Dawn of the Last Dragon Rider - Chapter 075 - Kaen's Real Purpose (Patreon)

Say when.

Letting himself go, Kaen focused on where he was and why he was doing all of this.  Feeling Pammon’s body beneath him, knowing all this was so he could protect others, the real truth pierced his heart, causing tears to stream from his eyes.

What is it?  What is wrong?

Kaen wiped the tears from his face, yet they kept coming.  The truth of why he had wanted to be an adventurer stung too deeply.

I finally know why I am really doing this.  I finally figured out why this is so important to me.

Pammon continued to glide around the spot they were at, feeling what Kaen was feeling, his heart aching for him.

I’m here.  I can sense it, but I don’t know what it is.  It is a loss… a loss of…

Pammon’s heart broke when it discovered the truth about Kaen.  Before yesterday, he would not have been able to figure this out, but now, with their new connection, he did.

You're doing this so no one has to go through what you went through.  Losing their dad…

Sobbing, Kaen leaned against Pammon’s neck, letting the tears fall onto his scales.

He had thought he had gotten over this, but at this moment, he felt the truth of it all hit.  He knew precisely why he was doing this, why he needed to do this no matter the cost.

[ Charm Resist  Increased x3 ]

The skill increase smacked him in the chest as his lifestone pulsed briefly.  As soon as it hit, he felt a peace overcome him.  The realization that he had accepted the real reason for all of this.

What was that?!

My charm resist skill just went up three points!  I think it is because I finally admitted why I am doing this and committed to it no matter the cost.  Maybe even more because I admitted to myself I don’t want someone else having to deal with the loss of a parent if I can help it.

So does this mean you are ready?

Kaen smiled, wiping away the last of the tears he had with his sleeve.

I’ve never been more ready in my life.  Let’s do this.

As Pammon turned to begin the path that would take them down the practice lane, Kaen opened himself to his lifestone.  He was committed and knew this was more than just about his honor or pride.  This was about protecting others.  Protecting people from those who meant harm.  More importantly, protecting families.

His lifestone roared like an inferno inside his chest.  It almost ached, feeling the true commitment of one bent on a single path for their life.  Things might change in what Kaen did to follow this path, but the truth was he would always be bound to this one task.

As they entered the training path, his lifestone cooled itself, burning like an ember that would not go out instead of a raging fire that would consume him.

I can feel it!  It was so hot for a moment I was worried something was wrong.

Kaen couldn’t answer.  His lifestone had acknowledged his need in this moment.  He needed to get better and improve so that he could protect others.  Protect families.

Kaen was just a participant, watching his body move smoothly, lining the arrow up and letting it go, striking the dead center of the black circle on the first target.

As the two targets approached, he felt both arrows between his fingers.  He now knew how he had held them wrong all those other times.  The angle seemed so minute, but it was why he could not hit the targets.  At this range and speed, it was as if he was almost shooting away on purpose.  His twin shot skill activated precisely when needed, both arrows speeding away, striking each target simultaneously, right in the middle again.

Target four came up quickly, yet it felt like he was moving so slowly, watching his arms draw and load the arrow before sending it to the heart of the target.

Target five came into view, his lifestone began to radiate, and something strange came over him as he felt his body throb.  The arrow was loaded, and he held it. Power filled him like never before.  His lifestone roared into that fire it had before they entered the training area.  He felt something flowing through him, unsure what it was.

Energy, pure energy, something he had not felt before.

The tip of the arrow began to glow, burning red.

Kaen watched and felt all this happen as the arrow disappeared from his bow.  When it struck the target it exploded in a fiery mess, throwing wood and fire all around for a good five-foot area near it.

What was that!? Pammon roared as he quickly slowed down, moving closer to the flames as Hess sprinted toward them.

[ Exploding Shot Skill Acquired ]

[ Mana Use Acquired ]

[ Magic Skill Acquired ]

[ Magic Skill Increased  x10 ]

[ Archery Skill Increased x2 ]

[ Archery Skill Waiting To Be Chosen ]

“Magic? I can use magic?” Kaen mumbled to himself as Pammon began to land near the flames, trying to put out the brush that had started burning.

What?! I couldn’t hear you.

Kaen glanced at the flaming mess around him, snapping out of his stupor.

Let’s solve this first!

Cutting the rope around each leg, Kaen slid off one side and began kicking dirt on the brush as Pammon used his body to extinguish the fire.  The flames were put out in a matter of minutes, leaving just a tiny cloud of smoke drifting up and a burnt patch on the ground.

“Hairy dwarf balls, Kaen! What was that?”

As he started to talk, Kaen suddenly noticed the area around him going dark.  With his adrenaline not pumping and his lifestone quiet, the impact of what he had just achieved hit his body.  The last thing he saw as he crumpled to the ground was Pammon’s head turned sideways, watching him pass out.

“Slowly, sit up slowly.”

Kaen heard Hess, but it was weird how his voice sounded.  Almost concerned.

“I’m fine,” Kaen answered as he sat up, realizing that Pammon was sending strength through their bond to him.  “Pammon is helping me recover.”

Hess glanced at Pammon, who was nodding.

