Dawn of the Last Dragon Rider - Chapter 046 - A Promise Kept (Patreon)

Hess embraced Kaen, lifting him off the ground, almost cracking a rib while shaking him like a rag doll.

“I’m so proud of you!” Hess exclaimed, jostling Kaen around.

“Great, but can you let me breathe…” Kaen gasped, his face turning red.

Laughing, Hess quickly dropped him and slapped Kaen on his back as Kaen coughed a few times to get air back in.

“I cannot wait to hear how things went, but first, you must deal with the people downstairs and outside!”

Kaen took a deep breath and nodded at Hess as he let it out.  He could see the gleam in Hess’s eyes, and the smile Hess wore was one of the biggest ones Kaen had ever witnessed from him.  There was no doubt that Hess was proud of him.

“How bad is it downstairs?”

Chuckling, Hess winked as he gave a shrug.

“There are probably still over a hundred adventurers wanting to congratulate you and shake your hand.  I don’t think any could deny you earned your rank after hearing what you pulled off or after that speech you gave honoring Luca,” Hess declared, his eyes almost turning misty as he remembered the words Kaen had spoke.  “Between those two things, I doubt you will have any trouble finding a place to call home or a girlfriend or two for a while.”

Kaen laughed and motioned down the hallway to the stairs.

“I guess I shouldn’t keep my audience waiting,” Kaen joked as he started to walk down the hall.

He could hear people talking and a consistent hum of noise coming from the end of the hallway.

Hess ran ahead and held his hand up to slow Kaen’s advance.

“Give me one moment,” Hess whispered as he pointed to the edge of the hall before the stairs.  “Let me tell them you are coming!”

Kaen smiled and chuckled as Hess ran ahead.

When Hess got to the stairs, the noise down below stopped.  Kaen moved over to the edge of the hall, just out of sight of anyone down below that might be looking up for him.

“Friends and fellow adventurers!” Hess boomed out from the top of the stairs.  “Allow me to introduce to you the boy whose diaper I changed and whose arse I wiped!  Kaen, our newest silver token adventurer!”

Laughter and cheers broke out as Kaen waited against the wall.

“You never wiped my arse!” Kaen exclaimed when Hess reached over and yanked him from his hiding spot.

The crowd below erupted in cheers and shouting, echoing off the walls and causing the building almost to shake.

Kaen glanced down the stairs in awe.  The room was packed, filled with adventurers from wood all the way up to a female platinum adventurer he saw standing closest to the stairs.  Men and women of all races and classes cheered for him.  For Him!  It felt like a dream he would never want to wake up from.  Time seemed lost as he stood there, taking in the moment.

“You need to say something or move downstairs,” Hess whispered in his ear.

Kaen smiled and nodded as he lifted his hands, silencing the crowd.

“I am honored that all of you would do this for me,” Kaen declared as he gazed upon the smiles on everyone's faces.  “I am thankful that Hess did not injure me all those times he nursed me on his tit!”

The crowd erupted in laughter.

“I know, I know,” Kaen joked over the noise.  “Had he breastfed me, I would no doubt be bigger, but alas, he did not!”

People continued to laugh, and when Kaen turned and glanced back at Hess, he saw that Hess had joined in on the laughing.

“Now, let me say just a few more things before I must return to the Fluffy Ingot and purchase a few thousand drinks!”

The laughter died down, and everyone leaned forward, anticipating his words.

“I am grateful to the guild for letting me undertake such a quest and to Aubri and Luca for escorting me.  It pains me what happened to Luca, but it also reminded me of the cost each of us is willing to pay.  It is a price I know too well.”

Kaen grabbed the chain his token was attached to, lifting it off of his leather outfit he had not had a chance to remove yet.  He held it up for everyone to see.

“My father wore a token once.  His was different than mine.  He gave his life on a quest, and Hess,” Kaen paused, turned, and grabbed Hess’s arm, pulling him forward.

“What are you doing?” Hess gasped as Kaen pulled him to the front of the stairs.

“Doing what I promised to do,” Kaen whispered with a wink.

“This man, Hess Brumlin, took on the greatest quest for my dad.  He forsook love and his own greatness and raised me when my father, Hoste Marshell, died over seven years ago.”

A gasp and murmurs came from those gathered below who knew of Hoste and his accomplishments over the years.

“Tonight, I release Hess from the duty he bound himself to when he took on the quest of raising me,” Kaen smiled as he spoke those words.  “Tonight, he is more than just a mentor, a father figure, and a friend.  Tonight I honor Hess for completing a quest harder than most of us will ever attempt!  I would be nothing and unable to have accomplished what I did if it was not for him.  So help me in congratulating Hess on the completion of his quest!”

Kaen gently pushed Hess down the top step, his hand on the center of Hess’s back.

Hess tried to protest a little, but Kaen had him moving down the stairs before he knew it.

The adventurers started to clap quietly and then cheered loudly when they absorbed what Kaen had just said.  They realized the sacrifice and dedication it must have taken Hess to raise a boy for seven years, and for Kaen to succeed as he had was a testament to Hess’s skill as an adventurer.

Herb stood at the bottom of the stairs, clapping louder than the others, smiling as Hess reached the bottom.  He gripped one of Hess’s hands in both of his and pumped those arms quickly.

