Laud lifted one end of a tree Sabrus fell.
"You are young. The older you get, the stronger you will get," Sabrus said and helped him drop it. Sabrus had been giving him different exercises. Push-ups, sit-ups, and others to enhance his cardio.
These exercises helped ease the g-force effect on Laud. Due to his increased strength as an effect of the dragon bond. Laud had to find much heavier things to lift.
Laud dropped the tree and wiped the sweat off his face with his arms.
"Where are you going?"
Sabrus asked as Laud who was walking away from him.
"I am going to town," Laud turned and said.
"Let's train an hour more and I will fly you closer to town," Sabrus suggested.
"How about I just ran to town? That way, I still work on my cardio," Laud presented a counter offer which Sabrus agreed to.
Laud sprinted through the woods, weaving between trees.
Meanwhile, In Main.
Loric evaded Shaban and Markeen's questions. They wanted to know what happened. They were curious about how they were knocked out.
Loric thought about Teon's offer.
"A dragon will know where the other dragons are. Maybe I should just go with them and find out more about where the dragons are," Loric thought as Markeen and Shaban pestered him with questions.
"They offered me a job, they are going to hunt a dragon. They want me to join their hunt," Loric said and shut them up.
"Is he bragging, why would they want him to join a dragon hunt?" Shaban thought but the mention of money snapped him out of it.
Markeen hated the idea of being dragged into someone else's fight. But she had lost everything and some money would be a start. She needed to get back on her feet.
Loric, Shaban, and Markeen went back to the farm to accept the offer. When they got there they met Norma.
"They just left," she said to them and they turned around.
"I can take you," Norma said and they stopped. She went to the stables and walked out two giffins.
Loric watched as she limped toward them. She handed the reins of a griffin to Shaban.
"It's fine it will not hurt you," Norma tried to mount the Griffin but had difficulty. Loric grabbed her by the waist and helped her up. He then got on behind her.
Shaban followed their lead and Markeen joined him on the Griffin. The griffin galloped, "follow my lead," Norma said.
The griffin ran for a while before taking flight. Loric wrapped his arms around Norma's chest. She then pushed his hands down to her waist.
She turned to see Shaban and Markeen by their side. Their flight was wobbly but they were catching up.
It took them about 20 minutes to get to Piek. It would have taken about 2 hours by land. The griffin touched down at Zachariah's farm. They got down and Norma escorted them to a barn.
"You changed your mind," Teon said the moment he saw Loric.
"Gather round," Teon said and a group of men surrounded a table.
"The plan is to capture it, no one is allowed to kill it. I paid a lot to get this dragon's breath. If anyone kills it by mistake I will harvest their organs," Teon warned and Zachariah's men looked at Zachariah.
Zachariah leaned against the barn walls and nodded. The group mounted their griffins and flew to the edge of the woods.
Most got off their griffins and continued on foot. Three of Zachariah's men stayed on their Griffins and so did Norma.
They communicated with their teammate on the ground through bird whistles. Teon or anyone who was not part of Zachariah's men did not understand bird mimicry.
This was resolved by following the lead of Zachariah's men.
"Birt mimicry traveled through the trees. Birds' wings fluttered as they flew in between the forest.
"They said dragon is just up ahead," one of Zachariah's men interpreted what the bird call said.
They spread out surrounding Sabrus. They charged in from all angles but he was nowhere to be found.
They looked around when suddenly a sea of flames washed over them. A few of Zachariah's men screamed as they burnt. Some trees were part on fire.
Sabrus materialized out of thin air.
"Wait, is that not the dragon that ate the boy?"
Shaban asked Markeen.
"This is the dragon that killed Laud?"
Loric asked and turned his skin black. He lunged at Sabrus who smacked him with his tail. Loric flew through a couple of trees.
Benimaru turned red and blisters developed on his skin like scales. Some of Zachariah's men fire at it.
"Don't kill it, you Moran," Teon smacked him behind the head. He then snatched the rifle.
Meanwhile. Laud was with Pisco who took him to see his house. Laud had nothing bad to say about Pisco's living situation.
Compared to him Pisco was living the life.