Euphridia
Dawn of the Last Dragon Rider
SynopsisWhen Kaen Marshell stumbled upon a hidden dragon egg, he became the first person in generations to bond with a dragon. Now, exploring the world with his newfound draconic connection, he discovers a joy he'd thought lost forever since his father died.
But once Kaen sets out to follow in his father's footsteps, he discovers some hard truths about who his father was, how adventuring isn't always glamorous, and that death is always lurking. To become the man he aspires to be, he will need to grow together with his dragon and climb the ranks of the Adventurer's Guild, all while uncovering the mystery of his father's death.
Follow the journey, enjoy the relationship between a boy and his dragon, and watch them both grow stronger!
Tetora’s wakeful state, while appreciated, did not immediately progress to one where he was fully ambulatory.
“Meat!” he whined incessantly the next afternoon. “I would heal quicker if I had meat!”
“The more you yowl, the less I believe you are actually suffering,” Aleph exhaled.
“This is a forest! I am sure there are tasty animals somewhere nearby! Go bring me some. Otherwise… I might faint again.” He was on his back and still covered in sweat, however, his tail twitched playfully in the dry leaves. Hopefully, his overacting wouldn’t exhaust him more.
Aleph rolled his eyes while turning to me. “Let’s go see if we can set a few traps. At least it will give our ears a rest.”
Nora, who had been squeamish about talking with Tetora, looked at me with haunted eyes. I betrayed her silent request to switch by giving her a covert but enthusiastic thumbs up.
I started following Aleph deeper into the woods. “You’ll have to show me how to set one.”
“It isn’t hard,” Aleph replied, though he made no move to do so.
I waited until we were out of earshot. “Did you two come up with this, also?”
“What do you mean?”
“You said before that no animals would be around because of the demons,” I reminded him.
“You are far too generous to Tetora. He really does want us to find meat, or rather put in the effort.”
“So you’re saying it was just you, then?”
“They need to talk, alone. I am just taking advantage of Tetora’s ridiculous request.”
We walked for a while in silence while looking for trail markings again, not bothering with any traps. The woods became more dense, but at least the sunny sky was still visible through cracks in the canopy.
Now was a good time. “Aleph…” I took a big breath. “There’s something I’ve wanted to ask for a while but… you might not want to answer.” Could I have been any more vague?
“You won’t know for sure until you try.”
“What… What was he really like?” He’s not like how I had been imagining him, right? What I had dreamt couldn’t actually be…
Aleph stopped walking and turned, so I could no longer see his face. “I do not know to whom you refer.”
“I don’t know if I am allowed to say his other name. You know, the one he used when pretending to be a dark mage.”
“It is not his true name. It has no power.”
I hesitated. “What was Oliver like?”
“It does not matter what he was like. Oliver did not exist.”
“But he was–”
“Whatever I thought Oliver was is not the truth.”
“The story… The story made him seem like he was intelligent, even witty. Is that how he seemed to you, too?” Not some mindless, mustache-twirling villain, right?
“Oliver was a persona adopted by a powerful demon lord. He was not real.”
“Well, his persona then. What was it like?” A persona takes intelligence and wisdom to craft, right? Wouldn’t that mean… he could be reasoned with?
“It doesn’t matter what it was like! He never existed! To spend even one moment considering his past influence only adds to his demonic power!” Aleph slammed his war hammer into a nearby tree, splitting the trunk with a resounding crack.
I swallowed hard, frightened by his uncharacteristic rage. “I…” I took a few steps back, and Aleph’s eyes widened in sudden remorse.
“Little one, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“No, no, I was just startled, that’s all. I’m sorry.” I scratched my right wrist, absently at first. Once I realized I was doing it, I tried to stop but had little luck. “I shouldn’t have–”
“I am the one who wronged you. Do not apologize.”
“You should apologize to me!” a soggy voice called out from the treetop. “Knock softer next time!”
“Vernie?” Aleph shouted upwards in surprise. “Is that you?”
“Pretending to know me won’t work! Full price is off the table at this point.”
“Please, just come down here so we can talk!”
