Rise of the Last Dragon Rider - Chapter 015 - Living like a Dragon Rider (Patreon)

These two seemed to have more stuff than you normally bring on a three-day trip.  Is this normal for women?

Trying his best not to laugh, Kaen hid his face as he put yet another pack from Selmah and Ava into the large saddlebags he had secured on Pammon.

Yes, usually, women do require a few more items, but not all.  Don’t forget about all the arrows I need to carry when we plan on fighting a lot.

Grumbling, Pammon snorted as he shook his head and stayed as close to the ground as possible.  He knew the weight of all of them would not be an issue, but climbing on and getting them secured would be the tricky part.

“Just two more bags,” Selmah called out as she handed one of them to Kaen.  “After that, we will be ready to go!”

He saw the look of excitement on her face.  She had hesitated to touch Pammon when she was told she could, and her hand had shaken more than he expected from someone of her rank.  With that obstacle removed, her behavior now reminded him of the first time Hess got a chance to ride Pammon.

“Remember, both of you are connected to each other and me.  There should be no risk of falling, even if we end upside down, which Pammon will resist the urge to do,” Kaen stated as he patted Pammon’s neck, and a low thrum came from under them.  “Relax, try to remember to breathe, and if you need something, put your head close the the person’s ear and talk loud.  The wind will carry it away.  Any questions?”

He saw both of their faces, and their eyes were wide, grinning from ear to ear.  They shook their heads no and gave the thumbs-up signal he had made sure they learned.

Turning around, he smiled and took a deep breath.  He felt Ava’s arms wrapped around him.  Both women wore thick cloaks and wore long pants and sleeves with some gloves.  The cold never bothered him, but he knew from experience that others would feel it as they got higher in the sky.

OK, it's all you.  Try to remember to be nice.

I’m always nice, replied Pammon as he took one quick stride and leaped into the air, bringing out a small shriek from one of the two women behind Kaen.

Pammon thrummed as he flapped his wings, easily gaining height and clearing the walls within the training area of the guild hall.  The sun was barely over the eastern mountains, and Kaen wanted to be off before everyone and their mother came out to watch and gawk as they left.

How far are we going before we will stop?

I’ll let you know when they let me know.  A break for all of us won’t be a bad thing.  You shouldn’t be hungry for a while, either.  Right?

Not till tonight.  The pigs they provided were not bad.  They were not as tasty as the wild ones, but these had a lot more fat on them.  I will say they tasted a little better after I cooked a few.

Groaning, Kaen turned his head back and saw the two women, eyes as wide as apples as they looked at the city below.  They were lost in the magic of flying.

Well, choose the path you want.  I’m going to sit here and ignore the stuff I feel coming from you.

The flow of frustration and resentment lessened, but Kaen knew it was still there.  Having Ava with them meant competition for Kaen’s time.  Pammon was worried about him making stupid choices because of her.  It was like Pammon had forgotten how many stupid decisions Kaen made that didn’t require Ava to muddle his mind.

Every two hours or so, they had stopped allowing each of them a chance to stretch their legs, use the restroom, and recover from being in the cold air.  Both women had red faces, and Kaen had fetched a cloth and tied it over their faces, helping to cut down on the wind that had left its mark.

As they neared the base of the mountains, memories of the fight from two years ago sprung up, and Kaen glanced around, noticing that none of the caves they had sealed were in this spot.

Did you pick this path purposely to stay away from the caves, or was this just random?

Why would I force any of you to relive what they had experienced?  I might be mean on occasion, but that would be too much even for me.

Gently rubbing Pammon’s neck, Kaen knew he was right.  His heart had quickened some as they got closer to the mountains.  He was nervous about how both of the women might respond.

A group of deer is up ahead near the base of the mountain.  Would you like to show off and shoot one, or would you prefer it if I caught one?

Looking where Pammon was gazing, Kaen knew they were still miles away, but fresh meat sounded great.

Let me do it.  I’m not sure how they would handle the ride if you swooped in and ran one down.

Pammon snorted, being kind enough to point his head down so that nothing came back and hit his passengers as he angled to the right a little.

Even with hours of sunlight still, it was safer to camp here tonight and fly over tomorrow.  Camping on that side of the rocky barrier would be far more dangerous.

As they decreased their altitude, Kaen unhooked the bow near his leg and pointed to the pack of five deer that were eating shrubs near the mountain base.  It was a berried bush that only grew along the mountain, and they liked the flavor of the leaves and fruit.  Against most predators, they would be able to escape.  Against Pammon and Kaen, they never knew what was coming.

