Dawn of the Last Dragon Rider - Chapter 037 - Getting Carried Away (Patreon)

Yesterday’s excitement in the Fully Ingot had nothing on tonight.  The inn was packed to the walls, and guards only let more patrons in as some left.  Kaen had heard at one point that the estimated time to be let in was at least a half hour.

Drinks were flowing, and almost fifty adventurers were inside the inn, drinking and celebrating, all on Hess’s tab.  Kaen was seated in the booth of honor, as Hess called it.  Located across the entire inn and near the bar, it had enough room for six people to sit comfortably, but now it housed ten adventurers packed in so tight they were almost sitting on each other's laps.

“Kaen, I may not have enough money for a room if you fail me,” Chubbs stated as he picked up his empty cup again and tried to find another drop to enjoy.  “I’ll have to come and collect those free drinks after you get back!”

Kaen laughed, as did a few of the new adventurers that were packed in there.  The one closest to him was a silver token, an elven rogue who felt the need to press very tightly against him.

“So how should we all bet,” Amra whispered in his ear as her hand somehow found its way onto his leg.  “We are all wondering how you think this test will go.”

Kaen gulped, and his face turned red as her fingers squeezed his thigh.  Never in his village life had girls or women been this forward.  He was thankful that Hess had removed all his jewelry except the blood ring and his money before leaving the office and locked it up in Sulenda’s safe.  He had not noticed her other hand that was now draped around his shoulder and twisting his brown hair in her finger.  She could have taken everything he owned, and he would have never noticed.

“I plan on succeeding,” Kaen said with a slightly higher pitch than he had meant to.  “I just hope I can somehow reach iron!”

Everyone at the table laughed as they all saw the effect Amra was having on Kaen.

“Leave the boy alone,” a male dwarf iron token adventurer called out.  “Can’t ya see that boy doesn’t know how to handle a woman like you?  He’s practically as red as an elf after a day topless at the lake!”

Kaen chuckled, and the others banged their hands and cups on the table and laughed.  He could still feel the heat in his cheeks.

Arma smiled as she turned, pulled her green hair over her shoulder that was tied up in a braid, and started running it along Kaen’s arm.

“We all remember what it was like when we tested. Why not have a little fun with this one?” Arma inquired as she ran the tip of her braid up to Kaen’s shoulder.  “Besides, he looks like he could easily handle a few of us.  I’m sure he could make this fun for all of us if he wanted.”

Chubbs laughed, as did the dwarven adventurer that Kaen could, for some reason, not remember his name right now.

Kaen could feel his heart beating quickly because of Arma and her current actions.  He also realized that his lifestone was beating just as fast suddenly.  He took a breath and let his mind and his lifestone guide him.  He felt like there was something he was supposed to say or do.

Letting himself go, Kaen felt his left hand grab Arma’s right thigh and squeeze it.  He saw her lips break into a flirty grin and her eyebrow raise up, wondering where he was going with this.

“Perhaps we could make a private wager on how this quest might go,” Kaen stated, emboldened by his lifestone and how it was throbbing within his chest.  “Something that might be fun no matter who wins.”

As Arma started to reply, Kaen felt a hand on his collar and was suddenly lifted free from the snare of Arma’s grasp and found himself standing next to Hess, who was smiling.

“Sorry to ruin this moment,” Hess interrupted with a grin, “but I need to go over something with Kaen before he prepares for a good night's sleep and an early morning!”

Groans and moans erupted from the booth, and the frustrated look on Arma’s face was evident.

“I promise you he will be back soon, and you can all continue the right of passage with him,” Hess stated as he started to drag Kaen away.

“But I wasn’t done,” Kaen argued as he tried to stop Hess from turning him around and leading him to the stairs.

“You are done,” Hess whispered as he embraced Kaen from the side.  “I am saving you before you do something you shouldn’t.”

Groaning, Kaen glanced over at his shoulder and saw how Arma was looking at him.  It was evident she was not happy with Hess because Kaen could tell she was acting like he had escaped something.

