Kingdom of Eldarion, Erlun

At the Duke of Erlun's residence, William and the others were escorted by a maid to the main entrance. Just as they were about to enter, the maid suddenly stopped them.

"Apologies, but inside the Duke's residence, only one personal guard are allowed to accompany the ambassador and his team beyond this point," the maid said politely, bowing her head.

William was taken aback, not expecting such a restriction. He quickly turned to Lucas for guidance. As he did, he noticed Lucas speaking quietly with Ethan. After a brief exchange, Ethan stepped forward and addressed the maid.

"I will serve as the personal guard for the ambassador and his team." Ethan said confidently, ensuring they could proceed without further delay.

"Very well, please follow me." The maid said politely.

As they entered the residence, William glanced back at Lucas one final time before the doors closed. He saw Lucas give a slight smile and nod, a silent reassurance that things would be fine. Yet, as the doors shut behind him, William’s nerves began to surface. They were in unfamiliar territory, and his heart raced at the thought of what lay ahead. He wasn’t sure if the Duke would be a prideful leader requiring complete submission, or someone more laid-back, making the negotiation process easier. The uncertainty weighed on him as they proceeded further inside.

As they were guided through the residence, they eventually found themselves on the second floor, standing in front of a large room. The maid stopped in front of the door and turned to face them.

"This is the Duke's office. The Duke is expecting your arrival," she said, bowing her head respectfully.

After the maid spoke, she knocked on the door twice. A low, calm voice from inside responded, "Come in."

The maid then opened the door, revealing a gorgeous room. Inside, the Duke was sitting in a chair, calmly handling papers, his attention briefly focused on his work.

William and his team stepped inside, with Ethan remaining stationed outside the door. As they entered, the Duke, who had been seated, stood up and approached them. He extended his hand toward William, a gesture for a handshake, which William accepted.

"You must be William, the ambassador of the United States of America?" The Duke said, his gaze fixed on William. He took a moment to examine William's clothes, curious and somewhat calculating expression.

"Yes, I’m William Jones, the ambassador of the United States of America," William said, then quickly gestured to his assistants. "These are my assistants, Jeanne and Gabriel." Both of them nodded slightly in respect.

The Duke, without hesitation, gestured toward the chairs. "Please, have a seat."

As they sat down, the Duke introduced himself formally. "I am Thaddeus Erlun, Duke of this city. I assume you’re here to discuss establishing diplomatic relations between your country and our kingdom?"

William leaned forward slightly, maintaining eye contact with the Duke. "Yes, that is correct. We are interested in forming diplomatic ties with the Kingdom of Eldarion. We believe both our nations can benefit from trade, knowledge exchange, and mutual cooperation."

The Duke folded his hands, his expression thoughtful. "I see. It is not often that envoys from new lands come seeking diplomatic relations. Especially... a country we have never heard of before. Tell me, where exactly is this 'United States of America' located?"

William hesitated for a moment, aware of how strange his answer might sound. "It’s... quite far..." He paused, struggling to find the right words, knowing that explaining their origins might be more complicated than it seemed. The truth that they had been transferred to this foreign land, a place that didn't exist in Earth's history was far too unbelievable to share at the moment.

While Duke Thaddeus was waiting for William to answer his question, a loud bell rang, echoing from the outer city walls, signaling an incoming attack. William and the others immediately heard the sound. William turned to his assistants, then quickly looked back at the Duke, who was now gazing out of the window with a concerned expression. "Duke Thaddeus, what was that sound?" William asked, his curiosity growing with the sudden change in atmosphere.

Duke Thaddeus, still gazing out of the window, answered William. "The city is under attack," he said in a serious tone. He turned back to William and added, "We were expecting a dragon attack, but we didn't think it would come so soon."

The Duke rose from his seat, his face grim. "It seems our conversation will have to continue later," he said, and without another word, he walked swiftly out of the room.

After the Duke left the room, William and his assistants quickly followed. William opened the door to find Ethan speaking into his radio. Spotting him, William immediately tried to get his attention.

