Dawn of the Last Dragon Rider - Chapter 009 - Preparing for Adventure

“I’m not happy with Pammon,” Hess stated as he glared at Kaen.  “He should know better than to explore a cave.  You need to train him better!”

“Why is this my fault?” Kaen demanded as he walked next to Hess.  “I am not with him when he hunts; he is doing what you told him to do.  He is hunting far away from town.  Do you know of any caves that far south?”

Hess huffed and walked faster toward their farm.  He knew of caves and what could live in them.  If what Pammon had said was true, it would ruin their whole week.

“Just make sure he is at the farm when we get there.  Tomorrow is going to be a hard day.”

Kaen lengthened his stride and easily stayed next to Hess.  Years of living with Hess had taught him how to read his body language.  Hess was upset and concerned.  There was no point trying to talk with him right now.  It wouldn’t be until later that Hess would settle down enough to talk again.

It smelled worse than you say my crap smells!  It was dirty, and there was trash and bones all outside the cave!

Kaen repeated what Pammon had told him and chuckled at the smell description.  Pammon’s crap had gotten a lot more pungent as he ate more and more animals.

Hess nodded, reached out, and scratched the large ridges now on Pammon’s head.  Pammon trilled as always and seemed to smile as Hess worked those spots he loved to have scratched.

“You can lead us there tomorrow morning, Pammon,” Hess said in a cheerful voice.  He then turned to Kaen as he spoke.  “We are going to do something I would prefer not to do until much later in your adventuring career, but I have no choice if what Pammon is describing is this close to our town.”

“What type of creature are they?”

Hess sighed and shrugged.

“I hope it's goblins.  I really do pray tomorrow that all we find are goblins.”

Kaen’s eyes went wide with excitement.  Pammon started to get excited, also.  He could feel Kaen's excitement at the possibility of fighting goblins tomorrow.

“And if it’s not goblins?” Kaen asked, his voice higher than usual due to his excitement.

“Again, I will say I pray it is goblins Kaen.  If it is something worse, we may have to run back to town and explain how we found a danger worse than goblins.”

Hess held up his hand and stopped Kaen from asking another question.

“Both of you.  Get some rest.  Pammon, go sleep in the woods at your place.  Tomorrow is going to be a test worse than what you will experience in Ebonmount.”

With that said, Hess turned and walked back to the house's back door and went inside.

Did I mess up?

Kaen shook his head no and scratched Pammon’s neck.

“You did nothing wrong.  I think you actually may have saved the town or the quarry from possible danger by finding that cave.”

Pammon smiled at the praise and put his nose against Kaen’s forehead.

I’ll sleep then.  Thank you for the scratches.  That spot has itched all day, and I could not get it as good as you can.

Kaen laughed and gave a hard and long scratching session as Pammon trilled in delight.  After a minute, he stopped and patted Pammon’s neck.

“Get some sleep.  Tomorrow we have our first adventure.”

Pammon nodded and took a few steps away before he leaped into the air.  His wings beat rapidly, quickly launching him into the evening sky.  His bronze scales glowed in the light of the setting sun.  It almost looked like a bronze ball of light taking to the sky and cresting over the tops of the trees till he disappeared from sight.

After he lost sight of Pammon, Kaen sighed and turned to join Hess inside.

“Wake up,” Hess called out as he banged his fist on the door to Kaen’s room.  “We need to get ready and go so we have as much time as possible.”

Kaen sat up and squinted his eyes.  The sun was not even up, but he could see Hess standing in his doorway.  There was a little light from the main room, yet Kaen believed he must be dreaming because he saw Hess dressed completely in armor with two massive hammers crossed across his back.

“Are you really wearing armor and weapons, or am I still asleep?” Kaen asked as he let out a yawn.  “You don’t own any weapons or armor.”

Hess grunted and banged on the door again.

“Get dressed.  Pants, boots, and a shirt.  I’ll have some stuff for you once you are dressed and at the table.”

Hess turned and left the room as Kaen shook himself awake.  Realizing what was happening, he jumped out of bed and grabbed his clothes to prepare for today’s adventure.

Pammon, wake up!  We are getting ready. Start making your way here.

A moment passed, and Kaen realized that Pammon was barely awake also.  It felt like Pammon had just yawned.  Kaen chuckled at the way they could feel and sense each other.

Kaen slapped his own cheek to wake himself up a little more.

Pammom!  Wake up!

I’m awake, Pammon groaned through the connection.  I heard you the first time.  I just was not ready to reply yet.

Well, we don’t have time to wait.  Hess is ready to go, and soon I will be too.

What about food?  I’m hungry.

Kaen chuckled to himself as he started lacing his boots up.  Pammon was always hungry.

I’ll ask Hess, but for now, just come here.

Fine. Pammon replied with a hint of displeasure coming through the link they shared.  Tell him I will be there in just a few minutes and tell him I am hungry.

Kaen nodded to himself and got his last boot finished.  Throwing his shirt on, he started to walk out into the room as he tucked it in.  As soon as he got to the doorway, and saw Hess leaning against the table and what was draped over the chair he usually sat in. Kaen froze.

“Where did that all come from?”

Kaen was staring at the leather tunic draped over the chair and a bow much nicer than the one he used every day.

Hess smiled and motioned to the items on the chair.

“Something from your father.  Something I promised myself I would one day give you.  Today is that day I keep that promise.”

“These are my dad’s?” Kaen almost whispered.  “His actual equipment?”

Hess chuckled and shook his head no.

