Dreu woke up only to be blinded by the sun in his eyes. He turned away and waited for his eyes to adjust to the cave interior.

“You are finally up?”

The young man greeted Axichis. He then sensed something was off.

“Did something happen while I was asleep?” asked Dreu.

“The others have already left at sunset to fight Rowan.” The duck paused for a brief moment. “We got to go and help them!”

Dreu couldn’t believe he overslept when an important battle was taking place. He asked Axichis where the battle would be taking place and was shocked to learn Lullin. When he inquired on who was left behind, the duck told him that, in addition to the two of them, the goat creatures were also left behind.

“Why didn’t the goats go? Do they not want to be involved?”

“I heard they remained behind to protect something. No one was able to convince them to leave that something behind.”

Dreu’s first impression of the goat creatures was a positive one. Despite them attacking him, he knew that he was the outsider who didn’t know his place. By showing proper respect, he convinced the goats to leave him alone. If these creatures were indeed protecting something, he wanted to know what. Knowing how difficult the battle would be, he had to get all the help he could get. Maybe the others were too eager to head out but he wanted the strength of the goat creatures in their fight against Rowan.

“Let's meet the goats first! I want to see what they are protecting.”

Upon seeing a hesitant Axichis, Dreu repeatedly begged the duck until his companion finally gave in. The two of them headed to where the goats had gathered and the journey was sped up by the duck teleporting Dreu across difficult terrain. The two of them arrived in a small clearing with a big tree at the center. The goats were all standing guard around it. When the goats turned their attention to the two new arrivals, Dreu and Axichis hastily bowed to avoid antagonizing the creatures. Dreu's heart calmed when he saw the goats showing no aggression towards the two of them.

“Can you speak to them?” Dreu asked Axichis when the question dawned on him.

The duck shook his head, causing the young man to curse his inability to think the matter through. Having gotten this far, he approached the leader of the group at a steady pace. He used hand gestures to communicate his desire to get closer to the tree. When the goat leader refused to move aside, Dreu thought his request was denied.

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“He’s eying your blade and spear, Dreu.”

Axichis’ comment made the young man remove the weapons from his belt and place them beside the duck. Then, the goats moved aside to let Dreu through. The young man walked at a steady pace until he stood before the massive tree. Nothing stood out until he stared at the roots where some movement caught his attention. Dreu knelt down and, after a short hesitation, reached out with his right hand to see what was moving. A bright green light caused him to yelp out loud. When his eyes recovered from being briefly blinded, Dreu immediately noticed the strange markings on his right arm before they vanished. As he pondered on the matter, the goat leader walked over and nudged him.

“What do you want?” asked the young man softly.

The goat laid down and gestured at its back with its head. Dreu took a few seconds before he processed what was happening. To be on the safe side, he chose to ask.

“Are you allowing me to ride you?”

Even with the nod from the goat, Dreu still hesitated before he got on the creature. As the goat stood up, Dreu remembered his weapons and was about to mention the fact when a cool breeze blew past him. He looked up to see his weapons within a small dust devil moving towards him. Axichis was behind the dust devil as though he was navigating the whirlwind.

“How was that?” asked the duck as he unsummoned the whirlwind once Dreu received the weapons.

The pride was evident in the duck’s voice so Dreu rained a lot of praises on Axichis. Before he could see the duck’s reaction to the praises, the goat suddenly took off, forcing the young man to hang on to dear life. The rest of the journey was a blur as Dreu quickly lost track of all directions. All he could do was hang on and not let go. The goat then stopped as suddenly as it took off, sending Dreu flying some distance. Eventually, the young man recovered his senses and found himself just outside of Lullin. Explosions and war cries shook the ground.

Good thing we arrived in time to assist.

Dreu was reaching for his blade when the goat leader nudged him again. This time, the goat gestured to his spear before offering to let him ride once more. The scene reminded Dreu of Zhao’s stories about cavalry. Zhao spoke of creatures called horses but there was no reason why a goat couldn't be a mount. Accepting that this might improve their chances of winning, Dreu pulled out his spear and mounted the goat. As the creature trotted towards the battlefield, the young man took several deep breaths. As soon as Axichis flew over them, the goat picked up pace and Dreu readied his spear.

If only Zhao was here to teach me how to fight while mounted.

With no one there to teach him, Dreu knew he had to learn it as he went. Even though he lacked confidence, he chose to put his faith in the goat who he suspected to be more experienced and far wiser than him. In a way, he eliminated his biggest weakness which was lack of mobility. While mounted, he could freely attack and rely on the goat to get him out of harm’s way. The young man knew the actual battlefield might play out much more differently from what he envisioned. Y

I know we can defeat Rowan. Then, I'll worry about what happens afterwards.