Dawn of the Last Dragon Rider - Chapter 047 - A Party to Remember Part 1 (Patreon)

Kaen turned the corner and gasped when saw the entrance to the Fluffy Ignot. The spectacle he witnessed on the street and sidewalk informed him that tonight would be like nothing he had ever experienced.

Outside of the inn and its gold-colored wood doors were street performers acting out Kaen slaying multiple orcs with a bow.  People were blocking the street, watching the skit unfolding outside the inn.

Kaen laughed when he saw it and pointed it out to Hess, who nodded and smiled.  The actors who dressed up as orcs were standing on some type of device that made them taller and had a costume that added girth.  Even when they died, they easily stood up for the next showing of his greatness.

When the crowd of adventurers started streaming around the corner toward the inn, the people on the street became ecstatic and began chanting his name.

Young children ran over, laughing and shouting as they came up, trying to touch him or shake his hand.  Kaen laughed and shook every hand he could as Hess continued to usher him toward the inn's entrance.

Women and men shouted their congratulations, and many called out how much they looked forward to the drink he owed them.

Kaen smiled and waved, wondering exactly how many drinks he would have to pay for.  All those who bet on him and lost did not seem a big deal until Hess informed him that most of the city had placed a wager on him at some point.

It took almost ten minutes for them to make their way through the throng of people.

Kaen had stopped and bowed before the actor who was playing him, surprised to find out it was an elf woman.  He tossed her a silver coin in her tip box, and she bowed. Moments later as the other adventurers passed by, silver coins cascaded into her box from the stream of higher-ranked adventurers.  Smiles and cheers broke out from all the actors, who received more coins at that moment than they did in a month.

The same two female guards he had seen earlier this week stood outside the golden doors and opened them inward, giving a slight bow as Kaen entered the inn.

Had Hess not pushed Kaen gently on the back, Kaen would have frozen in the inn's doorway.

The entire layout of the inn was changed inside. A massive table ran along the north part of the inn. Huge plates of food from smoked boar, chicken, beef, and other meats were piled high, ready to be dug into.  Delicate cuts of venison and quail sat nearby, able to be easily picked up and eaten in one bite.  There were pieces of fruit that had been cut and molded into different shapes of animals, frozen deserts that seemed to beckon you to ignore the heavy meats and enjoy the cold, sweet taste they offered.

“Keep moving,” Hess whispered as Kaen tried to take it all in.

Ten massive barrels of ale were scattered around the room, each with a person standing with empty mugs nearby, all offered freely to anyone who came up to them.  Kaen had known they would have some slightly watered-down ale offered for free, but seeing this much had him wondering how many people Sulenda expected to come through tonight.  The adventurers who were following him would easily take up two-thirds of the space.

A small band of lutes, drums, and a few other instruments were playing a fast pace song, a few people were already dancing in an area set aside near the bar, laughing and twirling to the music.

“Over here!” Kaen heard Sulenda shout.

Kaen’s eyes followed the sound of her voice, and both Hess and Kaen suddenly stopped moving.

Standing near a long table on a platform near the bar was Sulenda, wearing a dress that fit her like a glove.  The curves she often hid behind her pants and blouse were no longer a secret.  She made the women who worked for her look like undeveloped teenage girls in comparison.

Kaen glanced at Hess and saw the way his eyes took her in.  Hess’s mouth was slightly open as he stood there in awe of the beauty of the woman he had once loved and pledged his heart to.  Seeing her there with her hair done up, makeup applied perfectly, and a smile that seemed intent on competing with the sun’s glow, Hess was the one who needed a hand to get moving again.

“Go tell her she looks amazing,” Kaen whispered as he pushed Hess toward Sulenda. They dodged the tables and patrons already seated, enjoying the celebration that had yet to truly begin.

Hess strode up to Sulenda and gave a bow.

“You look… stunning,” Hess finally declared, and Sulenda’s face turned a slight shade of red.

“Thank you,” Sulenda replied, her smile getting wider.

She motioned to a large chair in the middle of the table on the platform.

“Kaen, if you would do us the honor of taking your seat, I can kick off this evening properly!”

Glancing around him, Kaen saw the room quickly filling up with the same men and women who had been in the guild house, all of them watching him and waiting.

He nodded, jumped onto the platform, moved around the small wooden square table, and sat down in the large, almost throne-like chair Sulenda had procured for him.

Once he was sat, the people who had made it into the inn started clapping and cheering.  With a helping hand from Hess, Sulenda moved onto the stage next to Kaen and smiled, looking over the crowd of people gathered in her place.

She motioned for them to move forward, and as they did, the flow from outside continued to stream in.  It took a few more minutes before one of the guards outside came in and waved a hand, motioning that they had stopped the line of people entering the inn.

Eltina had been watching from the top of the bar, and when she saw Sulenda nod at her, she grabbed the rope on the bell and gave it a good three solid rings.  As the bell pealed out across the inn, every eye focused on Sulenda and Kaen.

“I’d like to welcome all of you to the third annual shite show!” Sulenda joked loudly.

The room broke out into applause and laughter, most having understood the depth of the joke she had just made.

“I tease, but welcome to our celebration of Kaen Marshell and his earning of an adventurer token!” she shouted over the noise.

Cheers and applause thundered inside the room. Everyone was excited to celebrate such an impossible feat.

