Late at night.
Everyone was sleeping after putting up a temporary tent in the Dragon's lair and having their dinner. The food they ate was steaming hot thanks to Ale's space ring.
Even the baby Dragon was asleep, sleeping between Ale and Rudy. As it turned out, the dragon only allowed Rudy to touch and pet it while it clung to Ale unconditionally. Those two were the only ones who could touch it.
Unbeknownst to most of them, there were other people watching them as well. There was a group, they called themselves the dragon hunters, not that they ever actually managed to hunt one down.
And these people were on their tail, and this wasn't a matter of a day or two either. These people have been following Rudy and his team for a long time.
Since Rudy and his party had a delay due to the disaster and was stuck in the middle of the ocean, the dragon hunters somehow managed to reach the island before them.
They were lying in wait in one of the inns. And luckily for them, the one they chose was right next to the one Ale and the rest chose. So, they didn't have that hard a time keeping an eye on them.
Rudy, because of his God-given senses, could feel their eyes on him. At first, he thought he was just imagining things. But when the feeling didn't disappear even after a whole day, he decided to listen to his guts and leave the place.
But these people were experts, expert criminals to be accurate. They were skilled in disguise, theft and stalking. That's why, although Rudy could feel something, he didn't exactly manage to point them out accurately.
As a result, these people managed to follow them all the way to the Dragon's lair. And since it was a forest, one could say that luck was in their favor, since it's easier to track others as well as erase their own presence inside a forest.
Their plan was to wait outside and ambush them on their way out. And these people were there in the original timeline as well. But they had a change of heart after sensing Rudy's power and decided not to fight them in that future.
Since it was a Dragon's Lair, they decided that there was no need for unnecessary bloodshed and waited till Rudy's party was gone. In that future, the Dragon egg hadn't hatched, and Rudy and his team also didn't take it.
As a result, the egg fell into their hands, the dragon hunters. This was the reason why Ale couldn't remember any Dragon being mentioned in the future. Because the egg didn't even get the chance to see the world or let the world know of its presence.
In this timeline, they still hadn't gotten rid of the idea of an ambush and was waiting patiently outside. But when no one came out even after it was late at night, they finally realized that Rudy's group had decided to stay the night.
"Get ready to go in."
"Okay boss."
"Take the sleeping gas as well. We'll knock them out first and then take whatever is valuable."
They decided to change their plans in this timeline as well, and although they still chose not to use violence, it was very different from the future.
They were all wearing black suits with masks to guard against the sleeping gas and they soon went in. The path inside was the same narrow one that Ale and his group had to cover.
"Release the gas."
The boss ordered. But before the guy could open the container, he felt something sharp and cold around his neck and froze in place.
"What's inside?"
A cold voice rang right beside his ear inside that dark and chilly cave. All of them froze momentarily wondering what was happening.
"W-who are you?"
The guy asked with trembling voice realizing that the cold and sharp thing on his neck was the edge of a sword.
"That should be my question. Who are you guys and why are you following us?"
Rudy asked as he slowly released his aura. If they were smart enough, they'd know not to mess with him carelessly. But they weren't. The moment they felt threatened, the boss threw an attack in his direction and destroyed the container that was holding the gas.
It was definitely a very potent gas, capable of putting people to sleep in a matter of moments. Normal people. Sadly for those guys, no one inside that lair was normal.
"So, these bastards were the ones making you uneasy."
Ron grabbed his axes and came forward, cutting the smoke in front of him in half.
"Such bothersome presence."
Alice lit up the whole place with the activation of her spell as she spoke with disgust.
"How dare you bother my sleep.. fuck!"
Stuart stomped his feet, the dark circles around his eyes confirming that he wasn't joking.
"Pests."
Ash didn't really have much to say.
On the other hand, Ale and his team, well, they weren't exactly, awake.. Although Rudy had asked them to stay alert during the night and not fall asleep too deep, these people, they were fully knocked out.
"Let's do this quietly so our friends don't wake up hmm?"
Rudy spoke in a scarily cold voice as he unsheathed his sword. It didn't take them long, to subdue the enemy and apprehend them. These people were skilled with various skills, except head on fighting.
"Mmm mpph mm!"
The boss spoke some threating words, but since his mouth was filled with a handkerchief, all that came out were muffled moans. Their hands and feet were tied, and they were thrown in one corner of the cave and ignored just like the pests that they were.
"What should we do with them?"
"Well.. Since it's such a hassle, let's just drop them(to the authorities)?"
The last part of course wasn't spoken loudly, since it was obvious to the people of Rudy's team. But to the enemies hearing their conversation, those were some very frightening words.
"Sounds like a good idea. They'll(the authorities) take care of everything."
"Mhm. Clean."
But the hunters took it to meaning them getting thrown from a mountain and the beasts of the forest taking care of their carcasses. It would definitely be a clean solution.
While they squirmed around the whole night trying to run away from these supposed monsters (Rudy and his team), the other party could finally rest in peace after knowing that the cause of their worries had disappeared.
In the morning, Ale woke up after sleeping like a log the whole night. The sleeping gas was like a bonus, it worked like a glass of milk right before sleep, helping him even more.
The first thing that came into his view was a baby dragon sleeping on top of his belly. As he rolled to the side, the dragon flopped down as well, but it kept sleeping.
Ale grabbed the dragon and used it like a pillow, wondering if he should sleep a little more. But in the distance, right in front of him, he could see something black and squirmy.
Still half asleep, Ale rubbed his eyes a few times before he finally managed to see what they were.
Humans. In strange black suits wearing strange black masks. Their hands and feet were tied, mouth blocked as well. So they could only squirm without making a noise.
"What the.."