“How did I get here?  Did you carry me?”

Hess chuckled and nodded.

I’m glad you still haven’t put on a lot of muscle,” Hess teased as he handed a waterskin to Kaen.  “It was better to get you here where I had some water and could lean you against something.  Now tell me, son, what in the hell was all of that?”

Smiling, Kaen looked at Pammon and bowed his head a little.

“You can stop now. I am fine, but thank you for your strength.”

Are you sure? I do not mind, as we are close, and it is barely a fraction of what I can give.

Chuckling, Kaen couldn’t believe that Pammon had more to give.  He felt like he had slept all night and had enjoyed a full breakfast.

“I’m fine, really.  I feel like I could go run for hours right now.”

If you say so.

Kaen felt the link cut and the flow of strength end.  A small bit of weakness hit for a moment, but after that, he knew there was no lasting impact of Pammon stopping the flow.

“I appreciate being left out of the conversation,” Hess said as he glanced between Kaen and Pammon, “but I would really like to know what happened sooner than later.”

Kaen nodded but held up his hand as he lifted the waterskin and took a long drink, relishing the fact that he knew Hess was dying, having to wait to learn what happened.

“I figured it out.”

“Figured what out?” Hess asked, scrunching his eyebrows in confusion.

“I figured out why I wanted to be an adventurer.  The real reason.”

Kaen set the waterskin down and smiled at Hess.

“This may sound wrong, but please do not take it that way.  I have nothing but love for you and appreciate all that you did for me.  I was upset and angry after my dad died, and you started to raise me.  It felt unfair as I watched other kids get to enjoy their families, even the ones with family problems.  That is when I committed myself to becoming an adventurer.  So that no one else would lose what I lost.”

Hess slowly nodded, the pain of what he was hearing written on his face.  He didn’t take what Kaen was saying as an attack on him but a realization of what a boy who experienced that must have felt.

“And so you trained,” Hess whispered quietly.

“Yes.  You remember those first years.  All I wanted to do was train.  Night and day till I wore myself out.  You had to put me to bed I was so tired I couldn’t stand.  That is when you finally convinced me to work in the quarry, to put some meat on my bones as you said.”

Hess chuckled and nodded. He had forgotten those years.

“Everything I did, all the times I wanted to be an adventurer, was for that reason.  When I acknowledged it, really acknowledged it while I was on Pammon’s back, my lifestone burned in a way I have never felt before.  I thought for a moment it would burn me from the inside.”

Glancing up at the sky, Kaen rubbed his chest where the lifestone was.

“I felt like I was riding a small log on a raging river, carried along and forced to watch it go where it wanted. Each of those shots was all done by it.  Every one of them was perfect.  I got to see exactly how they should be held, where they should be aimed at, and when to release.”

Letting out a small sight after taking a big breath, Kaen turned and looked at Hess once more.

“That last shot was… it… Sorry, I’m finding it hard to explain,” Kaen said with a grumble as he shrugged.  “Power that I didn’t know was inside me started pouring into the arrowhead.  My lifestone raged again like a smiths furnace, and when it was ready, it streaked off, doing what you saw.”

Tapping his chest with his finger, Kaen lifted both hands up, holding up five fingers on one hand and one on the other.

“I got six notifications.  One was for acquiring a skill called exploding shot.  I am assuming that is what the fifth target got hit by.  I was notified that I had gained mana use and the magic skill.”

Kaen paused when he saw Hess open his mouth for a moment.  After Hess sat there for a second, trying to catch flies in his open trap, he shut it and motioned for Kaen to continue.

“I also gained two points in archery and am now supposed to pick the skill for level thirty!” Kaen exclaimed.

“Hairy dwarf balls, Kaen!” Hess shouted as he jumped up from where he was sitting.  He started moving around, waving his hands in the air, obviously dealing with all of the news Kaen had just hit him with.

“Do you understand… no, obviously you don’t,” Hess caught himself as he tried to speak. He was utterly flabbergasted.  “No one ever, outside of your dad, has ever reported acquiring what you just did.  It seems impossible!”

“Well, it happened.  I still haven’t checked the skill choices yet.”

Archery Skill Choices

[ Multi-shot ]

[ Empowered Shot ]

“My choices are multi-shot or empowered shot,” Kaen informed Hess, ignoring how his mentor was still struggling with the news.

“I can’t… I can’t handle this… You have no idea, Kaen, what this means.”

“The skill choices?”

Hess strode over to where Kaen was and kneeled down before him.

“No, you fool.  If you live as long as a dragon rider should, you will be the strongest person in all the kingdoms.  You two will be an unstoppable force with what you can apparently do, combined with what Pammon gives you.  We just need to keep you alive to get there.”

Kaen struggled to understand that statement by Hess, but Pammon started to thrum.

I told you we would be a force to reckon with.

I never intended to be one.  I just want to keep you and everyone else safe.

“You two ignoring me?” Hess asked as he watched the two of them staring at each other.

“Sorry, we were talking.  What did  you say?”

“Choose multi-shot.  After you do that, tell me your stats.”

Kaen groaned.  If Hess wanted to know his stats, it meant something important.

And that scared him.