“What were you thinking?” Hess complained as he sat on his bed and watched Kaen pout on his bed. “Do you have any idea what that woman might have done to you?”
Kaen blew a raspberry with his lips and shook his head.

“I was hoping to learn what she might do, but the truth is I was letting my lifestone lead me before you yanked me from my seat.”

Kaen saw Hess lean forward and peer at him.  He had a confused look on his face, but the way Hess’s eyes stared at him caught him off guard.

“Your lifestone doesn’t do that does it?” asked Kaen.

Hess shook his head no.

“Mine has only helped me in great times of life and death matters.  Mine has never done the things you say yours has helped you with,” Hess replied as he reached into his leather vest and pulled out a pouch.  “I have a few people looking into what you say a lifestone can do, but I doubt I will hear anything back for at least a month as they are trying to be discrete.”

Hess tossed the pouch to Kaen, who caught it with barely looking in one hand.

“It has been really weird lately,” Kaen admitted as he bounced the pouch in his hand.  “Ever since Pammon, it has been more active.”

Kaen sat up, looked at Hess, and saw they were both thinking the same thing.

“Pammon!” they both exclaimed at the same time.

“You think it could be that simple?”
Rocking back and forth slightly on the bed while rubbing his chin, Hess shrugged.

“I have nothing to go off of.  We can ask later when you meet someone in the same position as you, but until then, I guess we should expect it to happen more.”

Kaen nodded as he opened the pouch and saw his rings and pendant in it.

“What should I do if it happens again with Arma?” Kaen asked with a grin as he dumped his jewelry into his other hand.

Hess groaned louder than usual and then chuckled.

“I guess if your lifestone is leading you to do something, then I will have to trust it and your lifestone to do what you must.  I have never heard of anything like this in all my years of adventuring,” Hess warned Kaen.  “Do not share it with anyone but me.  Not even Sulenda.”

Kaen nodded as he slipped the pendant over his neck and set the empty pouch on the night table next to him.

“It seems you have been shopping,” Kaen stated as he pointed to the big pack on the floor at the end of Hess’s bed.  “That for you or me?”

Ignoring the question, Hess started to kick off his shoes and tapped the light globe with two fingers four times before pinching the last two together.

“We will talk in the morning, but now you need to sleep.  Even though it is still not late, tomorrow will be a long day, and you will need your rest.”

Hess had managed to get both boots off as he told Kaen what to do.  Pulling the thin blanket over him, he glanced at Kaen, who was still sitting on the bed watching him.

“You need me to repeat those instructions again?”

Sighing, Kaen shook his head and started taking his boots off.

“I feel like we are still back at your place in Minoosh with how you are still bossing me around.”

Hess chuckled as he closed his eyes.

“Pass this test, get your rank, and I’ll try to remember you don’t need me to tell you how to wipe your arse anymore.”

“You never taught me how to wipe my arse,” Kaen declared as he picked up the empty pouch and threw it at Hess.

Hess continued to chuckle as he ignored both Kaen’s comeback and the weak throw he attempted with the pouch and rolled over on his bed.

“Get some sleep.  You might be surprised how hard it is for it to come,” Hess muttered.

“You're not even going to turn the light off, are you?” Kaen asked as he watched Hess’s massive chest and shoulders slowly rise under his blanket.

Groaning, Kaen got up from his bed and went and held his finger on the globe till it turned off.  He moved back to his bed and almost cursed when he barely caught his toe on his boot.

Stupid Hess!

Climbing into his bed, Kaen tried to relax and slow down his breathing.  Hess was right that sleep did not come as quickly as he had hoped.  His mind was racing with thoughts about tomorrow and getting to see Pammon, hopefully.

Battle plans and ideas on how things might go versus five orcs had his heart pounding.  He could sense that Pammon was asleep and knew that he might wake Pammon up if he could not get his heart under control.  Pammon was now north of the town and somewhere in the mountain range.

It only took about an hour for Kaen to finally fall into a fitful sleep that ended sooner than he had wished.