“He had these made a long time ago for you. The tunic might be a little too tight, but that is because he had not expected you to have a dragon to help fill you out.  The bow was something he had crafted for you after watching you smile the first time you shot a bow.  He seemed to know somehow that you would use it.”

Hess picked up the leather tunic and held it out toward Kaen.

“Come here. Let me help you put this on.”

Kaen did not remember moving toward Hess or lifting his arms so that Hess could slip the tunic over his arms and onto his chest.  All he could think of was that his father had purchased items for him.  His father had done all this before he died.  As if he somehow knew he would not be here to put these on him.

As the leather tunic hung on his arms and Hess moved behind him to pull it around him, Kaen could feel strength entering him.  He felt stronger and faster too.

“Is this magical?” Kaen mumbled as he ran his hands across the leather stitching on the front of the armor that was being tightened along his back.

Hess grunted as he threaded the leather strips through the holes and pulled on them to tighten the tunic.

“It is but wait until we are finished getting you fully outfitted before you check your stats.  These were to be a gift for you the day you passed your adventurers test.  I think you will need them today.”

“How did he know what I would need?” Kaen asked, almost in a trance.  All this felt too much like a dream to him.

“He always knew what you would be,” Hess replied, cinching up the chest piece.  He paused and sighed.  “He knew you would pursue this path and that you would be a hunter.  The smile you wore when he took you into the woods and you shot your bow told him all he needed to know.”

Hess came back around Kaen and tapped him in the chest on his armor.

“You honor him well by wearing this.  Now hold out your arms.”

Kaen held both arms out and stood in awe as Hess picked up two forest green leather vambraces off the chair.  Each of them had a ‘K’ initialed on the outside of them.  Hess carefully put them on his forearms and showed Kaen how to tighten them.

“Can you feel something with these on?”

Kaen nodded.  The shock of all this had still not worn off yet.  He could feel some kind of energy flowing through his body.  He was not sure what bonuses they gave him but could tell they were also magical.

Hess smiled and turned and picked up the bow.  He held it out in one hand and offered it to Kaen.

Kaen stared at the bow in awe.  He had never seen a bow made of wood as dark as this one before.  There were small fine carvings on the top and bottom of it.  Trees with animals that seemed to dance around them.  A grooved place for the hand had a weird leather he did not recognize on it.  It seemed like it was perfectly grooved for a left hand.  The bowstring appeared almost white.  Not like a muddy or dirty white but one that reminded Kaen of fresh snow that had yet to be trampled on or dirtied.

“Take it.  This is his final gift.  When Hoste showed this to me, and I first held it in my hand, I knew he had paid more than he would admit for this.  This bow will last you a lifetime if you care for it.”

Hess nudged the bow closer to Kaen’s hands.

Kaen felt his fingers trembling as he first touched the wood of the bow.  It felt like it called to him.  Like, somehow, it knew him.  A shiver of something ran through his fingers as they brushed against the polished wood, magic racing through his body.

“It feels like it is calling to me.  Like it is a part of me.”

Hess nodded and let go of the bow as Kaen finally gripped it in his left hand.

“Do you remember your father ever cutting you and taking some blood?”

Kaen stared at the bow and tried to think back.  It had been years since he had thought about a time that long ago.  A time with his dad.

*****

“Stop fighting me and let me see your finger, son,” Hoste grumbled as he wrestled with Kaen’s hand.  “I promise it won’t hurt that much and will be worth it.”

Kaen was only six years old, and the thought of letting his dad use that knife on his finger was not something he wanted to let him do.

“It is going to hurt!” wailed Kaen.  “Why do you have to cut me?!”

Hoste smiled and gently increased the grip he had on Kaen’s hand, not allowing it to move anymore.  He could easily overpower his son, but he wanted him to trust him.

“I want to make you something special. A gift most would dream of, but you will need to let me collect a little of your blood.  That way, the gift will only work for you.”

Hoste smiled at Kaen as he fidgeted and fought against him.

Finally, Kaen stopped and moaned.  A few tears were welling up in his eyes already.

“Do you promise?  Will it be worth it?”

Setting down the knife on the table, Hoste reached over and wiped the tears that were forming from Kaen’s eyes.

“Son, listen to me.  In life, there will be many times that pain will come.  You can fight against it and still suffer from it, or you can accept it and become stronger by enduring it.  The gift I have planned for you will be unlike no other.  I cannot do it unless you are willing to give me your blood.  Do you want this gift?”

Kaen touched his lips with his other hand.  His fingers were trembling.  He trusted his dad and knew he would never hurt him unless there was a good reason.  Kaen risked a glance at his mother, who was off to the side smiling.  He saw her nodding her head and motioned to his dad.

“Ok.  I’ll let you have my blood for whatever you need,” Kaen announced as bravely as he could.

Hoste smiled and ruffled Kaen’s hair on his head before reaching over and picking the knife up again.

“A wise choice!” Hoste proclaimed with a wink and a smile.  “One day, you won’t remember the pain of this, but you will never forget what you acquired because of this small moment.”

Kaen tried not to cry out as he bit his lip.  He watched the sharp knife slice the top of his thumb and saw the blood drip down into a small jar his father had somehow produced from nowhere.

His dad smiled as the bottle slowly filled.

“A true adventurer already,” Hoste said with a grin.

*****

Kaen stood there in shock.  He had forgotten that moment.  Eleven years had passed, and he had never thought about when his dad had done that.

Holding the bow close to his face where he could examine it, Kaen knew his father had been right all those years ago.

He would never forget what he had acquired from his father.