“I know what has happened this week has been the talk of the town!  A young man, trained by Hess Brumlin, the son of Hoste Marshell, single handly defeated five orcs with nothing but a bow and his mind!”

As the people cheered and whistled, Kaen felt a twinge of guilt in his heart.  Pammon deserved credit for his accomplishments, but it would be a while before he could share the honor Pammon deserved with others.

Sulenda waited for the noise to quiet some before continuing.

“Now I know many of you are unhappy with Kaen and his feat!  The only thing that has kept him in your good graces was his promise to purchase everyone a drink that bet on and lost!”

Laughter echoed through the room as her joke struck true.

“Tonight, all the casks around the room are free for as long as you can stand!  Courtesy of the guest of honor’s coin purse!”

Cheers rang out, and a few people started moving toward the casks, eager to partake in the free liquor provided from Kaen’s purse.

“Now, as we begin tonight, I want to say one thing before we all pay honor to this young man!”

Sulenda leaned forward toward the crowd. A more serious expression had replaced the smiling one she had worn so far.  As she leaned forward, her dress caught the attention of many, her breasts appearing ready to fall from the heavens, barely held back by a small piece of lace.

“Tonight, we celebrate more than just a new adventurer.  Tonight we celebrate more than just a new token.  Tonight we celebrate something our kingdom has not seen in its entire history.  No testee has ever started out as a silver here before!  It has happened less than five times in the history of our guild.  Tonight we celebrate an adventure that may soon rise above all of us, protecting the innocent and helping this kingdom to grow!”

The room exploded in cheering, whistles, and clapping a few seconds after Sulenda ended her rousing speech.  Each adventurer acknowledged the real truth of what they were witnessing.

One who may someday be called a hero sat before them.

Hess bent down as the crowd started to disperse and grab drinks, whispering into Kaen’s ear.

“Remember, drink slowly.  Sulenda has some special alcohol for you that is very watered down.  Even with it being that way, you are not used to the effects of it, and I don’t want to have to put you to bed long before this celebration has started.”

Kaen nodded and laughed as he listened to Hess and watched people wave and congratulate him.

“How long do I have to sit up here in this chair?” Kaen asked with a groan.  “I’d prefer to be down there with the rest of them, eating and dancing and celebrating with them.”

Grabbing the chair Kaen was sitting on, Hess pulled it out from under Kaen and laughed as Kaen barely caught himself from falling backward.

“It’s your party! Go celebrate it how you want!”

Chuckling, Kaen turned and smiled at Hess.  He moved close and gave him a quick hug before breaking the embrace.

“Thanks, Dad,” Kaen declared, emphasizing the last word.  “I’ll try to behave tonight!”

Hess stood there a little shocked but smiled as Kaen turned and walked to the edge of the platform, jumping off, heading into the crowd of men and women, excited to have him in their midst.

As Hess stood there, watching Kaen talking and laughing with everyone around him, he felt a twinge in his heart.  He knew Hoste would be so proud of his son, and hearing Kaen say that word, dad, even in jest, filled a hole he had not admitted was in his heart.  He had done everything he could to raise that boy and make sure he could be the man his father would want him to be.

A hand suddenly touched the back of his leg, and Hess turned to find Sulenda standing on the ground at the base of the platform smiling at him.

Jumping down, Hess stared at her and shook his head.

“I’m at a loss for words to describe how amazing you look,” Hess whispered over the noise into her ear.

Sulenda had worn this dress when she heard the news of Hess’s freedom.  She had been frantic, trading the outfit she had initially had on for this one, upsetting Eltina that Hess could still make her act like this. After all those years, she finally admitted to herself that she still wanted to be with Hess.

His breath felt hot on her neck as he came in close and spoke in her ear.

“Is it true what I heard he said at the guild hall? Did he really free you from your quest and bond to him?”

Hess nodded.  He grinned but also appeared conflicted with the admission of that news.

When Hess had heard Kaen speak those words on the steps, freeing him from his oath, all he could think about was Sulenda.  He knew he would still have to help Kaen grow, but now he would risk everything and let her know how he still felt.

“What are you going to do with your freedom?” Sulenda asked a slight waiver in her voice.

Hess held out his hand and waited for her to put hers in his.

“If you are willing and still want to, I would enjoy nothing more than trying to find out if what we once felt for each other is still here.  I managed to raise one kid and have them turn out ok.  Perhaps it might not be too late to try again if I could find someone willing to love a fool like me.”

A single tear formed and fell from Sulenda’s eye, threatening to ruin her makeup.

Hess reached out and cupped her cheek, using his thumb to wipe the tear away and save her from that kind of emergency.

“Perhaps I could find a way to love a fool of a man like you,” Sulenda responded as she reached with her hand, grasped Hess’s neck, and pulled him to her, kissing him on the lips.  Hess found his arms around Sulenda and on her neck, returning the kiss he had longed for a lifetime ago.

The clanging of the bell on the bar broke their embrace, and both of them turned to see Eltina standing on the bar, shaking her head at the two of them, rolling her eyes.

Eltina turned to the patrons in the inn and smiled.

“Free shots for everyone! Courtesy of adventurer Hess for finding his testicles after all these years!”

Cheers and laughter broke out as the crowd turned and focused on the two of them, who were still embraced in each other's arms.

Both of them laughed, and Hess gave a small shrug before pulling Sulenda in close again and giving her a kiss, letting the sounds of cheering and whistling wash over them.