With a single arrow, Kaen fired a shot off, and he felt the pats on his back when his arrow struck true, hitting the deer from a solid hundred yards right in the heart.

The pack scattered as Kaen fired two more shots, dropping two more deer.

I hope you don’t mind that I got a few for you.

You would have climbed the mountain tomorrow if you had not.

Licking her fingers, Selmah let out a sigh as she leaned against the log Kaen had brought over for each of them.

“You are a pretty good cook for nothing more than a campfire and a few spices,” she proclaimed as she reached for her waterskin.  “If dragon riding doesn’t work out, you can always look for a job as a cooks assistant.”

Ava started choking on the bite she was swallowing when Selmah spoke and glared at her after she finally got the piece free.

“You waited to say that on purpose,” she declared through a raspy voice after coughing a few times.

“Perhaps.”

Selmah was all smiles, and it appeared she was enjoying herself more than Kaen had expected.  Her hair was whiter than he remembered, and wrinkles that were not there the last time they had met had started to mar her once smooth complexion.

“I’m glad I could achieve something good enough for someone with so many years of adventuring experience,” Kaen fired back as he cleaned up the area he was cooking on.  “I have no doubt you have enjoyed far greater food when you were traveling the world.”

“I wish. Most of our food was not near as good as this or fresh.  Finding time to go hunting was a luxury, and I lived off more dried fruit, nuts, and meat than I want to talk about.  Besides, I still want to thank you and Pammon for being willing to let me fly with you two.  It has been a treat that surpasses most things I have ever experienced in all my years.”

Ava nodded in agreement as she wiped the last tears from her eyes that had come from her near death by choking on meat.

“It makes me very jealous that you two can see the world like that.  Not to mention how easy it is to cover long distances so quickly.”

Chuckling, Kaen shot them both a grin as he motioned with his head at Pammon, who was dozing behind him.

“We actually did not fly as fast as he can.  Pammon flew a little slower so that you two did not get too wind-burned.  I had forgotten that would happen.”

He had already once gotten in trouble for mentioning the red line from the ridge of their nose to their scalp where the wind had buffeted them.

“Tomorrow morning, Pammon will go hunting, and then he will come back. We can then set out for the other side.  Based on the clouds we saw today, there might be some moisture at the top of the mountains, but you two will want to wear all of the clothes you had on again.”

“You don’t feel the cold, do you?” asked Selmah.

Shaking his head, Kaen slid the knife he had just cleaned into his sheath.

“I never did.  Elies told me that it happens once one bonds with a dragon.  They resist the cold and the heat better than most.  Even way up in the sky, above the clouds, the air gets thinner, but a bonded dragon rider does not experience it like you two would.”

Tapping her lips with her finger, Selmah nodded as she took in all that information.

“Well, if we are done eating, Ava and I need to go and practice a few things before we can call it a night.  Would you care to watch?”

Smiling, Kaen moved and offered a hand to both of them, helping them up from the ground.

“I would be honored to watch and learn.”

Ava burst into laughter until she saw the look on Kaen’s face and realized he was serious.

“Do you really hope to learn what she is teaching?” she asked as her voice warbled a second.  “I have been training with her for years, and none of it has been easy.”

As Kaen grinned at her, all he could do was shrug.

“I didn’t say I would succeed, I just said I wanted to see what I could learn.  She is, after all, the oldest and wisest caster in our kingdom.”

A grunt and the sound of a foot tapping against dirt with effort caused them both to turn and look at Selmah.  Her arms were crossed, and her eyes were narrowed at the two of them.

“If you are both done calling me old,” she stated as her voice sounded gruffer than Kaen could ever remember, “we will start, and I promise it will not be fun for either of you.”

Wincing as he sucked air in through his teeth, Kaen nodded.

“I’m sorry?” he pleaded, unsure if that would make a difference.

Scoffing, Selmah turned on her heel and began to walk away.

Groaning, Ava pushed Kaen to follow the upset caster, who was now going to ruin their night.

“Remember, this is all your fault,” she whispered.

Both of them were sweating, and Kaen glanced at Ava, who was breathing hard.

For two hours they had been attempting to mimic the lightning spell that Selmah had easily cast, hitting all six of the wooden sticks she had burnt on her first demonstration.

Neither of them had managed to accomplish the same thing.

