Dawn of the Last Dragon Rider - Chapter 014 - A Victor's Return

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Pammon

Young Dragon

HP - 1000/1000

MP - 250/250

STR - 35

CON - 35

DEX - 40

WIS - 10

INT - 15

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“Wow, that is insane! Those stats are hard to believe since he is only like three or four months old.”

Hess nodded at Kaen and then shrugged his shoulders.

“I’m not sure what the stats of an adult dragon are but I would venture he is nowhere near the power he will one day be as he gets older.”

Kaen shook his head in awe at the thought of that.

Pammon, do you remember your stats when you were newly hatched?

I do not worry about those things like you.  I do not need to check how strong or fast I am constantly.  I just know I am stronger.

Kaen understood that thought.  Pammon had always told him he just knew when he was finally strong enough to fly.  He knew when he could finally make fire.  He would occasionally practice it to show that he was able to use it longer, but for the most part, Pammon did not practice his skills.  They just happened naturally.

“Enough daydreaming,” Hess said as he interrupted Kaen’s thoughts. “Give me my skin back and pick up that blanket.  This is going to take an extra hour before we get back. We should make it back with an hour or two of light left, but I do not want to be in the dark out here.”

Kaen sighed and nodded.  He reached into his small pack, pulled a cloth, and tied it around his face.  It might not help a lot with the smell, but he would take anything he could as he knew it would be next to his face.

He hefted the blanket onto his shoulder.  He held back the desire to gag again and was glad the cloth hid his mouth opening for a moment.  His eyes watered, but he blinked out the tears that came from the smell.

Hess had wrapped the woman's body carefully in a small blanket he had in his pack.  He always carried one in case they needed it for the night or another reason.  With the woman over his shoulder, both of them set off toward town.  The need to talk was not there, turning the four-hour trip into a very long and quiet one.

“Holy dwarf balls,” the mayor Storven muttered as Kaen and Hess laid both blankets at his feet in his house.

A crowd had followed the two of them into town.  Pammon had stayed back at his shack once they had gotten close to town.  As they walked through the dirt roads into town, people saw them carrying these things and realized that something was up.  As more noticed that both of them were wearing armor and weapons, it took no time before the entire town was beside them and asking questions.

“You two really killed ten goblins and an orc?!” the mayor asked again.

Storven was staring at the ears they had cut off of the heads.  Storven knew Hess would not make up a number even without ten full sets of ears.  He believed every word Hess spoke because he was one of the few men in town who understood how powerful Hess was.

“We did not find any more goblins or orcs in the cave,” Hess stated.  His voice was sorrowful as he pointed at the woman wrapped in the blanket.  “I am afraid we were too late to save her.  Though I am not sure, she would want to be saved if I am correct in believing she was pregnant before they killed her.”

“Pregnant,” Storvan murmured quietly.  “I cannot imagine her mind would have been able to come back from that.”

Storven poked at the orc's head with his cane. He stared at the arrow fragment sticking out from its eye.

“I guess you are the one who will claim the honor of killing the orc, Kaen?”

Kaen glanced at Storven and then at Hess, who was nodding yes.

“I’m not sure what that entails, Sir, but I guess I do.”

Storven laughed and nodded.

“I know you are not an official adventurer yet, but since you are headed to Ebonmount to take the test, I will send a letter with you.  After you pass the test and turn in that letter, it will help them in determining the rank you will start at.”

Storven paused and glanced at the blanket and all of the things they had brought back.  The mayor's house, with dark wood panels, a stone fireplace that ran to the ceiling, fancy couches, a bookshelf filled with books, a dirty blanket, and other dirty items, looked very out of place.

“Son, if I am honest, and Hess can correct me if I am wrong, but I cannot imagine they will start you at wood.  I doubt they will even consider putting you as a copper rank if you do well on your test.”  Storven poked at the skull of the orc once more.  “This alone would take you to copper, but combined with the rest and you two bringing back the corpse of the woman, they may even start you at bronze.”

Kaen felt his heart beating fast.  Bronze rank!  He had not imagined getting to a bronze rank for at least half a year or more.  He glanced at Hess, who smiled and shrugged.

“Storven is right.  You did help me with this.  The orc and that shot will carry a lot of weight as they make a decision next week.”

Kaen nodded and swallowed.  He suddenly felt like he could use some water to drink.  He took a deep breath and realized he needed a bath and clean clothes.  He stank!

Storven gave a small whistle, and a woman appeared a moment later in some maid's outfit.  She was at least in her twenties, Kaen thought as she came in.  He saw her face go wide at the sight of the items on the floor, but she said nothing and simply bowed.

“Ella, please fetch me three small glasses of the good drink I enjoy after a celebration.”

The woman bowed and darted off the way she had come.

“Storven, you do not have to do that,” Hess said with a wink, “but I will not turn down a glass at all.”

Storven laughed and nodded.

“I did not doubt that you would.  Come, the two of you, let’s go outside on the porch and inform the townspeople who are waiting for news of what you two have done.”

Kaen felt weird as Storven ushered him and Hess out the front door as he joked and laughed.  He had only dreamed of something like this happening a few times.  He had never really expected it to happen.

