Dawn of the Last Dragon Rider - Chapter 060 - First Quest Part 2 (Patreon)

The clash of sword and shield versus mace and shield was one that left much to be desired.

The man charged Hess, moving into a series of swings designed to easily cut and disarm an opponent.  He had started to move to Hess’s right side until he saw Kaen pointing an arrow in his direction, quickly fixing the error of his step.  Being left-handed gave him no shield on the side Kaen was on.

No one ever wanted to give an archer a free shot at them, just like he had been trying to do with Hess and his partner.

When Hess swung his mace, and the man lifted his sword to block the blow, the strength disparency between the two of them became extremely evident.  Hess’s weapon shattered the man’s sword in half, continuing to the man’s shoulder and chest, driving him to the ground and popping him like a pimple.  A cry of pain and agony lasted only a moment before his entire left side was flattened completely.

The archer is turning to run!

Keep your eyes on him so I can track him!

Hess lifted his shield, blocking the arrow the man had fired as he began to run.

“Get him!” Hess shouted, maneuvering around the stuff in camp, blocking his path.

Leaping onto the table, the woman had been working at, Kaen tracked the man and saw he was faster than anyone he had seen run before.  If men like this were doing evil, then the world would be in a bad spot, and countless people would suffer.  It angered Kaen, knowing one would do this.

As if his lifestone had waited all this time for him to ask for its help, the rage that he felt at these bandits and something else he could not figure out yet, caused it to react with a power he had not felt before.

It consumed him, and without thought, it took his body over.

Arrow after arrow suddenly disappeared from his bow.  Before Kaen had realized it, five arrows were gone, each on a different path, with a different angle, yet all were closing in on the man simultaneously.

It was as if the man had a sixth sense, dodging quickly to the right as an arrow was about to hit him, only to be struck by one in his right shoulder, stumbling and taking a second arrow to his leg.  As he crashed to the ground, the fourth arrow found his other leg, and when he was finally able to cry out in pain and skidded across the ground, the fifth and final arrow pierced his back.

[ Archery Skill Increased ]

The man lay still.  Kaen breathed a sigh of relief when no more noise or movement came from him after a few seconds.  A few seconds after he relaxed, he fell down on the table, his body felt weak and tired for a moment.

That was amazing!  How did you do that?!

The bond told him that Pammon was overjoyed.

It wasn’t me.  It was my lifestone. I didn’t even know that was possible.

It was incredible.  I could barely keep up with how fast you moved!  Relax a minute, I need to go scout!

Hess slowed down his charge and snapped back around to look at Kaen in shock.

“Are you level thirty already?” he gasped as he glanced around the clearing, ensuring no one else was coming.

Kaen shook his head no and saw he was sitting in blood the woman had left on the table. He took a moment and, after a few breaths, felt his body return to normal. Sliding off it, he saw Hess making his way to check the bodies near them.

“It… it was my lifestone.  It took my body over,” Kaen muttered as he tried to think about what happened.  “Usually, I surrender to it.  This time it never waited on me. Instead, it took control of me. ”

Hess grunted, and after confirming that the woman and the man Kaen had first shot were dead, he secured his second mace and retrieved his first one, cleaning it off on the woman’s clothes.

“That's impossible,” Hess stated as he finished wiping off his weapon before attaching it to his hip. “That was the level thirty skill for archery.  You shouldn’t have access to that yet!”

“I did get a point in archery after it, so now I am twenty-six.”

Hess let out a sigh and shook his head.

“You ok?  You have a weird look on your face.”

Kaen sighed and pointed at the bodies on the ground.

“I tried to tell myself they were bad.  It wasn’t easy to think of them like a goblin or an orc.  They are still people.  Bad, thieving, and sometimes killing, but still people.  Once they attacked back, I knew your life and mine were in danger. I put that thought in my mind, but now that it's over and I found myself sitting in that woman's blood, it hit me.  Does it get easier?  Is it bad if it does?”

Coming closer, Hess put his hand on Kaen’s shoulder and squeezed it like he had done countless times.

“It never gets easier, but you are able to deal with it better,”  Hess answered in a softer tone than usual. “Death is not something we want to think about.  Killing a person is not glamorous.  This is another one of the ugly sides of adventuring.  Everything you are experiencing is normal, and anytime I can help with these problems, I will.”

Putting his hand on Hess’s, he gave it a tap and smiled.

“I’m good now.  It bothered me some, but I focused on the bad they were doing, and it helped me push through that concern.  I also think that might be what made my lifestone act like that.”

Giving one more shoulder squeeze, Hess moved back and finished securing a few last items he had.

“Let’s not worry about this right now if you believe you are ok.  Help me collect these papers, then let’s see what we can find on these bandits.  Pammon is scouting, right?”

Kaen nodded yes.

“As soon as they were dead, he took off like you instructed.”

“Good.  That scream might have been heard.”

Stacks of papers were collected and secured in a small pouch on the table when Kaen returned from looting the bodies.

“That guy had a lot of jewelry,” Kaen stated as he dropped a pouch on the table.  “Did you see him dodge my arrow?  How could he do that?”

Hess picked up the pouch Kaen had put down and hooked it to his belt.

“You break his bow?”

Kaen nodded he had.

“Good.  We don’t have time to deal with their equipment, and I would venture his bow was magical.”

“How did you know there would be a black spot on his chest?”

Folding his arms across his chest, Hess grunted.