"Ethan! There’s a dr—"

Ethan cut him off, his voice steady and serious. "Yes, I know. We’re leaving the city for your safety."

William froze, taken aback by Ethan’s response. He quickly regained his composure. "What do you mean? We still need to establish a diplomatic relation with the Kingdom of Eldarion."

Ethan’s face was serious as he turned to William. "Parker already saw the dragon flying through the city. The city’s defenses are too weak, and it will only be a matter of time before the dragon destroys everything."

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"But—" William began, but Ethan quickly interrupted him.

"We can't risk our lives here. We need to leave, now," Ethan said firmly, his tone unwavering. His serious expression left little room for argument.

William paused for a moment, but knowing the situation was serious, he understood there was no choice. He nodded and followed Ethan, knowing they had to leave for their safety.

As the four of them sprinted toward the exit, Ethan led the way. He spoke into his radio, his voice steady and commanding. "This is Echo, Sentinel is secure and heading for exit."

For a few seconds, the group could already see the door they had entered earlier. Waiting for them just outside was Lucas, Jacob, and Tyler, ready to move.

After meeting up, they exchanged quick glances before immediately starting to run. But instead of heading toward the main entrance gate of the Duke's residence, they ran toward the garden, which made William question their route.

"Why are we in the garden?" William shouted while running.

Ethan, who was beside him, quickly answered. "Our ride is at the back of the residence. We're taking the south road to head to the south gate."

William nodded, understanding. "I'm guessing that's the safer route?"

"Exactly," Ethan replied, "Based on the reports, the dragon is attacking from the north side of the city." That answered William's curiosity, leaving him with no more questions for the moment.

As they ran toward the back gate of the Duke's residence, they could see their ride up ahead. The gate was already open, with Michael and Ryan waiting for them. Without wasting a moment, they quickly got into their vehicles, ready to leave.

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As they drove along the south road of the city, the streets were filled with panic. People were running in every direction, while others frantically loaded their belongings into carriages. William watched the scene unfold, a sense of unease washing over him as he felt pity for the people of Erlun.

They drove quickly, the road still relatively clear, when suddenly something unexpected happened. Lucas’s face fell, his usual composure breaking as he muttered a curse under his breath. William, on the other hand, couldn’t help but stare with wide eyes, his jaw practically hitting the floor. The dragon appeared to their right, soaring through the sky at an incredible speed. Before anyone could react, it landed at the South Gate, its massive wings creating a gust of wind that nearly knocked them off course. The beast opened its mouth, and a blast of red flames shot out, setting the South Gate and everything around it ablaze.

William, still staring at the flames, finally snapped out of it. "I... I think we just became part of the dinner menu," he said, his voice cracking a little.

A red, magnificent dragon, as large as a modern commercial plane or perhaps even larger, stood top of the South gate. Soldiers that is unharmed at the top of the walls charged at its feet, but the dragon ignored them completely. Its gaze was fixed on the M1280 convoy. It opened its massive jaws again, preparing to unleash another wave of red flames, this time aimed directly at the convoy.

Lucas, realizing what was about to happen, cursed loudly. "OH SHIT!" His face went pale as he saw the dragon ready to attack. "BACK, BACK! PREPARE FOR BATTLE!" Lucas shouted into his radio. Michael quickly opened the gun ports and began firing at the dragon. The others followed, and the engine of the M1280 roared as they put the vehicle in reverse. Gunfire echoed around them. William covered his ears, wincing at the loud noise of the guns firing.

As they fired their guns, the dragon didn’t even flinch. The bullets seemed to do nothing, it is bouncing off its scales without leaving a mark. The deafening sound of gunfire filled the air, but the beast remained completely unaffected, as if their weapons were mere annoyances. Lucas cursed under his breath, realizing that their guns were useless against the dragon. "Fuck this," he muttered, hoping the M1280 was tough enough to withstand the dragon's red flames. Jacob slammed the vehicle in reverse, the engine roaring as they tried to get out of the beast’s path.

