Dawn of the Last Dragon Rider - Chapter 084 - Hiding No More (Patreon)

“Go!” exclaimed Kaen as he motioned to the others to go ahead into the woods.

He had just taken out four packs of hobgoblins with a bit of help from the other archer in the group and a lot of guidance from Pammon.

There are just a few guards who are either half asleep or not really paying attention.  The rest of the camp appears to be back inside, gathering for something.  You have maybe an hour tops before more hunters are sent out.

How many did you count the last time you were overhead?

There are still close to seventy or so outside the cave.  It has gotten wider as they have done work on it since the last time it appeared.

Cursing to himself, Kaen considered the problem with that.  They had two barrels that would be used to collapse the entrance, but that might not work if they were actively supporting the cave.  Who knows how long it would take them to reopen it if they were doing that?  It also left the problem of where they were coming from.

I wish we had time to scout the other side of the mountain but we will have to do that later.  For now, just keep me informed.

“Your eyesight is far better than I can imagine,” Gertrude stated as the rest of their squad moved up to him. “How you saw those two is… well it just proves how lucky we are to have you.”

“Quit yer flirty,” Rory whispered, “you know he has a woman.”

The others chuckled, and Gertrude almost gave her beard a tug, but she had already tucked it inside her plate armor.

“Listen, we don’t have time for this,” Kaen interrupted before they got started again.  “There are probably about fifty or seventy outside the cave.  We need to take them out and get those two barrels in place and blow them.  Once we start, goblin shite is going to hit the fan.”

“We got your front,” Brazuc informed him as he hefted his shield and regripped his hammer.  “Stay behind us and do what you need to.  We know your calls and will follow them.”

Gertrude nodded, and Aila moved up next to Kaen.

“Listen Kaen, I only have so many spells I can cast.  I prefer fire as that is my affinity.  I’ll focus on the big groups, you take down the big targets.  Just watch for healers if you can.”

Grimacing, Kaen nodded, already familiar with what they could do.

“Ok, the sun’s coming up, and they are tired.  They put in a long night which means the next group will be up soon.  Let’s do this.”

Two on the right, both casters!

Kaen’s lifestone had never stopped burning as he unleashed holy hell upon these creatures.  The second Pammon spotted them, his eyes drifted, arrows already loaded and launched before he ever locked on.  They were death to all who stood in their way, and within the first five minutes, he had unleashed over seventy arrows, taking out fifty-plus of the horde.

The other group is struggling with that orc!  There is a healer nearby!

As Kaen let Pammon focus his vision, he noticed a fire erupt from a group charging at them, an explosion rocked the ground, blowing chunks of goblins and hobgoblins to pieces as Aila struck down a pack of five.

Off in the distance, way out of his normal range, Kaen saw the hobgoblin healer, a shaman they were called, keeping the orc who was badgering the second group, limiting their two warriors' abilities to keep their archer and caster safe.

I have no choice. I have to show it.

Do it before another one dies!

Power flooded Kaen’s arrow. He felt his mana infusing the first arrow of this fight.  It streaked across the ground and when it impacted the shaman turned the area into a circle of flame as it  had that day before.  Nothing was left of the shaman other than a fine burnt red mist.

“What the hell was that!” shouted Bruzac as he lifted his shield, deflecting a few arrows.

“You can cast bloody magic!?”

“Focus!” Kaen shouted back.  “We don’t have time for this!  Aila, get those archers! There are three!”

As they turned their attention to the never-ending slaughter of goblins and orcs, just as a fireball lept from Aila’s hand, a roar echoed across the grounds from inside the cave.

“Frack!” cursed Gertrude as she bashed the skull of a goblin who was twitching on the ground as they continued moving closer to the cave entrance.  “That’s a blood cave troll!  We can’t handle that with our current group!”

I can’t see it, but I heard it!

It's a cave troll!  It’s bad… really bad.  Worse than that, orc we fought.

Kaen glanced and saw the third group was basically out.  They had pulled back after their mage had gotten taken out by an arrow, and the other one got hurt by a caster.  One of their warriors had tried to make it to the second group and was cut down by the orc, who had just fallen with no healer.

Pammon, it's time!

Pure passion and fury flowed over Kaen as he took out two more hobgoblins, dashing towards them.

I will be there in just a moment.

“LISTEN!” Kaen yelled as he fired an arrow, taking out the last goblin in range of them. “ALL EYES ON ME!”

Everyone snapped their attention to him, even Gertrude and Gruzac, who kept their shield facing the tunnel.

“I need you to not freak out, but I have help coming in a moment.  We can take out the troll, but I need you to stay calm and trust me and do not attack anything but the orcs and goblins!”

“What in a goblin's arse are you talking about?!” shouted Gertrude as an arrow plinked off her shield.  “There ain’t be no one out here to help!”

Kaen stared at her, and she saw the look in his eyes.

“Look to the sky, coming down the mountainside from the southwest.  You will see our help soon!”

As he spoke, Kaen released a twin shot, taking out two more hobgoblins, coming in a pack of six who had rushed out of the tunnel with a group of at least twenty more behind them.

“Aila wall flame now that tunnel entrance!”

Ignoring the caster as she began chanting, Kaen unleashed his multi-shot, dropping the four others who were hot on the heels of their fallen allies.

“Hurry, Aila!” Kaen shouted as a few more rushed from the opening.  Five escaped before a wall of fire filled the mouth of the cave, causing horrible screams and sounds to echo through the mountainside from inside.

“Five seconds,” Aila said with a grunt.  “Four.”