“He had a lifestone.  When a person with one dies, it dissolves and leaves a black mark on their chest.  It is how we know when we are dealing with people that are dangerous.”

“Should I ask about the other three?”

“The female was an owner of one also.  I had no doubt once I saw her casting magic.  Only elves are able to cast magic without a lifestone, and they are limited in power,” explained Hess.  “The one you killed was just an average person, as was the man with the sword.”

Grabbing the documents, Kaen put them in between his armor and his chest.

“How common is this? I thought lifestones were rare?”

Hess nodded and glanced around the clearing once more.

“Eight years ago, they were.  The amount of magic and ingredients required to make one kept them limited to only the richest or those able to earn them via other methods.  If these many bandits have them, then business must be really good for them, or they are finding a different source.”

Kaen started to ask another question, but Hess held up his hand, cutting him off.

“We need to move.  I want to check out their main camp and see what we can find out about them.  Get Pammon to focus on the main camp.”

Kaen closed his mouth and nodded.  He had another dozen questions, at least he needed answers for.

We are going to head to the other camp.  Hess wants you to focus on that area.  Did anything happen since our fight?

No.  I have been bored flying circles while I watch you two loot bodies and the people in their camp move boxes out of the building and into wagons.

Are they moving boxes into wagons?

Yes.  Right now, at least six people are moving boxes for the last hour into three wagons.  I did not realize that was important, or I would have mentioned it.

You are fine!  Great work, and keep me updated if something changes.

“We need to go!” Kaen exclaimed as he pointed in the direction the other camp was in.  “Pammon says they are loading three wagons with boxes.  They must be planning on moving out soon!”

Hess grinned and nodded.

“Remind me to give Pammon a few extra scratches tonight,” Hess blurted out as he started jogging toward the other camp.  “This is exactly what we need right now!”

Slow down you two are almost on top of the western wall.  No one is keeping a watch right now.  There are two people who occasionally come out of the house and talk to another person who disappears inside the building for a while.  The same six people are still moving boxes but they are almost done.

Are any other people in camp right now besides those?

Not out moving, but I know there were more the other day.  Perhaps they are sleeping or hunting?

You are probably right as always.  Hess told me to remind you we may need help if we end up fighting.  Remember to be safe and hit hard if you have to come.

“Pammon says they are all either in the house, building, or moving boxes.  A few are missing, but he isn’t sure if they are hunting or sleeping.”

Hess nodded and slowed down.  Pammon was supposed to tell them when they were close, so now the tough decisions were about to take place.

Ten minutes later, they stared at the wall that had been erected around the western side.  It appeared to run around the whole camp, even though they knew it did not.  Massive ten-foot sections of trees were cut and buried in the dirt, lashed together with solid technique.

The same twenty yards of clearing were here as well.  Whoever was in charge of this operation was meticulous.

“Do you want to go around the wall to the south and see if we can find a way in?”

Hess motioned for Kaen to follow him a little deeper into the woods.

“Let’s scout and see what it looks like first.  This setup scares me, and I am close to deciding we need to go back to Ebonmount.”

Skirting through the trees, they found the edge of the wall that ran a good seventy-plus yards along the southwestern side.  It suddenly stopped, and there was a good fifty-yard gap between it and the south end of camp.

“That seems weird,” Kaen stated as he motioned to the opening.  “The trees back here are not any less dense, and there doesn’t look like anyone has actually moved around back here.”

Hess nodded and pointed to a spot of dirt that was just a tad higher than the rest of the forest ground.

“I’d bet money that is a trap,” Hess grumbles.  “The person who is in charge is dangerous.  That is evident.”

As they made it through the woods and near the west side wall, they could hear shouting and horses being moved inside.

Are they hitching horses up to the cart?

They just started.  I was about to tell you once I knew they were doing that.

“They are doing what it sounds like.  He says they are preparing the carts now.”

“We need to move now, then!” Hess exclaimed and motioned to the woods up north. “Have Pammon keep an eye out for them.  We need to find the trail and set up an ambush.”

We are going to look for their path through the woods.  Do you have any idea where it is?

Kaen sensed Pammon as he glided near the clouds and felt his gaze sweeping over the woods.  After a few moments, his gaze returned to an area northeast of them.

I think it is where I am looking now.  The trees are split enough that carts might go through there.

You are amazing, Pammon! Let me know if things change!

“I think I know where their trail is,” Kaen declared as he tapped his temple.  “Let’s move!”

Dashing through the forest, Kaen found the area Pammon occasionally kept looking at, directing him to it as if a beacon fire was going.

As they drew near where Pammon had led them, Hess slowed Kaen up, checking for potential traps.  When none were found, Hess slowly exited a small clearing that weaved between the trees.  Bending down, he glanced at the ground and shook his head in shock once he started moving some of the needles from the trees.

“Magic… it has to be magic,” he muttered under his breath.

“What did you say?”

“It has to be magic.  That is how they hide their tracks,” Hess explained as he motioned for Kaen to come closer.  “Look at this here.  A scout would have never found these if Pammon had not led us here by noticing the path through the trees.”

Kaen bent down and saw what Hess was pointing to.  Small ruts for a wagon were slightly in the ground, almost completely gone.  The way the needles from the tree had fallen had hidden them completely.

“So you think there is another magic user in this group?”

Hess nodded and slowly put the needles back where they had been.

“We need to move and decide what we will do and fast.”

“What if we…”

You need to hide!  They are climbing onto the wagons and appear to be moving out! Pammon shouted through their connection.

“We need to move! They are coming!”