Finally, the dragon unleashed its red flames at the convoy. The M1280 shook violently as the heat from the blast slammed into it. Inside, the crew felt the unbearable warmth, like being in a sauna, as the intense flames caused the vehicle’s systems to groan under the pressure. The heat was overwhelming, but the M1280 held up, the armor and design holding strong against the inferno—at least for now.

For a few tense seconds, the dragon’s attack ceased, and the crew was left panting, sweating in the heat inside the vehicle. They quickly scrambled to reverse, not wasting any time. The third M1280 quickly backed up, with the second following suit. But the lead vehicle, taking the full impact of the dragon’s flames, faltered. Jacob slammed his hands on the steering wheel in frustration as the engine sputtered and died. He turned the key again, desperately trying to restart the engine, but it was unresponsive. The heat had already caused severe damage to the vehicle's electrical systems. It wasn’t going to start.

"Shit, the engine's fried!" Jacob cursed, staring at the dead dashboard. The vehicle wasn’t moving.

Everything around them, even the houses, was burned to nothing, and the only one still standing was the lead M1280. The two trailing M1280s halted their reverse when they saw the lead vehicle stop moving. In the second M1280, Parker, Tyler, Jeanne, and Gabriel exchanged worried glances.

Parker, who was sitting at the front, immediately reached for the radio, trying to contact the lead vehicle. "This is Raven, do you copy?" he said urgently, but the radio crackled with nothing but static. He cursed under his breath and tried again, but the connection failed. The intense heat from the dragon's flame had clearly interfered with their communications.

"We need to help them!" Parker said, his voice tense. Without waiting for an answer, he slammed his foot on the pedal, urging the vehicle forward. Jacob in the lead M1280 had been knocked out of contact, and they had no idea what the situation was, but Parker wasn’t about to leave them behind. Without further hesitation, the second M1280 drove toward the lead, kicking up dust and debris in a desperate attempt to assist. The heat from the dragon’s flames still burned in the air, but they had no choice. As the second vehicle approached the lead, they hoped it wasn't already too late.

As the second M1280 approached, the doors of the lead vehicle opened, and to Parker’s relief, the four of them Jacob, William, Lucas, and Michael emerged, visibly shaken but alive. The heat and chaos of the attack had left their faces grim, but they moved quickly toward safety.

Parker quickly pulled the second M1280 to a stop. Tyler, Jeanne, and Gabriel followed suit, moving to assist.

"Get in! We don’t have much time!" Parker shouted as he ran toward the others.

Jacob, William, Lucas, and Michael scrambled toward the second vehicle. They quickly climbed into the rear hatch, squeezing inside with urgency as the door slammed shut behind them.

“Go!” Tyler shouted as he secured his position, looking to Parker. “We need to move!”

Parker didn’t hesitate. He slammed his foot on the gas, and the M1280 roared to life, the wheels kicking up dust as it sped away from the wreckage. The dragon stretched its massive wings and soared into the sky once again, but this time, it wasn’t flying away. Instead, it turned sharply and began chasing the two M1280s down the south road of the city.

"Fuck!" Parker shouted as he saw the dragon in his side mirror, its massive form closing in behind them. The dragon’s speed was unreal, and it was gaining on them quickly.

Tyler glanced back, eyes wide. "It's right on us! We can't outrun it!"

Parker tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “We have to try. Hold on!”

The M1280 roared forward, tires screeching as they pushed the vehicle to its limits. The dragon’s shadow loomed over them, its wings beating loudly in the air as it closed the distance, a wall of terror coming at them. The roar of the M1280 engines filled the air as they speed down the south road, with the dragon still in pursuit. Parker glanced nervously at the side mirror, watching the beast's massive form closing in, its wings slicing through the air with terrifying speed.

"Shit! It’s gaining on us!" Parker muttered, gripping the steering wheel. Suddenly, the radio crackled to life in the M1280. A clear, calm voice came through.

"Envoy Team, this is Falcon 1. We have you on visual. Preparing to engage. Stay on course, we'll take care of the flying lizard."

Chapter 2 end here :)