Behind me, a loud, beastlike roar went up. I turned to see a great hulk of a man - all hairy jowls and heaving gut - lumbering from leg to leg in a slow battle-jig. I recognized him at once. His fists were clenched. His bloodshot eyes were wild. "Come on, if you think you're hard enough " he was bellowing. "Here we go again " I thought. Why do I always seem to end up in this type of a place? You'd think I'd have learned by now. All I'd wanted was a quiet drink. Was that too much to ask? Was it? Given the day I'd had so far, maybe it was...

Close to winning the big jousting tournament, Free Lance is presented with a large sum of money if he pretends to lose the next competition, but just as he is about to accept the financially profitable deal, a princess in need comes to seek his help and soon Free Lance is fighting for more than just the thrill of victory and prizes. All ages.

"It's out there!" he cried. "It's out there!" "What's out there?" ... "The dragon, of course," he croaked. Trouble has a way of tracking Free Lance down. Protecting a rich merchant turns out to be anything but routine when campfire stories of legendary battles, mythical dragons and unimaginable treasure begin to take on a life of their own. Before long our hard-bitten hero is facing his most terrifying challenge yet, and battling for his life.