Maylia and I followed the map scroll's directions and it took us right to the Karmack Mountains. When we got there, the small town in the valley below them looked to be in the process of rebuilding. People were all over the buildings as they cut away burned parts and repaired them, and were too busy to pay us any attention.

“It looks like the town was attacked.” Maylia commented when we came to a large lot full of sheet covered bodies. We could see inside the building behind it and six healers were working on burn victims. One of the healers stumbled and caught herself on the side of a bed as Maylia and I stepped inside the building.

“You need to rest, Gia!” The woman working on a patient a few beds away said.

“There are too many hurt for me to stop and rest!” Gia said. “If we delay any more, we could lose...”

“I can offer mana if that's what you need.” I said.

Gia's face flushed red and didn't hesitate as she walked over to me. “If I can save these people, I will gladly lay with you to get the mana to do it.”

All the healers stopped what they were doing and looked at me to see what I would say.

I smiled at her while Maylia frowned. “While I appreciate the offer... and your dedication to your work... only the willingness to share is required.” I said and let Maylia's hand go so I could take off my glove.

“Who are you?” The other healer that had spoken asked.

“You can call me Hunter. The captain of the guard in the capital city said there was a bounty on something called the garglemacer and I'm here to collect it.”

Quiet fell in the room and even the people in the beds stopped moaning in pain at my words.

“You can't possibly try to go after the creature!” Gia exclaimed.

“I didn't come all this way to sight-see.” I chuckled and she stared at me. “Although, I bet the view from one of the peaks would be breathtaking.”

“We will send someone for your body when we can.” Gia said and turned away. “Assuming there's anyone left in a few days.”

“Hey.” I said and took her hand to stop her. “I was trying to make a joke.”

“This isn't funny.” Gia said without turning back around. “People are dying of massive burns over most of their bodies and we've all run out of our mana trying to keep them alive.”

“The world would be a sad place if you didn't smile.” I said, and she turned to look at me. Her calm face had become full of pain. “You lost someone this time.”

“My brother led a group up to the creature's roost in a vain and foolish attempt to slay the thing.”

“Where are your parents?” I asked.

Gia motioned out to the front of the building where the sheet covered bodies were.

“I am so sorry.” I said.

Gia heard the sincerity in my voice and closed her eyes. “It happened three days ago, so it still hasn't sunk in that they're gone.”

“Maybe there's still hope that...”

“No, this happened after my brother went there.” Gia said and opened her eyes, and I saw that the sadness was gone and it was replaced with anger. “I don't know if he spurned on the attack or just hastened it. Either way, many people are dead now because of him.”

“Let me see if I can help.” I said and used a touch of Presence to make a connection between us and poured mana into her. Just like the old lady at the enchantment shop, I felt her small mana reserve fill up almost immediately. Gia didn't say anything as she let my hand go and went to the person she was just trying to help. She grabbed the charred man's hand and mana poured out of her as she chanted what I assumed was a healing spell, even though I didn't understand a word of it.

I watched as she used up about a quarter of her mana, and just like magic, the charred flesh was shed from the man and fell onto the bed to leave him pink skinned and healthy. She completely healed three more people and came right back over to me. She took my hand and her face was the same polite mask it was when she dealt with the patients. She healed four more people and came back to me, and I saw a slight smile peek out through the mask. The other healers stood back and watched as she practically ran through the whole room and healed everyone. When they were all done, Gia had a smile on her face from ear to ear and her mana reserve was slightly bigger.

“They still need to stay in bed for a few days to recover their energy, since I only healed their wounds and didn't restore them to full health.” Gia said happily as I refilled her mana again, then her eyes looked out to the lot in front of the building and she sighed. “I just wish you had been here when...”

“I only arrived at the capital two days ago.” I said and let her hand go. “Even then, we were travelling at a ridiculous speed. By rights, we shouldn't have arrived for another week or so.”

“Then thank Laura you managed to get here when you did.” One of the other healers said and came over to us, as did the other four.

“You can thank god, too.” Maylia said. “We thank him at every meal.”

“At every meal? Really?” One of them asked. “We're required once a week at the service to thank...”

“Oh, it's not a requirement.” Maylia said and smiled. “We just do it out of habit, mostly.”

The healers exchanged looks of disbelief.

“I've actually been doing it for years.” I said and they all looked at me. “When I was a child, I was put under a compulsion to pray to a certain goddess, that I won't name because I refuse to speak it.” I said and looked at the healers. “It wasn't Black Laura.”

Two of them let out a breath and relaxed.

“In defiance, I prayed to god instead. It's pretty much automatic at this point.” I chuckled, then I thought about it. “Ha. I gave myself that compulsion.”

No one spoke for a moment, then one of the healers held a hand out to me.