A weighted rope dropped from the tree’s canopy, and down a middle-aged woman slid in fits and starts before plunging the last several feet to the ground noisily. Her dark leather outfit was skin tight, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. She brushed her wild red mane out of her face and stood up with a cat-like stretch.
“Ho…? Not what I was expecting at all, really…” She looked me up and down with bleary, chartreuse eyes. “But looks can be deceiving.” She then turned to Aleph, staggering slightly. “Standard slaver bounty, minus a three day late fee for making me wait, comes to–.”
“Slaver… bounty?” I looked between the two of them.
“Thought you’d make some money off the suffering of others, kid?” She pointed dramatically at me, wobbly knife in hand. “Not that I blame you for wanting to get rich, but you chose the wrong side. Let’s see how you like wearing a collar!”
“Laverna!” Aleph’s voice thundered. “Sober up and try again!”
“Eh?… Aleph?” she blinked several times before grinning widely. “So, you’ve finally woken up! It’s about damn time, you pathetic pacifist!” She punched him in the shoulder roughly with her free hand.
Aleph tried again. “Laverna, we really–”
“Wait, where’s the furball?” She started looking around wildly, jumping here and there in a comedic fashion. “You wouldn’t have left him behind! What happened?”
Aleph groaned. “Just how much have you had to drink today?”
“Today? Ah, I don’t know. Business has been good so..” she shrugged, her black leather halter top bouncing along with her shoulders. “Probably more than enough. Why, you want some?”
“No. Just…” Aleph rubbed his temples. “She’s not a slaver.”
“Issat so?” She turned to me again, then frowned, drawing in her plump, overly red lower lip. “Wait. Take off your mask.”
I glanced at Aleph dubiously for a moment before answering. “Put the knife away first.”
“What knife?” she asked in confusion.
“The one in your hand!”
“Oh! No, I wasn’t going to...” She tucked it into a sheath on her hip. “See?” she held up her hands, twirling her fingers. “All good now.”
I pulled off my mask and tensely waited for her reaction.
“Nevermind.” She turned away abruptly. “Put it back on. I’m mistaken.”
“Uh, sure.” I pulled it back up, thoroughly confused. Were Aleph and Tetora… only seeing what they wanted to see in me? I should have felt relief, but… all I felt was awkwardness.
“Where’s Tetora?” she demanded again of Aleph.
“Not far. We encountered demons yesterday, and he took a hit of poison.”
“Demons? In my forest?!” She straightened considerably. “And they managed to hit him?!”
“Army recruiters.” Aleph confirmed. “We banished both. One was a ‘sergeant’.”
“F***!” she swore loudly as pulled out a whistle. Three long, loud tweets later, we heard frantic movement all around us. Humans and hybrids, mostly dressed in brown and black leather, started popping out from denser areas of foliage, only to run deeper into the heart of the woods.
One young man ran up to her and saluted sharply. “Orders, boss?”
“Full evac! Red mountain. Vulture’s in charge. You have five days to move the entire operation, tops.” She looked at Aleph. “Supplies for how many?”
Aleph made a strange gesture before answering. “If you’re joining us, we’ll be five.”
Laverna also gestured back, even as she agreed. “You heard him!”
“Do you have any curcumin?” Aleph asked the henchman. “I’d like to incorporate it into Tetora's treatment.” I thought that was just a spice? “Yarrow would also be helpful.”
“Anything else?”
“Any priests in your employ?” Aleph inquired.
Laverna snorted. “As if!”
“Yes… I understand,” Aleph replied somberly.
“Um… Tetora wants some meat too, if that’s possible,” I added.
“Yeah, of course,” she answered, though she refused to look at me. Did I offend her? I should be the one mad, being mistaken for a slaver!
The young man saluted again. “On my way, boss! I’ll be back soon!”
We all watched him run off and quickly disappear behind a large bush.
“You’re not going to ask her name?” Aleph asked.
“I’d just forget it.”
“She looks like someone you know, doesn’t she?”
“No! I don’t hallucinate anymore!” Laverna declared.
“That is very good to hear but, she certainly looks like Raelynn to me.”
At that, Laverna turned to look at me, tears shining in her eyes. “Rae-Rae?”
“Um…” I didn’t want to mess with her, but I was really beginning to question everything. “Maybe?”
