Rise of the Last Dragon Rider - Chapter 062 - A threat like no other (Patreon)

Those aren’t your friends, are they?

Kaen turned and looked at Glynnis and shook his head.  He saw her silver eyes watching him.

They are not.  I was not aware of any other dragons who had riders.

It appears they are allies of the men with the ships.  That does not bode well for the three of us.

Amaranth was right, and Kaen knew it.  Fighting the ships would be bad enough, even at night, but with those two dragons, sneaking up on them would be impossible.

That will make even stopping for the night on another island unrealistic.  Our options have become very limited now.

Pammon was right.  Flying the rest of the trip without stopping was probably possible for him.  The other two, he wasn’t sure about.  The formation had helped them fly faster, and Kaen could tell that Pammon was not nearly as tired as before, but he wasn’t sure if that was due to eating Tharnok.

We could set down on that large hill and announce ourselves.  That should be far enough away from the weapons and give us room to deal with the other two dragons without their support.

It’s risky, but we don’t have a lot of options.  I agree that it is probably the best choice we can make.

Kaen turned and looked at the yellow and green dragon and frowned.

We will land on the mountain.  You two stay far enough back and away that if things go wrong, you can provide assistance from other directions.  Be smart.  I don’t want to risk either of you.

He saw them nod, and then Kaen turned around, scratching a scale with his fingers.

Let’s get this over with then.  How about you deal with the dragons, and I’ll deal with those riders.

Pammon thrummed. His enjoyment of that statement was obvious.

And here I thought you would just shoot the two down from the sky, and we would feast on them without saying a word.

Kaen groaned as Pammon began to angle toward the mountain.

You know I’ve never been the shoot first and talk later person.

Yes, and that is part of your problem.

When they were lower in the sky, Pammon roared, getting the attention of the two dragons on the beach, and Kaen could see through his dragon’s vision the sandy area bustling with movement.  Both of the dragons had begun flying higher into the sky.  He and Pammon saw two people in a saddle on each dragon. The ships started raising their anchors and sails, being prepared in case they needed to try and maneuver.

Nothing about that looks friendly at all.

There is still time to shoot them from the sky if you want.  I am not against anything at this moment.  My goal is to protect you and the two behind me.

Kaen grunted and watched as the dragons began to match their movements.  Both of them were brown dragons, decently sized, and judging from the distance to be close to Amaranth’s measurement.  It was hard to get a good feel for how big a dragon was when flying, but Kaen was getting better at it now, having had practice the last week.

The large hill provided enough room for Pammon to be closer to the flat area and the other two dragons to come from the eastern side, spreading out also.

They are not responding to me when I try to talk.

Pammon grunted, having said the same a moment ago before he landed.

We are ready behind you.  At the first sign of trouble, I will attack.

Kaen nodded even though he wasn’t looking at Glynnis.  Knowing she had a lightning attack had given him an extra tool to use if it came time to fight.

Both riders sat on their dragons as they shifted from side to side.

Something is wrong.  I cannot reach them at all.  It is like the dragon doesn’t respond to me.

I feel the same thing.  It is as if nothing is there.  It is different compared to how Tharnok was.

The rider on the left dragon, sitting in the back part of the saddle, held up a white piece of cloth tied to a spear.

It appears they want to talk.

Kaen nodded, keeping his bow over his shoulder and his sword on his hip.  He attached his quiver and slowly slid four dragon arrows into it with a few normal ones.

I know you are a bit antsy, but I will see what they want.  Do what you must if something happens.

I will burn them all alive if that need arises.  Have no fear.

Chuckling, Kaen slid down from Pammon after unhooking his harness and began slowly walking toward the middle of the mountaintop, keeping his eyes on the person approaching with the spear and the two dragons who still had their riders on their backs.

When they were ten yards apart, the one with the spear stuck it into the ground and pulled off their helmet.

Long black hair tumbled over her shoulders as the helmet came off, and Kaen realized the rider was a woman.  She had brown eyes that were taking in Pammon for a few seconds before turning her gaze back to him.

“You are the one who burned our ship and killed our men?” the woman asked, her voice thick with some accent that matched the man and woman he had questioned here last time.

“I am.  You are the ones killing dragons?”

The woman chuckled and shrugged as if Kaen’s comment meant nothing.

“We do not kill all dragons, but we do kill some.  We tame them and bind them to us.  They are our servants and obey our commands.”

Kaen felt his eyebrows almost touching as he glared at the woman.

“You what?  Enslave dragons? How?”

The woman ignored his question, tsking her tongue as she gazed at him.

“How much would you want for the two dragons with you? I can tell you won’t give up the one you ride.”

Kaen began to laugh, unsure if this woman was actually serious for a moment.  He watched her face, saw how she appeared to disprove of his laughter, and realized she was completely serious.

“Do you know who I am?  What I am?”

“I have been told but do not believe it matters.  A dragon rider is a legend of old times.  These are new times.  Dragons are now nothing more than tools of war.  The strong use them as they see fit.”

Kaen could feel his lifestone beginning to burn.  Everything this woman was saying angered him.  Her lack of concern or care for anyone but herself was evident by her tone and how she stood.

“You have no idea who stands before you,” she said as she glared at Kaen.  “If you did, you would take me up on my offer and leave while you can.”

“Tell me then.  Who are you, and why should I fear you.”

The woman began to laugh, holding her stomach as she raised her face toward the sky.

