Dawn of the Last Dragon Rider - Chapter 064 - Grave News (Patreon)

Kaen surveyed the damage and destruction Pammon had done, all on his own.

“I’m not sure what to think or even say,” he finally blurted out.  “Six people gone with no real chance.”

“And he isn’t even a year old yet,” Hess answered as Pammon watched the two of them talk. “When he gets older, he won’t even need the distractions you and I provided.”

The thrum of Pammon’s laughter reverberated from him as he lounged on the ground as if he had no care in the world.

Beside him were the two bodies he had retrieved from the tree tops, the rest he had not touched since landing.

You are not afraid of me, yet I sense angst from you.  What is it?

Kaen moved over to where Pammon was and put his hand on his snout.

I know you are not the only dragon, and I guess part of me wonders how we will fight them if it ever comes to that.  They are all older and larger, meaning the destruction they can bring will be greater than what you did today.  I don’t want to risk you like that.

Pammon leaned his head forward and gave a gentle head butt against Kaen’s body.

No one will threaten you or me.  We will find our own path and strength.  I have no doubt about it.

Chuckling, Kaen pressed back against Pammon’s head, pretending to wrestle with him.

“One day, we will go where we want when we want.  I cannot wait for that moment.”

Neither can I.

Hess moved through the camp and to the spot where a few flickers of flame burned in the dirt from Pammon’s dragon fire.  The heat was so hot it cracked it, forming a crust-like surface they had found the day Pammon had come into their lives.  Seven months ago, was it?

Hess left the spot and checked the building that he knew must have housed the person in charge.  If anything had survived Pammon’s fire, they could wait till morning to try and retrieve it.

“Kaen!” Hess called out as he walked away.

“I’m on it!” Kaen called out, rolling his eyes playfully at Pammon.  “Time to see what I can find on these bandits.”

Pointing at the horse that was lying near the wall, Kaen moved toward the two bodies near him.

“You should go eat that horse.  I can tell you are hungry.”

Without waiting for Kaen to say anything else, Pammon quickly got up and made his way to the horse, ripping off huge bites and swallowing most of them without chewing.

Ignoring what his dragon was doing, he turned to the task at hand.  Being an adventurer meant looting corpses like a grave robber, hoping to find something of value.

Morning came quickly, and even though it had not been the most comfortable choice, Kaen had slept again with Pammon outside.  Nestled up against his body, the beat of his heart and the warmth he provided had quickly put Kaen to sleep.

“I hate leaving all those goods because there must still be a few bandits left, but I think I found more than I had hoped for,” Hess declared as he cinched the rope that held the saddle bags and an assortment of small chests on one of the horses.  “I only read some of the papers, but we need to get out of here and report back in.  Other bandits may come back, yet I doubt they will stay here long if they do.  With no horses or food and everyone dead and rotting, some might not risk even checking if anything is left.”

Kaen nodded and finished raking up the dirt Pammon had broken up with his claws.  Hess had told them they needed to hide the dirt so that no one could determine a dragon had been there.

One black ring with a green gemstone had managed to survive Pammon’s fire, and Hess had tucked it away into his pouch.

“Seems like a waste not taking stuff with us, but then again, I don’t want to be sitting on a cart for days, trying to get all this stuff back.”

Hess laughed and nodded as he turned and gazed again around the base the bandits had built.

“I wished I could have questioned one of them, but I am glad I did not have to play executioner also.”

Kaen wiped the sweat from his brow by tossing the rake to the side.

“All we need to do now is go find our horses and return home, victors, once again,” Kaen declared as he flexed his arms playfully. “If we keep this up, Fiola will probably get mad.”

Hess burst out into a roaring laugh.

“Is it that obvious I dislike that woman?”

“I would say most people can read your dislike for her as easily as they can read how badly you want to sleep with Sulenda,” Kaen teased.

Hess snorted and shook his head at Kaen.

“One day, I will make sure to remind you of how easily we can all read you,” Hess quickly fired back, pointing a finger at Kaen.  “I’ll just make sure to do it when others are present.”