“I’m up!” Kaen mumbled as the light globe flooded the room.  Hess had set it to wake them up earlier than yesterday.  If it wasn’t for his lifestone and the connection to Pammon, Kaen believed he would be too exhausted even to move.

About time you woke up, Pammon declared with a hint of sarcasm.

It is too early to be that excited.  How long have you been up?

I have been up for a little bit.  I finished a small snack I kept from last night and am now flying over the mountainside.  It is so tall one almost has to fly into the clouds to get over some peaks.  A little snow was on a few sections that are always in the shade.

Is it cold up there where you are?

When Pammon laughed at that question, Kaen wondered what he had said that was funny.

I do not feel cold or heat like you.  I would imagine you might feel the cold, and the wind would make you want to have some extra padding.  I think in another month we can probably try flying together.

Kaen’s heart lept when he Pammon told him that.  Flying!

Well, I will just be traveling by cart today and will reach out to you when I know more about where we are stopping.  Are you going to stay closer to me after you cross the mountain?

I will stay as close as I can.  Let me know when you think you will be stopping, and I will try to find a place we can meet in the area.

Smiling, Kaen rolled out of bed and noticed Hess was watching him.

“Talking with Pammon?”

Nodding, Kaen moved to the edge of his bed and started digging through his pack for a new pair of foot coverings.  The pair from the other day felt stiff enough to stand on their own.

“I may need some warmer clothes and a cloak in a month.  It could be pretty cold how I intend to travel.”

Clearing his throat, Hess stood up and waited for Kaen to turn around.

“I can see how that might be important to have, but I would also caution against rushing things too fast.  Low and slow.  Like riding a horse.  You learn to simply sit on the horse before jumping on one and letting it gallop away.”

Kaen laughed at that illustration and realized Hess was right.  He would have gladly jumped on Pammon and gone to the sky without trying to learn how to just sit on his back.

“Your right,” Kaen declared as he sat down and started pulling on his foot coverings.  “I am a fool and need you to help keep me from jumping onto something I could fall to my death from.”

Grabbing the large package at the end of the bed, Hess chuckled and plopped it down on his bed.

“And that, Kaen, is why I went ahead and took care of a few things for you.”

Hess started pulling out different kinds of arrows wrapped together and bound in a few strings, an extra quiver, another knife, and other things he might need for this journey.  As Hess laid all of the goods he had procured during the day on his bed, Kaen finished putting his boots on and walked over to look at everything.

“That seems like a lot more than I should need for just five orcs.”

Cocking his head and grunting at Kaen, Hess elbowed him in the arm.

“You would go out with only five arrows and one pair of undergarments for this?”

“Well, no,” Kaen stuttered, “I mean, it seems like more than I would need for a quest like the one I have.  I mean, this is enough for a whole party of archers!”

Hess turned to face Kaen while pointing to the stuff on his bed.

“Rule number one of a quest: always bring more than you think you might need!  Never take just the minimum unless the quest requires it!  Always store a backup bow just in case, and have more arrows than you might need.  I always have an extra weapon or three because you never know what will happen on the road.  Do you understand?”
Kaen glanced again at the goods strewn across Hess’s bed and back at Hess, who was giving him the stink eye.

“I mean yah, but…” Kaen trailed off as he saw Hess starting to flare his nostrils.  “Thank you.  Thank you for helping me be prepared for this.”

Hess huffed, pulled the pack he had just unloaded off the bed, and handed it to Kaen.

“Rule number two: pack your own crap!”

Kaen rolled his eyes and groaned as Hess moved to the end of his bed to finish getting himself ready.

“Hurry up and make sure you don’t break those arrows!  I don’t want to tell you how much that cost!  You still need to get your armor on, and we have to hurry up if we are going to make it to the guild house on time.”

With one last sigh, Kaen started packing the stuff into the leather pack Hess had given him.  It wasn’t the first time Hess had ever made him do this, but he could sense that it was different.  In a few hours, he would not have Hess by his side.