Rise of the Last Dragon Rider - 004 Two Years of Hard Work (Patreon)

Tharnok said you have more honor than most dragons and owes you.

Kaen could feel the immense pride that gave Pammon to hear Tharnok speak of him like that.  Both had learned a lot by flying and talking with the older dragon.  Two hundred-plus years of experience was drilled into them daily by a dragon that didn’t take crap and ignored excuses.

I cannot believe he allowed the king to hold his rider hostage like that.  Tell me you would not have done something to make him end it.

Pammon grunted as he flew over the trees, putting distance between the capital and eating away the miles till Ebonmount.

It wasn’t that simple.  Remember what you told me about your mother and the bond her father had over her?  He could have ended Elies’s life with but a command if the king wanted.  Had his dragon killed the king, both of them would have died.  Only the mercy shown by the elves once Stioks and Juthom injured him stayed the rage Tharnok felt.

Without thinking, he touched the spot where his lifestone was at.  All the things Hoste had told him in those letters started to make sense.

I think I was able to resist the binding of the King and the Hurems because of the type of stone I have.  It would be like one king trying to make another subservient.

Do not allow yourself to get angry. I can feel it still smoldering inside you.  You and I know you could never have gone to Stioks and offered him that deal.  Thankfully, the king was not able to tell.

Kaen started laughing as Pammon climbed higher into the sky and was soon going to be in the clouds.

I guess that storytelling skill was worth it, after all.

I know I’m going to regret asking, but when was the last time you checked all of your stats and skills?

It's been a few months, but I’ll check only since you asked.

Kaen felt the groan from Pammon.  He laughed as both of them knew he had been dying to check before he let the thought run through his mind.

Full Stats and Skill Check

*****

Kaen Marshell - Adolescent

Age - 19

HP - 1225/1225 (25%)

MP - 400/400 (25%)

STR - 40 (25%)

CON - 41 (25%)

DEX - 44 (25%)

INT - 31 (25%)

WIS - 26 (25%)

Blessings:

Dragonbound Complete - 25% current bonus to all stats

Hunters Tunic - + 3 to Str / Con / Dex

Blessed Vambrace - + 1 to Dex / Int

Blessed Vambrace - + 1 to Dex / Wis

Bonded Bow of Archer - + 5 to dex + 3 to archery *Locked*

Blood Ring - + 5 to Con

King’s Belt - +2 Dex

Eagle Pendant - +2 to Dex

Skills

Archery 36 (40)

Brawling 26

1H Sword 31

1H Mace 30

1H Axe 28

1H Club 30

Shield  32

Spear  30

2H Sword 28

2H Polearm 24

Staff  22

Magic  27

Charm Resist 30

Dragon Riding 28

Story Telling 34

Haggle  26

Dancing 29

Sneak  21

Tracking 22

Cooking 27

Mining  21

*****

It seems all that hard work has paid off.  Are you going to share those with Hess so you can finally prove to him yours is bigger?

Scratching the scale near his hands, Kaen smiled as the wind rushed over him.

I’m not that petty, am I?

Spraying mucus when he huffed, Pammon thrummed as he knew Kaen had dodged his attempt.

Ugh, you got it over the supplies.  No one wants to clean that mess up.

Thrumming, Pammon nodded his head as he flew.  He was thankful he never had to worry about cleaning that up.

What is your plan?  We are still almost a day out from Ebonmount, and unless you want to use my flight skill, getting there late at night has no real value, does it?
I’m fine with a night in the woods somewhere.  Besides, we have almost a week until we need to actually be in Ebonmount for the ceremony.  You and I both know Frederick and Phillip were excited the last time we were there.

An acknowledgment and sense of pride came from Pammon as Kaen brought those two boys up.  Even though he would never admit it, Pammon enjoyed it whenever they visited for a few days and those boys came up to him.

Each of them had grown and put on some solid weight, becoming leaders of the academy that Kaen had started.  No other boys were given rides except those two, keeping them working hard and setting an example for every other boy and girl there.

Yes, I do not think they would be happy at all if we did not arrive on time.  After all, you did promise and sign a quest sheet for the two of them.

Besides, I need to go and see my sister.  Callie turned a year not that long ago, and that last letter from Hess said she was already saying Pammon.

Lies!  You need to do better if you are going to lie to me.

Laughing, Kaen smiled as the wind rushed against his face and through his hair.

All the frustration and anger he felt earlier today was gone.  All he could think of was the things to come.

They had flown to the west side of the bowl of mountains surrounding Ebonmout and searched some of the sparser land areas for game and food.  South East of Roccnari was a place that turned into a desert.  Farther south was a range of mountains that boiled with lava and had little life.

Elies had taught him about the geography of the kingdoms and what one could find in each of them.   They were searching for a plant to bring back to Sulenda.  There was a cactus fruit that, when fermented, made an exceptional alcohol and he knew she would love getting some for the inn.

