Rise of the Last Dragon Rider - Chapter 047 - Harsh lands (Patreon)

You know we will be back, so stop worrying.

Kaen patted the same scale he had thousands of times as they flew above the clouds.

I won't lie since you will know if I do.  What we are about to do differs from what we have trained for.  Elies didn’t teach us how to interact with other dragons.  He didn’t tell us anything other than where to travel.

Tharnok did.  Every day, he was abrasive. There wasn’t a moment that he didn’t try to break us with his will.  You prevented that.  I would have caved under his authority, but your strength and your power are what allowed me to hold my head up and fight against him.  I believe Tharnok knew this day would come, so he did everything in his power to push us to be strong enough.

As the wind rushed through his hair, Kaen considered Pammon’s words.  Tharnok had been gruff the entire two years they had trained with him. He was always calling out their mistakes and pushing them to be better.  It wasn’t until the day he and Pammon left after freeing Elies from Havannath’s binding that Tharnok actually spoke kindly to them.

Kaen shuddered as he let out a groan.

Are you cold?

No… I’m just agreeing with what you said and realizing that we are in for a difficult time.  Imagine an island full of Tharnoks.

Pammon’s head shook, working its way down his back and finally his tail.

That is a horrible thought.  Next time, keep that to yourself.

Kaen laughed and felt Pammon’s mood change through their bond.  They needed not to be downcast if the next few weeks were going to be as challenging as they both expected.

“You know you’re not a bad hunter.  I’m still impressed you don’t smash everything you kill.”

Letting out a snort, Pammon blast Kaen with air from his nostril, causing Kaen to cover his food lest it get covered in mucus.

“Not fair!  Some of us like to eat without bodily fluids blasted over everything.”

Perhaps next time, you won’t joke about how I hunt.

“It was a compliment, and you know it.”

Kaen groaned, flinging the wayward snot off his arm and using the log he was leaning against to scrape some of it off.

Checking the piece of meat in his hand, he gave up and tossed it to Pammon, who snatched it mid-air in his mouth.

“Let’s not waste anymore. I still need to eat a little bit.”

Pammon’s thrum filled the clearing they were camped in.  The fire was going, and Kaen moved to procure more meat from the deer Pammon had brought back.

“These things are smaller than usual.”

Yes, and quicker.  They are much smaller than the ones in Ebonmount by a good bit.  It is probably because they have to forage, and the vegetation is sparse around here.

“We are closer to the desert.  How many did you eat?”

Only five.  I was tired of having to track them, and we needed sleep.  Tomorrow, we will hopefully find some better game.

Sipping the water from the skin he had, Kaen nodded and got to work eating the food he was cooking before giving the rest to Pammon.

Putting a few more logs on the fire, Kaen moved over and leaned against Pammon’s side, letting out a chuckle as his dragon wrapped a wing around him.

“It’s funny.  If the world didn’t need us and we could do this, I would be happy to camp out every night.”

What about Ava? Would she be up for that?

Hitting his head against Pammon’s scales, Kaen grunted.

“Really? I was trying to have a moment.”

Pammon thrummed and bent his neck so that his snout was facing Kaen.

Consider it a little payback for what I had to experience on your wedding night.

A cough escaped his throat, and Kaen smiled as he cleared it with a few thumps to his chest.

“Wake me up at first light?”

A smile appeared as Pammon showed most of his teeth.

You did an excellent job avoiding the question.  Yes, I will wake you up.

Nodding, Kaen smiled and closed his eyes as he slowly scratched Pammon’s scales with one hand.

Maybe she would enjoy this.

Another day of hard flying put them below the southern borders of Roccnari.  They skated the bottom of the kingdom to avoid any possible conflict or sightings.  This mission required no one to know where he was going.  If word got out, too many things might happen while he was gone.

You can stop looking for me.  I will just eat the dried meat.  Finish getting what you need.

A grumble came through their bond, and Kaen chuckled as he lifted a rock and set it near the fire he had built.

I swear this land is barren of life.  I have seen only the tiniest creatures, and the one thing I ate was not worth the taste.

You are fine.  I got my stuff here.  Get what you need and then return.

Digging through his pack, Kaen found his jerky and pulled it out, taking a bite as he stared into the fire.

“Holy elf tits!”

Kaen smacked his neck, looking to smash whatever bug had bit it, only to find himself pushing a small needle deeper into his skin.  Pulling it out, he saw that it looked like a dart.

His eyes began to water, and he felt the world shifting slightly.

Pammon… someone attacked me…

His brain was swirling as he felt like he was lurching sideways, even though Kaen thought he was still sitting on the rock.

Hold on, I am coming!

Turning toward where the dart must have come, Kaen strained his eyes, seeing a few humanoid shapes in the dark coming at him slowly, holding weapons ready.

Anger filled Kaen, his lifestone answered, and the sensation he had been experiencing began to clear.