Euphridia
Dawn of the Last Dragon Rider
SynopsisWhen Kaen Marshell stumbled upon a hidden dragon egg, he became the first person in generations to bond with a dragon. Now, exploring the world with his newfound draconic connection, he discovers a joy he'd thought lost forever since his father died.
But once Kaen sets out to follow in his father's footsteps, he discovers some hard truths about who his father was, how adventuring isn't always glamorous, and that death is always lurking. To become the man he aspires to be, he will need to grow together with his dragon and climb the ranks of the Adventurer's Guild, all while uncovering the mystery of his father's death.
Follow the journey, enjoy the relationship between a boy and his dragon, and watch them both grow stronger!
Tetora’s wakeful state, while appreciated, did not immediately progress to one where he was fully ambulatory.
“Meat!” he whined incessantly the next afternoon. “I would heal quicker if I had meat!”
“The more you yowl, the less I believe you are actually suffering,” Aleph exhaled.
“This is a forest! I am sure there are tasty animals somewhere nearby! Go bring me some. Otherwise… I might faint again.” He was on his back and still covered in sweat, however, his tail twitched playfully in the dry leaves. Hopefully, his overacting wouldn’t exhaust him more.
Aleph rolled his eyes while turning to me. “Let’s go see if we can set a few traps. At least it will give our ears a rest.”
Nora, who had been squeamish about talking with Tetora, looked at me with haunted eyes. I betrayed her silent request to switch by giving her a covert but enthusiastic thumbs up.
I started following Aleph deeper into the woods. “You’ll have to show me how to set one.”
“It isn’t hard,” Aleph replied, though he made no move to do so.
I waited until we were out of earshot. “Did you two come up with this, also?”
“What do you mean?”
“You said before that no animals would be around because of the demons,” I reminded him.
“You are far too generous to Tetora. He really does want us to find meat, or rather put in the effort.”
“So you’re saying it was just you, then?”
“They need to talk, alone. I am just taking advantage of Tetora’s ridiculous request.”
We walked for a while in silence while looking for trail markings again, not bothering with any traps. The woods became more dense, but at least the sunny sky was still visible through cracks in the canopy.
Now was a good time. “Aleph…” I took a big breath. “There’s something I’ve wanted to ask for a while but… you might not want to answer.” Could I have been any more vague?
“You won’t know for sure until you try.”
“What… What was he really like?” He’s not like how I had been imagining him, right? What I had dreamt couldn’t actually be…
Aleph stopped walking and turned, so I could no longer see his face. “I do not know to whom you refer.”
“I don’t know if I am allowed to say his other name. You know, the one he used when pretending to be a dark mage.”
“It is not his true name. It has no power.”
I hesitated. “What was Oliver like?”
“It does not matter what he was like. Oliver did not exist.”
“But he was–”
“Whatever I thought Oliver was is not the truth.”
“The story… The story made him seem like he was intelligent, even witty. Is that how he seemed to you, too?” Not some mindless, mustache-twirling villain, right?
“Oliver was a persona adopted by a powerful demon lord. He was not real.”
“Well, his persona then. What was it like?” A persona takes intelligence and wisdom to craft, right? Wouldn’t that mean… he could be reasoned with?
“It doesn’t matter what it was like! He never existed! To spend even one moment considering his past influence only adds to his demonic power!” Aleph slammed his war hammer into a nearby tree, splitting the trunk with a resounding crack.
I swallowed hard, frightened by his uncharacteristic rage. “I…” I took a few steps back, and Aleph’s eyes widened in sudden remorse.
“Little one, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“No, no, I was just startled, that’s all. I’m sorry.” I scratched my right wrist, absently at first. Once I realized I was doing it, I tried to stop but had little luck. “I shouldn’t have–”
“I am the one who wronged you. Do not apologize.”
“You should apologize to me!” a soggy voice called out from the treetop. “Knock softer next time!”
“Vernie?” Aleph shouted upwards in surprise. “Is that you?”
“Pretending to know me won’t work! Full price is off the table at this point.”
“Please, just come down here so we can talk!”