“Citizens of Minoosh, allow me to present to you two men you know well.  Hess and Kaen!”

Applause and cheers came from a few in the crowd.  Kaen could see Patrick and Cale near the middle, cheering and hollering till some of the adults around them told them to be quiet.  People had lit some torches and put them around the courtyard.  The sun was almost gone, and lights from the torches and a few small fires lit the courtyard of the mayor's place with an eerie glow.

“You saw the two of them coming into town earlier, outfitted in armor and weapons and carrying two packages.  Allow me to end all of the rumors and set things straight.”

The crowd hushed, and everyone leaned forward to hear what Storven was going to say.

Storven smiled and paused.  He knew how to work a crowd.  These people were in need of a good story.

“These two men stumbled upon a trail the other week, and as you all know, Hess is an experienced adventurer.  Most of you probably do not know that he is a gold-ranked one at that!”

The crowd all erupted in cheer and applause.  None of them knew that Hess was that high of an adventurer.  Kaen did not even know that.  He turned and stared at Hess and mouthed a few words in excitement.  Hess simply smiled and gave a slight bow toward the people cheering for him.

Storven let them cheer for a few moments before raising his hand and quieting them down.

“Today, these two men before you found a cave and investigated it.  Ten goblins and an orc were killing a poor young woman in that cave.”

Gasps and murmurs ran through the crowd.  None of them wanted to believe that there were goblins or an orc this close to their home.

“Do not worry!  Hess and Kaen entered the cave and defeated those evil creatures but were sadly unable to reach the woman in time to save her.”

A few cheers started to rise above the crowd until the mayor announced the woman had died.  People shifted uneasily, not sure how to respond now.

“We should still cheer them for their heroic deed and for saving us from such a possible fate!  We should especially cheer young Kaen, who single-handedly killed the orc with an arrow through its eyes!”

With that news, the crowd erupted, and Cale and Patrick were the loudest two in the crowd.  Cheering and whistling, they went on far longer than anyone else.

With his hands in the air again, Storven silenced the crowd and smiled.

“These two shall leave in a few days to head to Ebonmount, where our very own Kaen will take the adventurers test and earn his token!  So tomorrow, we will have a small celebration to reward these two and their heroic actions and send them off with a reminder of how much they mean to our town!”

The crowd broke out in cheers again.  Most cheered not because they were losing Kaen and Hess but because they were going to get a day off and enjoy a night of food and drink.

As the people celebrated, Ella arrived behind Storven and had three small silver cups on a platter.  She tapped Storven on the shoulder, and he turned and smiled.

He took a cup in each hand and gave it to Hess and Kaen.  After retrieving his cup from the tray, he turned and faced the crowd again.  When they saw Storven holding a glass high, they all quieted down.

“In this cup is a very special drink.  A few rare people in town have sampled this drink over the years.  It has always been a reward for something great.  Tonight Hess and Kaen will enjoy this small drink.”

Storven leaned forward and winked at the crowd.

“In honor of what they have done, tomorrow, all men and women over the age to be married shall get a small taste to celebrate Kaen’s killing of the orc!  Make sure to thank him properly tomorrow!”

The roof and the porch shook on the mayor's house.  All the men who were gathered shouted so loud that Kaen almost thought he would go deaf.  He watched grown men and women hugging each other and cheering. He could see Patrick and Cale groaning and probably cursing at their inability to enjoy a taste of the drink.

“Drink up,” Storven shouted over the noise as he tapped the lip of his cup to the lip of each of theirs.

Hess and Storven swallowed the drink in one go and smiled as they felt it go down.

Kaen looked at the glass and saw people in the crowd watching him.  He prayed that he would not spit it out like he had the alcohol Hess had given him the other night.

He brought the small cup to his lips and tilted his head back, and let all the liquid pour into the back of his throat.  He expected a burn, a nasty taste, something vile like he had the other night.  Instead, his eyes went wide as the liquid ran down his throat.

It was sweet and smooth.  It left a warm sensation that seemed to travel across every inch of his tongue and throat that it touched.  As he felt it reach his stomach, that warming sensation spread quickly through his body.  He felt light and warm all over.

Kaen turned to Hess and smiled.  His face felt a little different than usual.  Like his lips and cheeks did not want to work right.

Storven saw how Kaen was looking and started laughing.  He quickly snagged the glass from Kaen’s hand and motioned for him to sit on a chair behind him on the porch.

“Sit, boy, sit!” Storven ordered.  “You should do that before your legs give out on you!”

Kaen fell back into the chair and realized his legs were just about to give out on him.

“Whaz dat drienk?” Kaen asked, his speech already slurring.

Hess and Storven started to roar with laughter.

“Hess, you have failed that boy,” Storven declared as he shook from laughter.  “You should have prepared him for what awaits him out there in the world!”

Hess nodded as he walked over to Kaen.

Kaen tried to look up at Hess.  He felt his eyelid on the left side of his face not working.

“Let’s get you home, son,” Hess said as he bent down, picked Kaen up, and slung him over his shoulder.

“Iey cunnz wulkz,” Kaen mumbled before he passed out.