“Can you fill my mana, too?” She asked.

“He doesn't have to.” The one that had spoken before said. “We can recover on our own.”

“What if someone gets hurt?”

“Gia can handle it.” The woman said with a smile as she glanced at me and then back at Gia. “She's apparently very dedicated to her job to accept mana from a stranger.”

“She knows my name and I know hers, so we're not strangers.” I said to stop Gia from blushing. “We even know each other's occupations, and I know she had family losses similar to mine.”

Gia looked at me with wide eyes and I smiled.

“I was four when I lost my parents to a monster.” I said, which wasn't an exaggeration to describe the blue skinned alien, and I didn't feel my repressed anger try to rise. “Now we need to go.”

“No! Please.” Gia pleaded. “If you provoke it into attacking again... we... the town won't survive.”

“Like I told the girl at the stables, don't worry. Maylia won't let anything happen to me.” I said.

“That's not what I meant!” Gia said.

“If nothing happens to me, then the garglemacer doesn't stand a chance.” I grinned and looked at the patients. “Which one of you knows where the creature's roost is?”

A man raised his hand and I walked over to him. “It's near the top of the second mountain.” He said. “The path is treacherous and the journey is long. You will need food and warm blankets. Don't light a fire. It will attract beasts and not keep them at bay.”

“I'll take your expert advice.” I said. “Fire bad.”

He looked at me with raised eyebrows for a moment, then he barked a laugh. The tension in the room broke and a couple of the other patients laughed, too. The healers didn't know what to make of it.

“So, do you want a scale or a tooth when I come back with it?” I asked him.

“A tooth.” He said without having to think about it.

I turned around and looked at the other patients in the large room.

“Tooth.” “Tooth.” “A scale would be nice.” “Same here. Scale.” “Tooth.”

They all chimed in with what they wanted and they all seemed confident with hope that I would return.

“Then we better get a move on.” I said and walked over to Maylia and took her hand. “See you tonight.” I said and we walked out of the building. Maylia and I activated Mana Presence Run and let the energy flow over us, then we ran.

*

“Tonight?” One of the patients asked, confused. “The second peak is a day's travel to the top.”

“They just disappeared.” Gia said, stunned. She had seen a green glow around the two adventurers for a second and then they were gone.

“What?” One of the healers asked and ran to the window Gia looked out of. “They just stepped out of the building! Where did they go?”

“Maybe they used a teleport spell.” One of the patients said.

“That only works if you've been there before, or if you have a very detailed description of the area.” One of the others said. “I'd say they are apparitions.”

The healer near him laughed. “You and your ghosts!”

“I'm telling you! They visit the mortal plane! I've seen them!” He exclaimed, and she laughed again.

“Just rest and relax. You need to get your strength back to help with fixing the town.”

“I'm not helping with anything. Not until that Hunter guy comes back, anyway.” The man said and crossed his arms defiantly. “There's not much point until then.”

No one could dispute that logic. If Hunter didn't come back, then the creature would still be alive and it would probably attack the town again. It would destroy more of their homes and kill more of their people. That wasn't a happy thought to have.

“He'll do it.” Gia said as she kept looking out the window. “We just have to believe in him.”

“Says the girl who offered to go to bed with him to get more mana.” One of the other healers said and a few people laughed.

“I still would.” Gia said without tuning around and the laughter died out.

“You would?” The healer beside her asked.

“I felt his mana. He could have kept filling me up all day long and it wouldn't have drained him. Not even a little bit.” Gia said. “I think...” She stopped talking out loud. I think I would do anything he asked to have him stay. She thought, wistfully.

“Think what?” The healer beside her asked.

“Nothing.” Gia said, her face red. “All we can do now is wait.”

“While you wait, there's still work to be done.” One of the other healers said. “Bedpans or sheets?”

“Bedpans.” Gia said and turned away from the window and walked over to the closest bed.

“Okay, there's something wrong with her.” The healer by the window joked and walked over to her. “And with me, too. I'll help you.”

Gia smiled and nodded, and they both got to work doing the messiest and smelliest job that no one normally volunteered for.

*

Over the next two hours I used the map scroll to guide us to the second mountain peak. The girl from the stable had been right. The crags were steep, the bluffs were rocky, and the cliffs crumbled if you stepped too close to the edge. We had to slow down our run when we were about two-thirds of the way up the mountain, because it wasn't wide enough for two people to walk side by side in some spots. That was okay, though. I used the levitate skill when it was too dangerous and we didn't fall or trip once.

As we got closer to the peak where the creature's roost was, definite signs that it was around could be seen. Large claw marks, scorched trees and bushes, animal bones, and a pretty strong stench. I couldn't describe what it was, thankfully, because I didn't want to see or experience what could have made that kind of smell. I did not want to have that kind of memory floating round in my head.

