"Here we are, just over this hill.. Aisengard" Rair the elven ranger announced as the group ascended to the top of the hill. 

From their viewpoint, they saw a vast plain with a vast amount of farmland that ended with a huge gleaming city on top of a large plateau.

The plains extended all the way to the west and abruptly ended at the start of the Saravan Desert. 

Arista looked at Ash, as he now called himself, who was smiling to himself. 

"What are you thinking about that made you so happy?" she asked

"Oh... nothing. Just glad we've finally arrived" he answered

Ash's original plan was to follow a caravan from Aisengard through the desert, but after Arista told him about flying by eagle, he was quite eager to do that instead. 

"Indeed! Finally we're home!" Goro the barbarian roared in happiness. 

After 2 days of walking, he was eager for the comforts of the city, a large ale and warm food!

The others in the group, Galahad, Heimdallyn and Isla looked relieved too. Although they had successfully accomplished their mission of destroying the goblin nest, they had lost their long time friend the mage Saratoth and had to report his death to the guild. 

They led the way up a cliffside walkway up and into the city and brought them to the adventurer's guild. 

Arista thought it best to report the happenings in the town of Rathsvale to the guild for someone to clean up the town. 

And because they had helped with the elimination of the goblin nest, Ash and Arista would have a share in the rewards too. 

They waited just long enough to have a share of the rewards before starting to say their farewells. 

Their main purpose was to travel to Rosengard to the Royal Academy there, so becoming a adventurer wasn't part of their plans. 

However, Galahad convinced them to at least register as adventurers and since he offered to pay for their registration, they finally agreed. 

Ash finally admitted that it may very well be his future to be an adventurer after graduating, so he might as well be licensed for the time being. 

They were ranked E class adventurers as they were beginners, although Galahad thought they should at least be C class adventurers based on their abilities. 

Arista took Ash shopping. He was still dressed like a barbarian, wearing only the silverbear's skin for clothes and carrying it's sharpened thigh bones as weapons. 

She brought him into a expensive looking shop and started buying clothes for him. 

He walked out of the place wearing a smart looking outfit, boots and a short sword as his weapon, looking very much like the young 14 year old noble that he was. He had several throwing daggers hidden on his body as that was his preferred weapon of choice. 

She had wanted to buy storage rings for him too, but they were very rare and the shops didn't sell any, so they still had to use regular luggage. 

They booked their seats on the next giant eagle ride and got a room in the nicest inn in the city. 

Arista rented the most luxurious room with a huge bath and they thoroughly pampered themselves in the bath and in the luxurious bed that night. 

That night, they finally managed to release their pent up sexual energy after days of travelling with the White Swans and had to restrain themselves from each other. 

The last time she was fucked was when she was raped by the hobgoblin and she desperately wanted Ash to fill that void in her to replace that memory.

Ash dutily did his best to make sure she forgot all the memories of her rapes by the orc and hobgoblin chiefs by making sex as pleasurable as possible with him. 

The next morning, they woke up bright and early and after checking out of the inn, they headed towards the departure area where a large eagle awaited them. 

There were 3 other passengers and they boarded the giant eagle which had a carriage of sorts built to fit it's back that could fit 6 people, including the beastmaster who controlled the giant eagle. 

The other 3 passengers looked to be rich and they were dressed as if they were important people in the city. 

They entered the carriage and took their seats and before long, they had taken off headed to Rosengard. 

Ash looked out the window as they flew, seeing the vast Saravan desert below them.

To his shock he saw a giant sand worm shoot out of the sand, trying to catch the giant eagle, but the bird easily avoided the huge worm's gigantic jaws and continued on its journey. 

Ash gulped, thinking what he would have had to brave on the ground if he was to follow a caravan through the desert. 

Sand worms weren't particularly rare and were deadly, but they were easy to avoid on the ground if you knew the right path through the desert on the rocky pathways under the sand. 

However, only the experienced guides knew the way. Nevertheless, encounters with these sand worms were unavoidable even while taking the safer routes through the desert. 

They flew for half a day, with the scenery changing from the desert to the swamp as mangrove trees could be seen growing over the wetlands. 

The trip that would take a week would be shortened to roughly a day by the air as they flew in a straight line and Ash was grateful to be able to skip a whole week's worth of travels. 

"We've left the Saravan Desert and are now flying over the Kerovian Swamp. It would take another two hours before arriving in Rosenberg. We should arrive in the late evening" Arista said, looking at the swamp below.

Ash nodded. He could see several large creatures fighting in the swamp, each of them the size of a 20 seater bus. 

Suddenly, he noticed a shadow appearing from above as the shadow grew larger in an instant over them. 

"Down!" Ash said, pushing Arista down to the floor of the carriage and shielding her with his body.  

Suddenly the top of the carriage was smashed as the whole top half of the carriage was ripped off and the other 3 passengers and the beastmaster were ripped in half as their top half of their bodies, plus all the debris of the top parts of the carriage were ripped off and carried away in a huge creature's claws. 

The eagle started taking evasive maneuvers, fleeing the attacker.

The remnants of the other passenger's bodies fell off the eagle as it spun in the air, trying to avoid the next attack. 

Ash's back was bloodied and he had pieces of flesh partially ripped off and blood everywhere, but fortunately he had managed to keep Arista from harm. 

She looked past his body in fear and yelled "Dragon!" 

Ash turned his head to see a huge dragon chasing after the eagle. It was 3 times the size of the giant eagle and was closing in for the kill again. 

It fired a huge fireball at the eagle, but the eagle managed to dodge the attack. 

Ash gripped on the the remnants of the carriage with his superior strength, holding Arista in place under him with his body to prevent both of them falling off the eagle. 

Arista's hand stretched past Ash's body and she shot several wind blades at the dragon who was approaching them again. 

The wind blades did nothing as it didn't even slow the dragon down. 

Ash grabbed Arista and rolled off the carriage as it broke off the eagle's body. 

He grabbed onto the feathers on the eagle's back as both of them rode it bare backed. 

"It's coming again!" Arista shouted

"I know!" Ash said as he stood up. 

"What are you..." Arista asked as Ash suddenly ran on the eagle's back and jumped towards the dragon flying in midair with his short sword drawn. 

"See you at the academy!" he shouted as he landed on the dragon's face, barely avoiding it's open jaws and gripping it's nostril. 

"Ash!" Arista screamed but the eagle continued fleeing and the last sight she could see of the fast disappearing view of Ash was of him climbing up the dragon's face and plunging his sword into it's eye. 

The eagle sped up faster towards Rosengard as Arista heard the dragon scream from a distance and saw a burst of fire in the distant clouds.