Rise of the Last Dragon Rider - Chapter 034 - Making the right request (Patreon)

Stretching, Kaen lay on top of the bed, having slept in just his underclothes and no blankets.  The room he was in was furnished well with a soft chair and a desk, a fireplace he had not added any wood to since he entered last night, and the tub they had left in the room after filling it wth water.   He had passed out, exhausted from watching of Pammon all those days.

You are up early.

It isn’t early you fool.  The sun has been up for hours.  The dwarves have already brought me food and I am trying to decide where I want to leave a gift.

Groaning, Kaen sat up and turned so his feet were on the floor.

Wait… please wait.  Let me talk with Elnidith first and see if they might want that somewhere specific.  I would prefer not to get chased off because you ruined the property we are on.

Even though he couldn’t hear of feel Pammon’s thrum, he knew that his dragon was laughing, probably scaring the dwarves who were outside guarding him.

Moving to the door, Kaen poked his head out after cracking it a little and saw that his clothes were on the floor, folded neatly and sitting on a cloth with a washing jar next to it.

Smiling he bent down and picked up the pile and moved back into his room.  There were perks to all this dragon rider stuff.

“You look rested,” Elnidith declared as she looked up from the small stack of papers she was going over.  “Come, sit and eat as I tell you what is in store for you today!”

Nodding, Kaen moved to the chair near her and sat down.  She flashed a small grin before stroking her beard braids and motioning to a servant who was waiting off to the side.

“Get this man some milk and make sure it’s cold!”

Laughter echoed in the room from the other dwarves who were going over papers of their own.  He saw them each lift a tankard at him as they grinned a moment before bringing it to their lips and draining it dry.  The sound of at least ten cups hitting a table at the same time made Kaen chuckle as he knew they were riding him hard.

“I have a question I need to ask sooner than later.  My dragon would like to know if you have a place you would prefer his load to be dropped off.”

Narrowing her eyes at him for a moment, they suddenly went full size and Elnidith bust out in laughter as she nodded.

“Oh yes!” she exclaimed when she finally settled down.  “I will get someone to show him where.  Sometimes Tharnok was kind enough to give us a load and I would appreciate it greatly if he did not do that right outside.”

“Durlan, I got a job for you!”

A round male dwarf with fiery red hair and a beard split down the middle, waddled over to where Elnidith was and gave a slight bow.  Kaen thought for a moment the man might tip over from how round he was.

“Whatz canz Iz du fer da rider?” he asked, his accent thicker than porridge.

“Go outside and lead his dragon to the field where we want him to take a crap and be quick about it!  I don’t want him doing that foul mess in my yard or you and your brothers will be cleaning it up!”

A horrified look flashed across the dwarf’s face and it almost appeared that he turned a little green.

“Iz gut it ma’am,” he declared as he saluted and quickly waddled toward the door leading outside.

There is a fat red-headed dwarf coming to show you where to crap at.  Be kind to him.

A hint of amusement came through their bond as Kaen could only wonder what Pammon was thinking.

Chuckling, Kaen watched as the man hurried away and turned to see Elnidith watching him.

“His uh… speech.  Why was it so…”

“Thick? Rough? Hard to understand?”

Nodding, Kaen scratched his facial hair as he glanced back at the man scurrying through the door.

Tsking her teeth, she grabbed her cup and took a swig before returning it to the spot on her table.

“He took a hit to the head from an orc.  Should have died, yet somehow he lived.  He isn’t fast when it comes to thinking now, but in a fight, he is like a wild animal,” she stated, tapping her temple.   All fear goes out the window for him.  He once ran into a pack of three orcs with his warhammer, spinning like a top.  They were in shock, to say the least.”

“Glad to hear he is ok.  How long ago was that fight?”

Leaning back in her chair, she folded her hand across her chest and played with her beard as she studied Kaen’s face.

“It’s been a good decade at least. I have lost a lot of warriors since then.  More than I would like to admit.  There were years when the orcs and goblins pestered us every month at least.”

She paused as the servant showed up with Kaen’s milk and waited till he had moved away.

“Since we started the path the King is on with retreating to the mountain the number of raids has dropped drastically.  Only one small group came this past year and it was nothing more than twenty goblins.  I can only imagine what they are planning.”

He could see the look of frustration on her face as she watched him.  A slight scowl showed behind her beard and how her eyes had drawn together let him know she wasn’t happy.

“So what have you and your warriors done in that time?”

She grunted and glanced around the room, blowing wind out her lips.

“Gotten fat and soft.  It is hard to keep them motivated when there isn’t anything to kill.”

Kaen took a drink from his cup and appreciated that the milk was chilled.  He knew it was colder up here where the dwarves lived, but it was hard for him to always notice the slight temperature change.

“So tell me, what is the plan for today?” Kaen asked, changing the subject so that he could deal with what needed to be done.

“Eat, and I’ll give you a quick rundown.”

Not wasting time, Kaen grabbed the bread and meat and focused on forming a pile on his plate as Elnidith started listing the things she had set up for him.

“I may need some better clothes for King Bosgreth.  Even with these washed and pressed, I am down to one other pair of traveling clothes and they are not better.”

Elnidith chewed on her lip as she bobbed her head up and down.

