"

　Gaelos didn't answer, but focused on unlocking the lock. The legendary paladin's fingers were incredibly nimble, and soon a click was heard.

　"It's done." He pushed open the cell door.

　"What?!" exclaimed the businessman next door. "How did you do that?"

　"Shh," Ryan cautioned, "keep your voice down."

　The four walked out of the cell. The corridor was dark, with only the magical runes on the walls emitting a faint glow.

　"Save the people first or investigate first?" Martha asked.

　"Let's see how things go," Gallos decided. "Eisen, can you sense anything?"

　Eisen closed his eyes, cautiously probing with his mental energy: "The top three floors are all cells and torture chambers. Above that... there's a very strong magical barrier; I can't penetrate it."

　Where are the guards?

　"There aren't any on this floor. There are two at the entrance above."

　"Then let's release the prisoners on this floor first." Galos began unlocking the doors one by one.

　Soon, more than a dozen prisoners were released. Besides the merchant, there were several tribal warriors, two unfortunate scholars, and even a bard.

　"Are you really adventurers?" The merchant—a portly middle-aged human—looked at them incredulously.

　"Absolutely genuine." Galos smiled. "Just a rather skilled adventurer."

　"So what do we do now?" a tribal warrior asked. "Just charge out like that?"

　"No," Galos shook his head, "You all hide first. Let's go upstairs and take a look."

　"I'll go with you!" A young tribal warrior stepped forward. "My name is Karok, from the Icewind Tribe. My people are imprisoned here, and I must rescue them!"

　Gallos sized him up. He was a strong young man, and even after being locked up in the dungeon for so long, there was still an indomitable light in his eyes.

　"Okay. But you must follow instructions."

　"no problem!"

　The others remained hidden on this floor, while the five-person team explored upwards. The stairs were narrow, allowing only one person at a time. Galos led the way, the holy sword already in his hand.

　The situation on the second floor was similar to that on the first floor, and more than twenty people were rescued. But as they were preparing to go up to the third floor, Eisen suddenly raised his hand to warn them.

　"Someone has come down."

　Footsteps came from above, and it sounded like more than one person.

　"Hide," Garros whispered the command.

　Everyone quickly hid in the shadows. A moment later, two jailers appeared at the top of the stairs.

　"What a hassle," one of them complained. "We have to patrol in the middle of the night."

　"Stop talking nonsense," the other said. "Hurry up and finish the checkup so you can go back to sleep."

　They carried torches—ordinary torches, not magical light sources—and began inspecting the cells.

　When they reached the third room, they suddenly froze: "Why is the door open?"

　"Oh no!" a jailer shouted, "Someone has escaped!"

　Just as he was about to run back to call the police, Gaelos rushed out. The hilt of the holy sword struck him precisely on the back of the head, and the jailer fell to the ground.

　Another jailer opened his mouth to shout, but Eisen's Silence spell instantly enveloped him. Then, Ryan's harpoon was pressed against his neck.

　"Don't move," the old dwarf said coldly.

　The jailer nodded frantically.

　"Break his silence," Gallos said. "I have something to ask him."

　Eisen did as instructed. The jailer immediately begged for mercy: "Don't kill me! I'll tell you everything!"

　What's up there?

　"It's...it's the interrogation room and the warden's office."

　"And above that?"

　"I don't know!" the jailer nearly cried. "We lowly people can't go up there! Only the warden and Her Majesty the Queen's confidants can!"

　Where is the warden?

　"He should be in the office. But sometimes he goes to the interrogation room too..." The jailer swallowed hard. "...for his own amusement."

　Gallos frowned: "Scum."

　"Does the Ice Queen know about this?" Martha asked.

　"Her Majesty doesn't care about any of that," the jailer said with a wry smile. "As long as we keep a close eye on the prisoners, she doesn't care what we do."

　After asking the question, Ryan knocked the jailer unconscious with a chop to the neck.

　"Looks like this warden is no good," Carlock gritted his teeth.

　"We'll deal with it as soon as we encounter it," Gallos said. "Let's keep going up."

　The atmosphere on the third floor was distinctly different. The air was thick with the stench of blood and the aura of fear. Various instruments of torture lined the corridors, some still stained with fresh blood.

　"Damn it." Carlock's fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

　"Calm down," Galos said, pressing him down.

　At the end of the corridor was a heavy wooden door with a sign that read "Warden's Chamber".

　"There's someone inside," Eisen sensed. "One...preparing to cast some kind of spell?"

　Gallos decisively kicked the door open.

　Inside the room, a tall, thin man stood in the center of the magic circle. His face flashed with surprise upon seeing someone intrude, followed by anger.