Kaen could see the power wanting to come out, yet unlike the fire spell, he had learned nothing wanted to work.  Even when calling upon his lifestone, it sat there, just out of reach.

“Focus and stop trying to figure it out!” snapped Selmah as she watched both of them struggle with the spell.  “It requires your mind to see it and activate it.  Feel the energy in the air, call upon it, harness it, and release it.  You cannot will it from nothing.”

Ava had managed a few small single-lighting shots, but none of them had split like Selmah wanted.  He could see the scowl on her face as she could not figure out how to get it to split its path.

Are you going to listen to me or keep obeying that woman who forgets you are not like the two of them?

Kaen had ignored Pammon for an hour now as his dragon had watched him fail at every attempt.

What am I doing wrong, oh wise and powerful dragon mage, he finally replied, the sarcasm dripping from their bond.

A huff came from where Pammon lay, and Kaen snorted himself, knowing that was not lost in translation.

Think.  How does all of your magic work? Why try something different?

Standing there, trying to make lightning leap from his fingertips, Kaen paused and considered what Pammon had said.

Dropping his arms to his side, he let out a sigh as his head bobbed.  Turning around, he began walking over to where Pammon was lounging on the ground.

“Giving up so soon?” Selmah taunted as Kaen walked away.

Seems you aren’t as foolish as I thought.  Figure it out finally?

There is no guarantee this will work.  If it doesn’t, I’m still unable to do this spell.

Who cares?  So what if you can’t shoot lighting from your arse.  No one will think less of you.  I doubt there have been any dragon riders in a thousand years who could do what you can.  Stop trying to be everything and be you.

Easier said than done, Kaen replied as he fished his bow out from the pile of items stacked near Pammon and grabbed his quiver.  I still don’t know what I can and can't do.  Not knowing might cost me or someone else their life.

Then, do what you can with what you know.  Don’t allow them to force you to be like them.  Selmah has had a lifetime of learning magic her way.  She has trained Ava to be like her.  She has never trained you or anyone like you before.

Selmah had grunted and shaken her head when he rejoined them with his bow and an arrow drawn.

Ignoring her, Kaen drew the arrow back and focused on the tip.  He could easily imbue it with mana and fire off an explosive shot, but that was not what he was supposed to do.

He felt the energy in the air like Selmah had talked about.  That wasn’t hard at all. It was everywhere. He just had no way to focus it.  Now, he could feel that possibility.

Slowly, he drew the energy in the air around him.

From the ground up into his body, through the air and the vastness of nothing was the charge she was talking about.

All around them were electrical charges, waiting to be harnessed and focused.

He stamped out his lifestone and made sure it was all him.  Elies had drilled him to learn how to do things on his own.  The lifestone was a tool, but it should never become a crutch.  He had depended on it too much.

This would be him, nothing but him, as he focused all that energy to gather in the tip of his arrow.  It felt alive, and when he opened his eyes, he saw small sparks dancing on the tip.  He could feel it flowing through the shaft and into his hand that held the string.

Narrowing his eyes at the stick only fifteen yards away, he smiled.

His mana was flowing into the arrow and, with it, a storm.

Freeing the grip he had on the string, it bolted toward the stick, and upon striking it, the arrow burst into a lightning storm, traveling through ten of the fifteen branches she had set up for them to practice on.

[ Lightning Shot Acquired ]

“Impossible,” Selmah gasped as she watched the finished product of his attempt.

“Ungghh,” moaned Ava as she stomped her foot and shook her head.  “It’s not fair, you bastard!”

She playfully swung at him and gave him a smile as she let out a sigh.

“How… how did you do that?”

Turning to face Selmah, Kaen saw the bewilderment in her eyes.

“All the magic I do is through my bow.  I can sense and see everything you said, but I couldn’t find a way to focus it like you described.  When I hold an arrow, ready to shoot, everything is focused on one point.”

Using his finger, he motioned to Pammon, who had raised his head and appeared smiling.

“It is actually Pammon who told me what I was doing wrong.  He told me I was trying to do it your way instead of mine.  It made me wonder if everyone had to learn magic the same way.”

Nodding her head, Selmah glanced at Pammon before turning her eyes back to Kaen.

“You impress me even more, Kaen Marshell.  In fact, you have just taught me there might be more I still have to learn that even I do not know.”

“Yes!” interrupted Ava. “He needs to stop showing off!”

Selmah and Kaen both chuckled as Ava took a deep breath and turned back to the targets, trying to figure out what she was doing wrong.