I knew I should have eaten a cow or three before we left, grumbled Pammon.  That deer barely did anything this afternoon, and nothing out here is worth killing.

Perhaps if we find a chicken, you can eat it and get revenge finally for your honor.

Pammon huffed but kept his eyes on the ground.  The sooner they found what Kaen was looking for, the sooner they could find a place with real food.

It had taken an hour to find a cluster of cacti with the fruit on them, and minus a few small injuries caused by their sharp needles, Kaen had a bag full of fruit for Sulenda.

They had flown to the base of the mountains, and Pammon had managed to locate two deer quickly and consumed both.  He offered to share, but Kaen was content to eat some of the jerky he had brought, knowing they would be back in town and enjoy some real food tomorrow.

“Seems like a peaceful night,” Kaen stated as he glanced up at the sky and the moon that was three-fourths full.  “The sounds of the forest at night and your heart beating.”

Leaning into Pammon’s scales, Kaen smiled as he mindlessly scratched a few of them with his hand.

You better not go soft on me once we get back to Ebonmount.  We have a lot of stuff to prepare for and do, and I don’t want to have to worry about you turning into a fool over Ava.

Spitting on the ground, Kaen groaned.

“Really? Why bring her up?  You and I both know how she acted after my last time there.”

Because while your words say one thing, I know how your heart feels.  Let’s solve the problem at hand, and you can worry about her in ten or twenty years.  By then, maybe I’ll let you consider making an eggling of your own.

Chuckling, Kaen closed his eyes and just nodded.  It wasn’t worth getting into that discussion, and Pammon was right.  He had other things to worry about right now than a woman whose feelings got hurt just because he acted like a man.  Whatever that meant…

Grumbling, Kaen adjusted himself against Pammon’s side and closed his eyes.  He could worry about whatever problems arose tomorrow.

I think we need to go and scout south of the bowl.  Your advice proves again you are smarter than me.

Pammon laughed as he finished eating his breakfast in the woods.

Kaen poked the fire with a stick while he waited for his dragon to return.  His breakfast of dried meat and fruit was good enough for now.

I’m glad you can admit what we already know, but if you plan on meeting with Aldric, you should be informed about what is really down there.  We have not looked in a year.

They had pulled back to their swamps, but do we believe they will stay there?  Those caves had massive structures built outside them, and the piles of rocks could have built a town.  They were digging deep into the mountains.

Yet no letter has come saying any of them have ventured into the caves that are watched.

Ripping a piece of meat off with his teeth, Kaen chewed as he considered what all this might mean.  There was no way that army would give up so easily, and after learning Stioks had been behind that attack, it was only a matter of time before they struck again.

Half a day to fly down there and see, right?

If that.  You and I know I am much faster now than last year.

That's because you eat all the wildlife and animals wherever we live.  I cannot believe how many animals you have eaten in the past two years.  It is no wonder that kingdoms fear dragons.

Laughing out loud even though Pammon was not present to enjoy his attempts at joke, Kaen felt a slight laugh coming from Pammon.

It makes me wish I had eaten more now, knowing what that elf had done.

I would agree, but let’s not focus on that right now.  Hurry up and get back here.  I want to scout and reach Ebonmount by tonight.  If we don’t stop to hunt, you can probably get back in time for a cow from Aldric.

Satisfaction… no, anticipation came through their bond as Kaen sensed Pammon beginning to move in his direction.

Food was definitely the way to Pammon’s heart.

The flight along the mountainside was a reminder of how barren this section of land was.  No rain seemed to make it over these peaks, as the majority of it fell inside the bowl of mountains.  The scorched land below and to the west was a harsh place.

They had learned from Elies and Tharnok about the few places in the desert.  Some groups lived out there and were often a tougher breed than most in other kingdoms.  The landscape required that.

The trade from these places was rare, but prices were not cheap for their exotic goods when they came.  Kaen had hoped to visit the cities, but Elies had warned him to stay away for another fifty years or so.  Until Pammon was much bigger and presented a threat none of them would want to attempt.

That place is so nasty, those mountains and the smoke clouds.

It is still too far for me to see, and I know you can barely make them out.  Volcanos are out there.  I don’t believe anything lives in that area anymore.

Tharnok says some beasts do.  Usually, ones resistant to disease, but most are often very poisonous.

Grunting, Kaen squinted but couldn’t make out what he knew Pammon could see.  As they flew south, way off to the west were the harsher parts of the land.  Soon, they would be entering the part the orcs, goblins, and other creatures called home.

How deep do you want to go into their territory?  You are the one that has to fly us home tonight.

Kaen laughed as Pammon growled.  They were miles into the air, and the cold wind did nothing to him now.  He had overcome that a year ago.  Even with the air being a little thinner, he felt fine.

I am not worried about flying over their swamp.  I am more worried about what may come out of their swamp.

A shudder escaped Kaen as he remembered the last time they had come here.  Being cocky had almost cost them their life.