Maylia tapped my shoulder and she waved a hand slowly over her own face. I nodded and activated Mask Presence and Stealth. I couldn't do anything with my mana yet, though. That irked me a little; but, there wasn't much I could do about it at the moment. I let my energy spread over the two of us and it concealed us as we crept farther up the mountain. We saw some craters, some rock slides, and a lot of broken and damaged weapons spread out all over the place.

A couple of them looked in newer condition and I pointed them out. Maylia motioned to them and we went over, so she could check out the tracks. She dragged me around and made walking motions with her fingers, pointed in two different directions, then looked at me with a question on her face. I pointed to the right and she nodded and we followed that trail.

It took us to a small outcropping and underneath it was the top half of a man. He either had a clean shaven face or he wasn't old enough to have facial hair. Maylia checking him over with a hand and couldn't find any personal possessions or weapons. I took out the scroll and asked it in a very low whisper to mark the body's location. A small black dot and the word 'body' appeared on the scroll.

This thing is great! I thought and rolled it back up before putting it away. I made a twirling motion with my finger and Maylia retraced our steps back to the spot where we had gone right, then we went left and followed the other trail. This was the correct one, because it led to a path and a treacherous climb to a rocky shelf about twenty feet above our heads. Maylia looked at me and shrugged.

I stepped back from the rock face and sat down in the lotus position and pulled her down onto my lap. She stared at me as I used the levitation technique and raised us up silently about eighteen feet, that way we could look over the edge of the rock shelf, and we saw that it was a cave entrance. I lifted us the rest of the way and thought about ending the technique there, so we could crawl silently into the cave. I changed my mind and stayed in the seated position and carried us all the way inside. Since we didn't touch anything, we made no noise at all as we travelled down the long tunnel on a cushion of Presence and mana.

When we reached the end of the tunnel, we came across a huge cavern over a hundred feet wide. It had piles of different items spread all over it. Carts, barrels, bundles of cloth, and a bunch of other things. Some were broken, some were smashed, and others were eerily undamaged. There was also a huge pile of things in the very center in the shape of a bird's nest.

There was also a dragon on it.

It was a really big grey one and the scales looked really thick and heavy. The multitude of horns on its head told me that it was a serious threat in a fight if it ever got close enough to hit you. The dragon let out a long breath and a burst of flame hit the nest and rebounded on the dragon, which hit it right in the face. It didn't move or react in any way and it took in another long breath.

It's immune to fire. I thought and looked at Maylia. She was either admiring it or trying to figure out how to kill it. I was betting on the latter, so I tapped her cheek to get her attention, pointed to the dragon, at her sword, then at my heart. She nodded, and I pointed to myself, made a flip over motion and pointed to the dragon, and she nodded again.

I carefully put her down right next to the nest and she crouched down out of sight and covered herself in mana to boost herself. I moved over slightly and stood on the cave floor, then generated four Presence Hands and filled them with mana. I held up three fingers, then two, then one. I grabbed one of the large horns on its head, the two legs on this side and the tail with the Mana Presence hands, then pulled the dragon up onto its side. It roared loudly as it woke up.

Maylia stood and lunged as hard as she could and plunged her glowing mana sword into the spot where the heart was to kill it. It was a great plan to have come up with on the fly, and it was executed perfectly.

It's too bad that it didn't work.

It should have, since her blade had found its mark and went right into the soft underbelly, and the tip of the sword went into the heart. The problem was that it stopped right there. The hilt impacted the chest and it wouldn't go any further. Maylia tried to move it and cut up the heart, and the dragon wasn't having any of that. It kicked out with a free leg and I used a Presence Hand to grab and pull Maylia out of the way. Part of the nest broke apart and some of the debris hit her and caused bruises almost immediately. She had also kept a hold of her sword, which removed it from the beast's chest.

The dragon tried to point its head at us and breath fire, so I pulled on it again with the Presence Hand that held it and pointed the mouth straight up. It roared in anger and then it started to glow green. It kicked and scraped at the green Mana Presence Hands I was using to hold its other legs and the green glowing claws cut through them. I felt it like it had swiped the claws at me instead, which surprised me. All of its legs were free and it quickly swiped at the Mana Presence Hands that held its head and tail and broke them apart as well.

I wasn't hurt physically; but, I was hurt mentally. So much so that I couldn't absorb the mana or Presence before the dragon rolled over and took a huge breath. Maylia jumped behind me and I made a Mana Presence barrier as the dragon blew a gout of flame so big that we couldn't see anything else except flame.

It's real fire and not magical. I thought, surprised again. I can't absorb mana from it to lessen its power.