“I don’t think that would be possible even if a group of tailors worked together,” she finally answered.  “Perhaps we can make a coat of some sort but I would not worry that much about it.  The King knows you are a dragon rider and that you did not originally plan on coming here for an audience.”

Scratching his chin, the itch from the hair was winning the battle on if he should shave it off or not.

“I won’t worry about it then.  For now, let’s deal with the other two items.  I have like six hours before I meet the King.  You said the adventurer’s guild is inside the mountain?”

She nodded as she extended a piece of paper to him.

“Read it, but I think if you turn this in as an actual request, it will speed up the process of me and my warriors helping you with your problem.”

Kaen scanned the document she had given him and knew he was smiling.

Elies had commented many times on how sharp Elnidith was and this quest request was proof of that.  She must have stayed up a good chunk of the night drafting it for him.

“I’m assuming you have a copy for me to turn in at Ebonmount as well?”

She winked as she handed him a folded copy in an envelope.

“Why Dragon Rider Kaen, what would give you the impression that I was that prepared.”

He laughed as her voice attempted to sound innocent and sweet, spiking higher than normal but she joined him in a quick laugh as she handed him a third piece of paper.

“Sign that one and give it back and I will have that one to turn in later.  With three different requests asking for the same thing, it will be hard for Bosgreth to say no.”

Accepting the pen and the letter she gave him, Kaen read it quickly before signing it and returning it to her.

“I guess all that leaves now is this Marfo I am supposed to meet?”

Sliding her chair back, Elnidith stretched a little and winced as a few audible pops came from her shoulders.

“Old age does take a toll,” she said with a grunt as she winced and popped her shoulder once more.  “If you want, we can walk, ride or you can fly to where we need to go.  I would choose the horseback or flying if I were you.”

The gleam in her eye told Kaen that walking was not the option he should pick and he scooted his chair back, tucking both papers she had for him into his tunic before grabbing one more roll from the table.

“I will choose flying as I’m called a dragon rider and not a horse rider,” Kaen joked as he started to follow her.

She laughed and nodded as she motioned to three of the dwarves who had stood up when she did.

“It is only an hour from here by horse.  Let me get you a map and we can meet you there.”

Brabrel waved at him as the dwarf jogged to the door and opened it up.

“Looks like you slept well, Dragon Rider Kaen,” the dwarf stated as he held the door open.  “Rumors were we had two dragons here last night.  One snoring inside and one snoring outside.”

Kaen grinned and shrugged as he walked outside.

“Sleeping on the ground is not as nice as the bed you all let me use last night.  I don’t think I moved much at all.”

“I will make sure the housemaster knows.  He will consider that an honor and be happy to hear that.”
Kaen saw how Brabrel had smiled at that comment.  He had not realized that statement would carry so much weight.  It was almost like the elves, except his words carried more here than it did in Roccnari.

“Are you going to need to summon…” Elnidith cut herself off when she saw Pammon sitting outside waiting for them.  “Did you tell him to be here?”

Chuckling, he shook his head no and pointed at Pammon, who was almost the full height of the two-story building with his head held high.

“He had returned from his business, and I think, based on the feelings I am getting from him, that Pammon is trying to show off his size and stature.”

Elnidith saw the smirk on Kaen’s face and nodded.

“He is rather large for one so young.  It does make me wonder how big he might become when he reaches Tharnok’s age.”

Snorting, Pammon flared his wings and shook his body, causing a few stammers and shouts from the dwarves on the edge of the area watching him.

Slowing his step, Kaen glanced at the horses, which were a good five minutes away and then back at Pammon.

Elnidith furled her eyebrows as she saw a smile start to grow on Kaen’s face, soon showing every tooth he had almost.

“Elnidith, have you ever flown on a dragon before?”

Her head snapped back a few inches as she flinched, and her eyes were as wide as a dinner plate.  Her tan skin took on a slight white tone, and a collective gasp was heard from the dwarves who were escorting them.

“On… on… on a dragon?” she stuttered, having lost all dignity and confidence she typically portrayed.

Still grinning like a dragon who had eaten an entire herd of cows, Kaen nodded and pointed at Pammon.

“If you like, we could fly together on Pammon and you could see what your kingdom looks like from up there.  Besides, it is the least I could do for all the help you have given me in a day.”

Pammon was watching Elnidith and started thrumming loudly as the wager between the two of them.  The air radiated even from being a good thirty-plus yards away from Pammon as he laughed, his chest walls flexing with the effort he was giving.

“Do it,” whispered Brabrel from behind her.  “Do it!”

She turned around and saw him nodding his head so fast one might think it was going to fall off from the force he was applying.

“Thousands of years since it was done last!  Think of the honor!”

Elnidith quickly regained her composure, turned to Kaen and gave a deep bow.

“I would be honored to ride with you,” she stated, her voice quivering a little bit.

He wasn’t sure if it was excitement, fear, or a combination of both.

Smiling, Kaen motioned for her to follow him.

One point for me! Kaen declared, laughing at the victory.

Bah, that is only because you wouldn’t let me breathe fire!  Otherwise, she would have said no for sure!

Pammon slowly stopped laughing as he watched the dwarven woman approach him.  He saw her eyes twinkling at the realization of what she was about to do.

Snorting, he lay down on the ground and resigned to his loss, knowing he was about to make some dwarf's life.