A weighted rope dropped from the tree’s canopy, and down a middle-aged woman slid in fits and starts before plunging the last several feet to the ground noisily. Her dark leather outfit was skin tight, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. She brushed her wild red mane out of her face and stood up with a cat-like stretch.
“Ho…? Not what I was expecting at all, really…” She looked me up and down with bleary, chartreuse eyes. “But looks can be deceiving.” She then turned to Aleph, staggering slightly. “Standard slaver bounty, minus a three day late fee for making me wait, comes to–.”
“Slaver… bounty?” I looked between the two of them.
“Thought you’d make some money off the suffering of others, kid?” She pointed dramatically at me, wobbly knife in hand. “Not that I blame you for wanting to get rich, but you chose the wrong side. Let’s see how you like wearing a collar!”
“Laverna!” Aleph’s voice thundered. “Sober up and try again!”
“Eh?… Aleph?” she blinked several times before grinning widely. “So, you’ve finally woken up! It’s about damn time, you pathetic pacifist!” She punched him in the shoulder roughly with her free hand.
Aleph tried again. “Laverna, we really–”
“Wait, where’s the furball?” She started looking around wildly, jumping here and there in a comedic fashion. “You wouldn’t have left him behind! What happened?”
Aleph groaned. “Just how much have you had to drink today?”
“Today? Ah, I don’t know. Business has been good so..” she shrugged, her black leather halter top bouncing along with her shoulders. “Probably more than enough. Why, you want some?”
“No. Just…” Aleph rubbed his temples. “She’s not a slaver.”
“Issat so?” She turned to me again, then frowned, drawing in her plump, overly red lower lip. “Wait. Take off your mask.”
I glanced at Aleph dubiously for a moment before answering. “Put the knife away first.”
“What knife?” she asked in confusion.
“The one in your hand!”
“Oh! No, I wasn’t going to...” She tucked it into a sheath on her hip. “See?” she held up her hands, twirling her fingers. “All good now.”
I pulled off my mask and tensely waited for her reaction.
“Nevermind.” She turned away abruptly. “Put it back on. I’m mistaken.”
“Uh, sure.” I pulled it back up, thoroughly confused. Were Aleph and Tetora… only seeing what they wanted to see in me? I should have felt relief, but… all I felt was awkwardness.
“Where’s Tetora?” she demanded again of Aleph.
“Not far. We encountered demons yesterday, and he took a hit of poison.”
“Demons? In my forest?!” She straightened considerably. “And they managed to hit him?!”
“Army recruiters.” Aleph confirmed. “We banished both. One was a ‘sergeant’.”
“F***!” she swore loudly as pulled out a whistle. Three long, loud tweets later, we heard frantic movement all around us. Humans and hybrids, mostly dressed in brown and black leather, started popping out from denser areas of foliage, only to run deeper into the heart of the woods.
One young man ran up to her and saluted sharply. “Orders, boss?”
“Full evac! Red mountain. Vulture’s in charge. You have five days to move the entire operation, tops.” She looked at Aleph. “Supplies for how many?”
Aleph made a strange gesture before answering. “If you’re joining us, we’ll be five.”
Laverna also gestured back, even as she agreed. “You heard him!”
“Do you have any curcumin?” Aleph asked the henchman. “I’d like to incorporate it into Tetora's treatment.” I thought that was just a spice? “Yarrow would also be helpful.”
“Anything else?”
“Any priests in your employ?” Aleph inquired.
Laverna snorted. “As if!”
“Yes… I understand,” Aleph replied somberly.
“Um… Tetora wants some meat too, if that’s possible,” I added.
“Yeah, of course,” she answered, though she refused to look at me. Did I offend her? I should be the one mad, being mistaken for a slaver!
The young man saluted again. “On my way, boss! I’ll be back soon!”
We all watched him run off and quickly disappear behind a large bush.
“You’re not going to ask her name?” Aleph asked.
“I’d just forget it.”
“She looks like someone you know, doesn’t she?”
“No! I don’t hallucinate anymore!” Laverna declared.
“That is very good to hear but, she certainly looks like Raelynn to me.”
At that, Laverna turned to look at me, tears shining in her eyes. “Rae-Rae?”
“Um…” I didn’t want to mess with her, but I was really beginning to question everything. “Maybe?”