If we both hadn't trained in seeing with more than our eyes, we would have missed the dragon as it jumped into the air to attack us with the glowing green claws on its forelimbs. Thankfully, my Mana Presence barrier wasn't static, so I picked Maylia up and ran and it stayed over us. The dragon landed right where we had been and tore at the ground.

Interesting. I thought and stopped across the cavern. It can't see through its own flames. “Hey, you big lout! You missed us!” I exclaimed and put Maylia down.

“Hunter! What are you doing?” Maylia asked as the dragon let out another huge gout of flame towards us.

“Giving us an advantage.” I said and unhooked my father's Light sword from my belt. “Stay with me. The barrier will hold as long as the dragon doesn't get its claws into it.”

Maylia nodded and moved behind me and put her hand on my back. She covered herself in mana again and let her energy mix with mine. I used Presence to keep the connection going and nodded to her. She took a single step back and I could still feel her sharing energy with me. I smiled and took a fighting stance and activated the Light sword.

We both saw the dragon pounce at us and flap its wings to cover the distance quickly, so we rolled as one to the side while still under my barrier and inside the flame. The dragon landed again and we both lunged at it. I went high and she went low as we attacked the closest leg. The green glowing scales sparked as I swiped at it with the Light sword and barely scraped the surface, so I turned the sword over and shoved it through the thick scales and into the hip joint.

The dragon roared in pain as the Light sword tore into its flesh, and Maylia used the opportunity to drag her sword along the underbelly for several feet. Blood gushed out from that wound and we removed our weapons. The dragon tried to swipe at us and I barely managed to deflect the green claws with the Light sword's energy blade.

It's definitely not as effective as it normally is against the mana protection it has. I thought as the dragon followed up with a swipe at us with its tail. I caught it with a Mana Presence Hand and held it just long enough for Maylia and I to get out of the way. I absorbed the hand and we took off across the cavern to hide before the dragon turned towards us to attack again. The flames died down and it looked in confusion at the spot where we had just been.

“Ready to do that again?” I asked in a whisper from behind one of the piles of items.

“Even if I was going to die.” Maylia whispered back and her face had a huge grin.

“I won't let that happen.” I said adamantly. “If things do turn bad, you run as hard as you can.”

Maylia looked at me like I was speaking nonsense. “I chose to be by your side. If things do 'turn bad', I won't abandon that vow. Or you.”

I gave her a slight nod and we stepped out from hiding. “Hey, ugly! Are you ready for round three?”

The dragon stomped around in a circle and roared at us. It was definitely nervous of being near us now.

“I don't think it's ready.” Maylia said. “It's not shooting flame at us, either.”

“Then we need to make sure it sees us as a threat at a distance so it will shoot.” I said and held my father's Light sword out towards the beast and used my modified Mana Presence Lightning technique. I could feel the Presence in the focusing crystal shift as I siphoned mana through it and the blade to charge it up. “This might be too much for the weapon to handle, though.” I said as the blade glowed twice as brightly and green lightning rolled over it in waves.

“To be used against such a beast is an honor, even for an ancient artifact.” Maylia said, her voice filled with reverence. “Let god guide your aim and it will strike true.”

“Did you hear that?” I asked the dragon. “God says you're done.”

It roared at me and flexed its wings to push itself off the ground. It did half a flap as its front legs lifted slightly and that exposed the wound that Maylia had caused earlier to its chest. I shot right at that wound and a five foot long green lightning bolt slammed into the spot and blew the chest apart. I was reminded of the princess and that spear she had thrown and hit the protection tree with, because the dragon's thick skin and muscle around the heart had been blown out just like the bark had been.

The dragon finished its wing flap and roared. Instead of flying forward, the blast and wing movement tipped it backwards and it fell onto its back. Maylia and I quickly ran over to it and I dismissed the protective barrier around us. The creature's ribs, lungs, and heart were completely exposed and blood pooled everywhere.

That was a lot more effective than I thought it would be. I thought.

“You did it.” Maylia said. “Thank god.”

“Not yet.” I said and looked at the Light sword. I could see a small crack in the focusing crystal and the energy blade flickered slightly.

The dragon saw that we were close and tried to swipe at us. I deflected the glowing claws of one foot with the Light sword, caught the other clawed foot with a Mana Presence Hand, then plunged the flickering Light sword into the beast's heart. The dragon tried to take a huge breath to breathe fire on us, so I swiped the sword sideways and back again to cut through both of its lungs. Rancid air blew out of them and into our faces as the lungs tried desperately to take in more air, then the last of its breath left it and the heart stopped beating.

“Now we can thank god.” I said and Maylia took my hand.

“Thank god we aren't dead.” We said at the same time, looked at each other's surprised faces, then we laughed.