Nodding, Kaen fired arrow after arrow, dropping an empty quiver as he reached for one of the extras he had on his hip.

“Arrows!” he belted out, causing Rory to dash close and refill the one he had just dropped with his reserves.

“One…” gasped Aila as the wall suddenly cut off, and the flames went out other than the burning bodies.

Forty yards away was the mouth of the cave, and coming out of it was a creature as tall as the orc he had faced, wearing almost no armor, but his skin was thick and a puke green color.  It carried a massive tree trunk that was at least eight feet long and a good two feet thick.

“Kaen!” Brazuc yelled, “Where is this help?!”

Kaen could see Pammon falling quickly from the sky; he was streaking along the mountainside, but he was still a good twenty seconds out, and Kaen doubted they had that much time.

“Twenty seconds!” Kaen shouted as he began to move back some.  “Fall back, stay in formation!”

As the squad scurried backward, the troll saw them, slamming his club into the ground as he roared in their direction, smashing a few goblins who had attempted to skirt by him.

“We need to run!” Rory shouted as he saw that there were no goblins or orcs behind us.  “We can make it!”

“HOLD!” Gertrude shouted at him.  “Trust Kaen! We can’t make it if we run!”

Kaen glanced at Aira and saw she was done.  She could barely stand, and seeing her like this reminded him of how Luca looked before the orc killed him.

“No more!” Kaen muttered as his lifestone turned into a white-hot flame in his chest.  He felt like he was glowing as he felt power rage through him.  The arrow he had drawn burnt white, not the red color it had been before, flew from his bow and streaked across the distance, penetrating the troll's chest and exploding, sending chunks and fire all around it.

The troll roared in pain, patting its chest and body as flames erupted over it.

“Hair dwarf balls,” Rory uttered in shock, witnessing the power of what took place.

Kaen stood there a moment, smiling at what he had done, only to lose that smile as the troll moved out of the circle of fire and its blackened and red body began to regenerate slowly.

“That’s what makes them so bad!” yelled Gertrude as she held up her shield, preparing for a charge she knew was coming.

The troll swung its flaming club, smashing dead corpses and sending them flying toward the two dwarves, causing Bruzac to get knocked back by the force of two goblins that struck his shield.  Its eyes, black with red blood seeping out of them, glared at Kaen as it roared again.

I’m here!

As the troll began to move forward, a bronze shape swooped down from the sky, a red and blue flame pouring from its mouth and engulfing the troll in it before flying up quickly into the sky, leaving all to stare in shock.

“A… a… Dragon!” Aira shouted first.

“We need to run!

“Can it, Rory!” Kaen ordered.  “It’s my dragon. Now stay and fight!”

All of them turned and looked at Kaen as he made that claim, none believing he could mean that, and yet they saw Kaen not pausing, firing arrow after arrow at the troll.

Within ten seconds, the dragon reappeared and, this time, hovered over the burning troll, who was now on his knees, suffering the pain of a fire that would not go out.  Roaring, Pammon announced himself and again breathed fire on the troll, causing it to roast alive.  After a three-second burst, Pammon flew over to where the Troll was and reached down with its back claws, grabbing its burning corpse and tearing it in half before depositing it in the fire again.

“Good work, Pammon!” Kaen shouted as he took down a few more goblins who were standing in shock at what they had just witnessed.

“Rally to the dragon!” Kaen shouted as he rushed toward Pammon, who moved off to the side and landed on the ground.

I think they are afraid of me.  At least they did not attack me.

You were amazing!  Keep the goblins from advancing, but don't breathe fire in the tunnel.

Turning, Kaen saw the two men who were holding the barrels one hundred yards off, trembling in fear.

He waved at them and shouted for them to come, yet neither moved.

“Gertrude!  Go get those barrels!  Rory, heal Brazuc! Aira, go with Gertrude, I got this!”

Kaen’s steady gaze and orders snapped them out of their fears as they bobbed their heads and ran to obey his instructions.

Your harness is inside one of the containers on my right.  Hess figured you would need it.

Laughing, Kaen nodded as he ran up next to Pammon, shooting arrows at any goblin foolish enough to poke its head out of the cave.

The second party had managed to clear their area during the confusion, and the four of them stood there in shock, watching Kaen engage a dragon who had come to their rescue.  Around them were well over a hundred and fifty corpses of goblins and orcs.

BOOOM!

With the cave sealed from the barrels and Kaen’s explosive shot, everyone stood back in shock and awe of Kaen and Pammon.

“I don’t have time as I need to go help the others, but everyone, this is Pammon!  He is my dragon!”

They glanced at Kaen, who was standing there grinning like a fool.

“You have a dragon?” Brazuc asked, still confused from the hit that he took from the troll.

“Of course, you idiot,” Gertrude announced, though she was obviously not completely sure herself.

“His name is Pammon, and he is safe.  Another day, I will introduce you better, but I need to go!” shouted Kaen as he began to climb on Pammon’s neck.  “You guys recover, and then go to the next point!  I’ll fly there now and see if we can help!”

Kaen smiled when he saw two loops that Hess had made, perfect for his feet with the rope he had tied the arrows on.  Pammon helped him get the harness on, and as everyone watched, he was soon ready to go.

I think they would soil themselves if you roared, so don’t do it.

Thrumming, Pammon watched as they all backed away from him as that sound hit them.

I was considering that.

I know. Answered Kaen.  I could feel you wanting to be mischievous.  Now, thank you again, and let’s go!

Pammon gave a slight roar after he had cleared the ground, thrumming as he saw the adventurers below back up in shock and awe.

You couldn’t resist, could you?

No… no, I could not.