Laughing, Kaen gave Hess the finger again and moved over to grab the other horse they were taking back with them.

“One day, that finger might get cut off, then what would you do?”

“Use the other hand,” answered Kaen as he lifted up both middle fingers at him.

It had been years since Hess had given Kaen both fingers at once, yet he felt it was time to remedy that.

Both of them laughed as they stood there for a few seconds, waving both hands in the air with only their middle fingers showing.

“Come on, old man, I need to get you back before you hurt yourself more, and Sulenda keeps her promise.”

Hess grinned and nodded.

“I’m sure I won’t hear the end of it.”

The two days back to Ebonmount had been uneventful. The three of them took their time, not overworking the horses, and Pammon was always scouting, seeing if anyone on the road was someone he recognized.  As tempting as it was for Hess to stay and try to catch some of the bandits who would return from scouting for new targets, their work was done, and he needed to get home and recover.

Pammon and Kaen were more than content with the pace Hess had set, enjoying more time together than they had since leaving Minoosh.

There were only four hours of sun left when they finally arrived back at the guild hall.

News had beat them back to the guild house, and Mandy and Herb were waiting outside on the steps for the two of them.  Both of them had grim looks on their faces.

“That appears to be quite a bit of stuff on those two horses,” Herb called out when they got within hearing range.  “Do I even want to know?”

Hess grinned and shook his head no.

“Your intel on the quest was completely off,” Hess answered back as he gazed around the building’s courtyard.  There were fewer adventurers out than he had expected, and the ones who were around did not seem in good moods.  “What has happened?”

Holding up a hand, Herb cut him off and motioned to the building with his head.

“What happened?” Kaen asked quietly as he leaned closer to Hess as they continued riding up to the front of the hall.

“Nothing good, Kaen.  Nothing good.”

Two more clerks came out with a few extra helpers, and when they finally arrived at the steps, they took the two horses laden with boxes and saddlebags and led them around the building to be unloaded.

“I am glad you two have returned,” Herb said as both began climbing off their horses, handing the reigns to Mandy.  “It has been a hard week, but we must talk inside.”

Kaen grabbed his bow and his supplies while Hess left them all on the horse.

“You don’t trust them?” Hess asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

“After what just happened and how people are acting, I feel better with it on my back,” Kaen replied.

Hess paused and nodded, returning to the saddle and taking off one of his maces.

“I guess you are right,” Hess mumbled as he watched Herb and Mandy, noticing they were still upset.

“I will ask for forgiveness later,” Mandy suddenly blurted out as they walked up the stairs.

Hess glanced at Mandy and saw a few tears on her cheek.  Something was definitely wrong.

The moment the doors closed in the room Herb had led the two of them into, Hess spun on his heel and confronted Herb.

“Tell me what is going on?  Why all this cloak and dagger stuff?”

Herb held up his hand again, drawing a frustrated breath from Hess.  He put his other hand on the door and activated a rune on it, causing the walls to shimmer momentarily.

“We can talk safely now,” Herb said with a sigh as he moved to a chair. “Sit, none of this will be good news or fast.”

“Twenty-three adventurers dead,” Kaen whispered, still trying to wrap his head around that news.  “In just the last five days?  I talked to some of the ones you mentioned just last week.”

Herb nodded and slowly straightened his papers on the table before him.

“I have never seen in all my years of doing this such a bad misrepresentation of quests given to adventurers.  There is no excuse for this.  Someone had to intentionally do this.”

Hess still sat there, his fingers laced together and his chin on his hands as he leaned against the table.  He had not spoken for a few minutes now.

“Hearing how dangerous your quest was, I am thankful you two survived.  It is a testament to both of you to have defeated this many.”

Kaen gave a weak smile as Herb tried to praise them.  They were alive and had succeeded only because of Pammon.  A shudder flowed through Kaen as he admitted to himself what would have most likely happened if it had just been the two of them.

“When are their funerals?” Kaen inquired.  “I need to get something to honor Chubs and Amra.”

Flipping through a few pages, Herb ran his fingers along one and grimaced momentarily.