When she finally stopped, she wiped a tear from her eye and shook her head at Kaen.

“I am no one.  I am but a weapon to be aimed at someone.  I serve the King.  King Vorlack the fifth.  King of Hetaal, home of a hundred dragons and a binder of souls.  He would give a lot to bend you to his will.  He would make you a prince in his land if you willing gave him the one you sit on.  A dragon like that would be considered a great gift, and he might even let you fly on it.”

Kaen stared, doing his best to keep his mouth shut.  Everything this woman was saying was ludicrous.  A kingdom with a hundred dragons?  A man capable of binding the souls of dragons.

Kaen, something is wrong.  I can see no life in those dragon’s eyes.  I have heard everything that woman has said, and it seems impossible to believe, but I cannot help but wonder if it is true.  There is no soul, as she mentioned, by the way they feel.  It is different than the life I sense from Glynnis and Amaranth.

Kaen took a deep breath, trying to control the anger bubbling up inside him.

“And if I refuse to trade the two behind me or submit to King… Borlack?”

The woman’s eyes narrowed, and she spat on the ground.

“His name is King Vorlack,” she said, her tone sounding as if dragging a stone across a blade. “Provided you do not insult the king again and never return to this place, I will not stop you.” She paused, a smirk forming on her lips.  “Yet something about you tells me that is not going to happen.  From what I was told, you do not appear to be the kind who will let this go.”

“What if I told you the same offer?  Never return and leave now, and you can live.  Choose to fight, and I will kill everyone but you and one ship.  That way, you can return to your king and tell him I am not like anyone he has ever faced.”

Kaen felt the fire inside Pammon beginning to grow.  As he did, he saw the woman fix her eyes on Pammon, and her smile grew wider.

She crossed her arms, and Kaen saw her beginning to fondle a bracelet.

A fear crossed his mind.  Something he wasn’t sure of, but the way the woman was acting.  How she had shifted.  She was prepared for something.  He had faced down enough people and could tell that she wasn’t afraid at all of Pammon.  It actually appeared as if she was waiting.  Baiting him somehow.

GO! Do not fight! You three need to leave now!

Panic struck him as Kaen’s lifestone started to piece together.  He had seen one of those bracelets before but had not noticed it till now.  It was on one of the sailors he had killed when he saved Amaranth.

She was baiting Pammon to attack.  Wanting him to.

I won’t leave you!

GO!

Kaen willed his power that he had never imagined ever using on Pammon.  It hurt like he had torn a part of his from that act, but there was no other choice.  His dragon would not leave him, but he needed to.  He had to.

A pain came across their bond as Pammon tried to fight everything he wanted to do.  Felt like he had to do.  His eyes were fixed on that woman.  On her bracelet.  It called to him.  Told him to strike at her.  To burn her with his breath.

Go Pammon!  It’s a trap! Amaranth and Glynnis fly! Do not engage them!

As he spoke one last warning, Kaen moved with purpose.

The woman was fast, but he was faster.  She saw Kaen move, saw his body begin to shift, and she tried to draw a weapon from her sleeve, but before she had it halfway out, his fist hit her in the chest as he drove her back, knocking the wind from her lungs and sending her tumbling end over end along the barren dirt of the hill.

He never hesitated, drawing his bow and activating Multishot, his lifestone roaring with power as he knew things were about to turn ugly.

Kaen unleashed regular arrows at the riders on the dragon on the right.

Their dragons tried to move, preparing to leap into the air, but Kaen was still running as he fired five arrows, each glowing red.

Two struck the dragon, one in its neck and another in its wing, sending scales and flesh flying from the explosion.  The other three struck the two on the back, creating a red mist where only their legs remained in the saddle.

The dragon roared in pain from the attack and then stopped moving altogether, ignoring Kaen and the damage he had done.

Kaen saw the dragon on the left opening its mouth as it prepared to approach him. Its chest began to glow.

Kaen grabbed two arrows, one regular and one dragon arrow, activating Twinshot and empowering both arrows for a single heartbeat before letting go of the string.

The dragon arrow sped into the open mouth, traveling along its throat before exploding inside its neck, sending its head to the ground as the body pitched forward.

The second arrow hit its shoulder, creating a show of scales and flesh.

Somehow, the rider on its back rolled off and away as the dragon crashed toward the ground, yelling some curses at Kaen as it pulled a dagger and sword.

The fifty yards between them were soon gone as the rider reached Kaen, swinging both weapons in a barrage of attacks.

He had slung his arrow over his back and pulled his sword while he waited for the rider to come to him.

All those hours of training, all that work he and Pammon had done for two years to get stronger and faster, paid off here as the rider could not land a single blow.

It only took a slight shift of his step, a minor raise with his blade to deflect each attack and hold the rider at bay.  Every strike felt like watching a new recruit at his academy trying to attack him.

Kaen smiled as he sensed the attacker, realizing they could not do anything against him.  Their blows went from calculated swings and technique to a wild salvo, hoping to land some hit.

Angry at all this death and destruction, Kaen shifted his feet, adjusting his hips, and with one swift move, deflected the sword, sending his blade through their neck and cutting the head off in one strike.

The body fell forward, off balance from the attack and his blow as the head dropped to the ground behind it.

Flicking his blade to clear off the blood, Kaen slid it into his scabbard and turned.  He locked his eyes on the woman he had knocked out.