“Amazing work, Adventurer Hess!” Herb exclaimed.  “Perhaps this will be enough points to move you to the next token!”

Hess stood there in shock as people came up and clapped him on the back, cheering for him.  He smiled and nodded, shaking hands and waving at people who shouted out their praise.

As people congratulated Hess, the platinum token adventurer who had been standing at the base of the stairs made her way up to where Kaen was standing.

Kaen saw her coming and smiled.  Her hair and the robes she wore were the same dark black color.  It made her token stand out against the dark material. She smiled and looked at Kaen intently with her green eyes.

“You do your father proud,” the woman said with a slight bow.  “I only met him a few times back when I was a silver token, but you look just like him.”

Kaen returned her bow and smiled.

“I’m not sure if that is a compliment,” Kaen joked.  “Sorry, I am not sure who you are, even if you are a platinum token, but I am new to all this.”

“I’m sorry, I am Selmah and obviously bad with manners,” Selmah said with a small laugh.  “I just wanted to say I look forward to one day questing with you.  It is obvious from how you handle yourself and how you know just what to say that you are bound for great things.”

Kaen chuckled and pointed at Hess, who was near him.

“I actually had promised him I would release him of his quest once I passed.  I figured it was the least I could do in this moment.  Nowhere else would people really appreciate what he gave up for me and my dad.”

Selmah smiled and nodded.  She had been impressed with Kaen’s words and actions from earlier in the day.  He had now taken all of the focus off himself and put it onto Hess.  She was unsure if Kaen realized how much easier it would make things on himself while allowing Hess, someone used to the spotlight, to deal with all the commotion.

“As you might have noticed,” Selmah declared as she swept her hand at the room, “they appreciate it immensely.”

Kaen laughed and noticed Hess was facing him, beaming ear to ear.

“Come on, Kaen!” Hess shouted above the noise.  “We need to work our way through this crowd and get to Sulenda before I get in trouble for being late with you!”

Selmah waved at Kaen as he moved down to join Hess, working their way through the crowd of adventurers toward the door.

Walking to the Fluffy Ignot felt like leading a parade for Kaen and Hess.  Hess had declared free drinks to all if they could escape the guild hall and arrive at the Inn sometime before tomorrow.  The crowd parted, and everyone streamed out after the two of them.

Adventurers took turns coming up alongside them, asking questions, and giving their well wishes for what they had accomplished.  Kaen and Hess would be able to start actively looking at new quests, and Kaen had already received multiple invitations to join different parties that would love to have someone of his caliber on their squad.

Hess had prepared Kaen for these requests days ago. Kaen responded to each of them, informing them he would need time to figure things out, questing with Hess, and learning a few more skills before he chose his own path.  Most of them nodded in understanding, even if most knew he would be an almost impossible party member to get.

Local townspeople started shouting and waving as the throng entered the outer city and along the streets.  They narrowed into a column of heroes that looked more like they were about to go off to war instead of one intent on drinking copious amounts of alcohol till many of them would pass out.

Children and adults alike pointed and waved as word spread through the city that Kaen, the newest silver token adventurer, who had slain six orcs by himself, was coming.

Even though it was still hours from dinnertime and the sun was not ready to hide behind the mountains, people stopped their work, choosing to come to cheer for Kaen.

“What the heck is all this?” Kaen asked Hess as he shook his head in awe and waved at those who kept calling out his name.

“Sulenda sent me a note earlier,” Hess tried to whisper as he leaned in toward Kaen.  “Basically, the majority of the city bet on your quest.”

Kaen snapped his head toward Hess, and a look of shock came over it.

“The entire city?” he gasped.

Hess nodded and chuckled.

“Son, you will need a cart when Sulenda gives you your cut,” Hess joked.  “Rumor has it even the king and many of the nobles put large bets on you yesterday.  I don’t know the exact number, but I do know most of them guessed wrong.”

Hess put an arm around Kaen and kept him moving forward as Kaen slowed down, leading to a traffic jam behind him.

“You and I are going to have to discuss some very important things regarding money and how to protect it and spend it,” Hess informed Kaen as they picked up their pace a little bit.  “We will deal with specific laters, but for now, just know that you will not need to earn money unless you become an idiot and try to buy an estate.”

Shaking his head in disbelief, Kaen continued waving at the people lined the sidewalks for him.

When they were a block from the Fluffy Ignot, Kaen suddenly whirled on Hess and walked backward as he beamed at his mentor.

“Lifestones! I need two!” Kaen exclaimed louder than he should have, but the sounds of the cheers drowned it out.

Hess nodded and smiled.

“Already taken care of,” Hess stated as he spun Kaen around.  “They will be there in a few days, escorted by adventurers from the guild.”

Kaen started to skip a little bit as he walked next to Hess.

What has you so happy?

It looks like my promises have been kept, and everything is working out better than I can hope!  Soon it will be the two of us adventuring together!

I cannot wait! Try not to be stupid and drink tonight. I hate it when you do.  Ask Hess to help keep you out of trouble. Pammon warned Kaen.

Laughing, Kaen leaned in toward Hess.

“Someone reminded me I must keep from drinking tonight and ask you for help.”

Hess roared in laughter, grabbed Kaen in a side headlock, and rubbed his knuckles against Kaen’s hair.

“I make no promises tonight!”