“Chubs was two days ago, and Amra’s will be tomorrow.  We have not had this level of loss in a long time.  Never since I have been here.”

A twinge of sadness hit Kaen as he thought of those times he and Chubbs had laughed together at the inn.  The young man was full of life and joy.  He just wanted to be a great adventurer and help protect the kingdom and its people.

I am sorry for the pain you are feeling.  I know it is heavy on your heart.

We might have been in those numbers if it was not for you, Pammon.  I just can’t believe all this happened in five days! We need to figure out what to do.

I am here and will always be here to help you with anything you need.  Just tell me what to do, and I will do it.

Kaen took one of those deep breaths people do when they know they need to refocus.  He held it for a bit and finally let it out when his lungs began to burn.

Thank you.  More than words can say, I know you feel how much you mean to me.  For now, fly and enjoy it so I can feel it through you.  It always lifts me up when I feel you flying across the sky.

I will touch the clouds for you and imagine you are up here with me.

A smile crept across Kaen’s face.

“What can we do to help?” Kaen asked, watching Hess, who was staring at him.

“I’m not sure how to answer that right now,” Herb replied.  “We are investigating things inside the guild.  Fiola is holed up in her office, and the council has contacted her and said they are sending out an investigator.  She is beside herself with that knowledge, and the entire staff suffers under it.  She has not left her office the last two days, and the wear on her is obvious.”

Herb snapped his fingers at Hess.

“You could talk to her? See if you could help?”

Snorting, Hess shook his head no.

“Seriously? You would ask me to help her?  After everything you know she did before I left?” Hess shouted as he slammed a hand against the table.  “This is her doing!  She let it happen under her watch and by a dwarf's beard, I have no problem letting her take the blame and fall for it!”

Herb’s chair scraped as he stood up, pounding the table with his fists.

“Stop being an ass, Hess Brumlin!  Be the hero you swore you would be!” shouted Herb. “This isn’t about your dispute with Fiola. This is about other adventures who are dying because someone doing something underhanded!  In the last year, we have lost more than in years before.  Something is happening, and we need help!  I need help!”

Hess glared at Herb, who was giving him the same look back.  Kaen sat there watching the two grown men get red in the face, seeing whose vein in their forehead would burst first.

“I will help,” Kaen answered as he stood up from his chair.  “I promised myself and the guild to do whatever I can to protect anyone who needs it.  Right now, it appears Fiola needs it.”

Herb turned, focusing on Kaen, his frustration visibly vanishing as he saw the expression on Kaen’s face.

“Thank you for your help, Kaen Marshell.”

Nodding, Kaen began to move around the table until he stood by the door.

“Hess, you going to come with me or sit there, whining like a calf who misses its mother's teet?”

A grunt came from Hess as he glared across the table at Kaen.

“You don’t know what you are asking me to do.”

“Your right,” Kaen replied.  “Because I don’t care.  Now get off your fat ass and act like the man who raised me all these years.  Do what Herb said and be an adventurer worthy of the token around your neck.”

Kaen opened the door, never taking his gaze off Hess.

“With or without you, I will do what I know is right.”

Done talking, he left the room, shutting the door behind him.

“He’s just like his damn father,” Hess cursed as he pounded the table with both fists.

Herb nodded and said nothing for a moment.

“What?” Hess erupted in frustration as Herb continued to stare at him.

“I’m just waiting to see how long you pouted before you followed his dad when you knew Hoste was right,” replied Herb with a slight grin.

“Hairy goat-loving, orc-humping bastard of a goblin!” Hess shouted as he stood up, knocking his chair over.

He pointed his massive finger at Herb and shook it frantically.

“If you weren’t my friend, I would pop you in the face.”

Herb laughed and shrugged.

“If popping me in the face is what it takes for you to do the right thing, then come and do it,” he replied, putting both hands behind his back.  “Otherwise, stop wasting time complaining about what you know is right, and go do it.”

Herb smiled and shook his head after the door slammed behind him with enough force that almost cracked the frame.

“Hoste, your son is just like you,” he muttered to himself in the empty room.  “May the spirits be gentle with Hess for having to suffer through the two of you.”