[ Poison Resist Skill Increased 1 ]

Drawing his sword, Kaen shook his head as the notification scrolled past, and he focused on the four people he now realized were all women.  Clad in leather armor, they seemed surprised at his ability to stand and hold his sword.

Three of them lifted a tube, and Kaen saw them all put them to their mouth.

He tried to dodge to the side and stumbled, his legs not working how he wanted, almost falling over.

Another prick sent a tiny shock of pain as a needle impaled itself in his cheek.

He winced as he reached up, yanked it out, and tossed it to the ground.

“What are you doing?” Kaen asked. His words sounded like he was in a cave.  “Why are you attacking me?”

The right side of his face felt numb, yet he struggled to his feet, pushing himself up off his knee and holding his sword out at them.

They were speaking softly to each other. Kaen could hear the noise yet didn’t understand a word they said.

He could hear Pammon trying to talk or say something in his mind, but his brain couldn’t register it.  It felt cloudy and like one of the times Hess had hit him too hard in the head.

Blinking his eyes, he saw the women slowly moving closer, holding spears toward him.

“Don’t do this,” Kaen pleaded. “I don’t… want you… to die.”

Laughter came from the closest attacker as she reached out with her spear and knocked his sword away.

His grip held, but his arm felt like it wasn’t working how it was supposed to.

“Impressive…”

The words seemed to swim in his ears.

Fight.  Fight for Ava and the kingdom!

Taking a few deep breaths that felt labored, Kaen tried to focus

For families… fight for families…

His lifestone surged again, burning hotter inside him.

[ Poison Resist Skill Increased x2 ]

He felt his head clearing up as his body did something with the poison.  His ears were still ringing, the noise not sounding right, but his arms and legs no longer felt like wet noodles, and obeyed his command.

Grunting, Kaen snapped his arm back, lowering his hips and moving his feet into a set position.

The woman with the spear furled her eyes at him and glared.

“How is this possible?  You should be unconscious or dead by now.”

His eyes kept blinking, fighting the numbness in his cheek as he focused his eyes as best he could on his attacker.

“I am Kaen.  I am a dragon rider.”

The words felt mumbled, but the moment he said the last two, he watched as the women pulled back a few steps.

Words began to fly between them in a different language, and a look of fear spread across their faces.

Kaen saw the hesitation to believe what he had said, his eyes finally adjusting better, shaking her head at those talking to her when Pammon’s roar echoed across the treetops.

The one with the spear pointed to the trees, and the three women behind her took off running.  As soon as they had started running, the woman tossed her spear to the side and laid down on the ground, her face in the dirt.

“Forgive me! We didn’t know!”

Moments later, Pammon flew overhead, turning sharply and dropping to the ground in seconds with a massive thud, sending dirt and rocks out in all different directions.

The growl coming from his throat made the woman on the dirt shake.

Wait!

It took everything Kaen had to force that thought out.

No! They attacked you! Let me chase them down and eat them!

Pammon’s snout came close to the woman, whose whole body was trembling as his breath and saliva dripped onto her as his head hovered above her.

She didn’t know!

And so they had the right to kill someone else? Why should we wait?

Give me a moment to think.  I need to clear my head from the poison they used.

The growling noise increased as Pammon heard the word poison.

Poison?  You want me to let someone else poison you and get away with it?  What if you had died?  I should not have left you!

It isn’t your fault, so just wait.  I need a moment.

Pammon began to move around the other side, flanking the woman and keeping his eyes on her as she kept her face buried in the dirt.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered over and over. “Forgive me!”

Putting his sword back in his scabbard, Kaen moved to his pouch, sauntering as he stumbled sideways every few steps.

Digging into his pack, he pulled out a water skin and took a few sips before pouring a little over his head and splashing some on his face.

After a few more sips, he made his way back to the woman who had never moved from her spot.

“You may rise,” Kaen finally said, stretching his jaw afterward, noticing a weird taste in his mouth.

“Forgive me,” she cried out again.  “I am not worthy to rise.  We did not know!”

“We both realize that.  Now stand up, or my dragon may not listen to me telling him to hold off taking his anger out on you.”

The woman nodded and slowly inched her hips up until she was kneeling with her face on the ground and arms still outstretched.

“All the way, please,” Kaen said, rolling his eyes toward Pammon.

The woman nodded, slowly raising her head, glancing sideways to see Pammon’s golden eyes glaring at her.

She was breathing rapidly but did her best to regain her composure as she sat on her heels, looking at Kaen.

He stood there, arms crossed, and looked her over.

With the poison mostly out of his system, Kaen was surprised to see how fit the woman was.  Her outfit was a collection of furs stitched together and only covered her chest and mid-thigh. Every inch of her body showing was toned, tanned skin that conveyed a power waiting to coil out and strike.  Living in this environment undoubtedly had turned her into the warrior Kaen knew she was.

“Let’s try this again,” Kaen said with a slight chuckle,  “I’m Kaen, and this is Pammon, my dragon.  Who might you be?”