The guard captain walked up to the pair and poked the guildmaster to make sure he was really knocked out.

The front desk woman stepped out through the main door next to the hole in the wall.

“Jen, what happened here?”

“This man came in for a request as he had no money nor a tag, when he beat Jack, Rent stepped in for a fight. Then they took part in a Ursa cultural exchange.”

Harlan spit out a mouthful of blood and then straightened himself out, his healing was going alright, but he was tired and needed to eat.

“Yeah, and he cheated.”

“How did he cheat?”

“Imbibing magic, the test is supposed to be no magic. If I was any weaker I’d be dead.”

“I’d like you to leave my town so we don’t have any more problems.”

“I need money to get some food and travel expenses. Would it be alright if I stayed just a bit longer?”

“Are you going to cause more problems?”

“No.”

He let out a sigh.

“Get your work done, buy what you need, then go. I don’t want you in town when the sun comes up.”

“Griv, aren’t you being a bit harsh? This man needs serious healing and Rent started the fight.”

Harlan jumped up.

“I’m fine, do I get the blackstone? Or just gold rank?”

The woman was first shocked, and then made a shameful face.

“I will get you a gold tag, you can’t actually be granted blackstone outside of finishing an official request from the higher ups.”

“Fine. just point me to the orcs, and I’ll bring their heads back.”

“The details are written on the request.”

Harlan didn’t use flight in the presence of other people, he had no idea how rare it was exactly, but outside of mages from the academy, he never saw anyone use it.

So he walked out of the gate and into the woods before he took to the trees.

Orcs were orcs, the only thing he really needed to worry about was making sure that there was enough of them left to identify how many he killed.

It was a small group, just 5 of them.

Harlan touched down in the middle and cut off their heads with a ring of air before making small bolts of void to destroy their smaller heart.

This was little more than an inconvenience to something like an orc, but it would always disrupt their motor control long enough for Harlan to start actually fighting them.

Telekinesis wasn’t something they had, and as such, they had no resistance to the magic.

They were pulled limb from limb, holes were punched through their bodies, none of it was pleasant to see.

Then Harlan remembered something.

He killed 3 of them and restrained the other two.

Nobody was willing to let him bring an orc back for research and nobody wanted to stay around while he picked apart their souls.

Harlan spent an hour on the second one, the first had unfortunately expired once he split the soul into what he believed were human and goblin pieces.

By the time the second orc died, he felt a sense of sorrow. From what he gathered in this time, though he would put in the effort to do more so he was sure, the centuries of existing as a new lifeform made the souls entirely incompatible with being either human or goblin, the information just didn’t seem to exist to return them to a human state.

The nice part was that it confirmed that they could be wiped out without feeling guilty.

The sad part was that they could be wiped out without feeling guilty.

After Harlan returned he got paid, ate until he felt full, and realized that he didn’t have anything left for supplies.

Had he not researched their souls, he wouldn’t be so hungry, but he considered it a worthwhile exchange.

He went back to see if there was another request worth taking.

“I want to hunt the Black Lindwurm.”

“Have you ever hunted one before?”

“20 feet long, acid that can dissolve metal in seconds. I’ve heard my uncle tell a story of hunting them.”

“That request has been hung on the board 6 times in the last year, you are looking at a 60 foot behemoth that we pray everyday runs into a Greater Drake. If that thing ever left the woods we would need to flee or hope to the gods that somehow we kill it without losing the town.”

“Alright, I will be careful.”

“You don’t seem like a bad guy, not sure why you want to be adventuring, but it isn’t worth it. Go kill more orcs, spend a week here, they always get new requests.”

“It sounds to me like if I leave then I’m just going to let more people try to kill the Lindwurm and die.”

“It is your funeral. But on your gravestone, what should I write for the reason you decided to adventure?”

“Because I need the money.”

She scoffed and waved him away.

It was two days travel to reach the depths of the forest where the beast was located.

From the bones around the area, at least a few drakes had already tried and failed to kill the beast.

It looked in Harlan’s direction and tasted the air before a high pressure stream of acid shot right at him.

His invisibility was rather solid, but also basic.

For humans, it worked fine since their noses weren’t that sensitive, but for something like this it was impossible to hide his presence.

After almost 10 minutes of running away, the beast returned to its hole, Harlan noticed that there was a clutch of eggs down there.

He pulled out his amulet once he was sure that it was safe and called Redmond who took a while to answer.

“Harlan?”

“Yep.”

“Get back to the academy, what the hell do you think you are doing? My sister is going to skin you alive for running off like this.”

“Well that was fast.”

“This isn’t a joke.”

There was a pause and Harlan could hear him whistling to Cu.

“What happened? Why did you run off?”

“Who am I?”

“What?”

“What kind of man am I to you?”

“You’re my nephew.”

“That isn’t what I mean, I don’t think you are dumb, just answer, honestly.”

“You are a scared kid who jumps from manic to depressed every time you see more of the world.”

“I need to stop seeing the world how I have. I need to see people for who they are when they aren’t dealing with me. I can’t do that from the academy. I need real experience to see who I really want to be.”

“You don’t need to do that, you already said you were going to stop pretending to be a grown up, go back, have some fun with your friends.”

“How do I hunt a Black Lindwurm, 60 feet long and sitting on a clutch of eggs.”

“You don’t. You call in warmages from the army to firebomb the entire area and pray to whoever is listening that it dies from the smoke.”

“See, I was thinking that if I catch it sleeping and use a piercer warspell on it, I might be able to handle it.”

“If it was a month ago and it hadn’t bred yet, I’d say drop a tree on it and then see if you can’t pick it off. If it was a month later, it would be slow from the cold and I’d say to wait another month or two for it to hibernate then bomb the damn thing from as far away as you can be.”

“So it’s weak to cold spells?”

“No, it isn’t. If you just cool it down the thing will move around to heat itself up. They hibernate for a short time and only during the coldest days. Local spells just don’t have the power to cool it down without it realizing that winter hasn’t started yet and fleeing”

“How much do they move from their nests if the eggs haven’t hatched?”

“Rarely, they eat a large amount before they sit on them and then they only leave for smaller meals.

I don’t know for sure, but they take about 3 months for the eggs to hatch, so this thing could sit there for another month, or maybe it will sit there for another week before it gets up to eat.”

“Alright, I have an idea that might work, and it doesn’t put me in danger. I noticed that you didn’t tell me to stop this time.”

“Yeah, I forgot something from my description of you, you are as stubborn as a herd of mules. I know you aren’t going to stop, but please, call your mother and tell her that I tried to make you go back.”

Harlan spent two weeks digging trenches and then trying to draw in as much water mana as he could.

The biggest problem should’ve been that if he made a giant rune that stretched for miles, it needed to be constantly watched so that megafauna wouldn’t break anything on it and disrupt it, yet the forest was showing clear signs of over-hunting. The second biggest problem was that he wasn’t likely to be able to cool down a massive area because it would just blow away.

So, to solve this, and add more headaches, Harlan used two runes that stretched for miles.

One to cool down the area, and the second to lock in the cold.

Harlan was chittering under his pile of furs as he tore into the freshly cooked meat.

Two more weeks had passed and a lucky cold front from the north helped to make the process of wintering the area faster.

It was finally time.

The mass of furs took to the sky and slowed down the closer he got to the beast.

He knew that this thing was sleeping, but even under a blanket of snow and ice, it was alive.

If this didn’t work, he thought about trying to make poisoned bait.

He really wished he came up with that idea first, but it seemed like a waste to not use his first plan.

Harlan gathered up as much power as he could and formed a spear of void, putting it right through the brain of the beast. Despite Sepul’s words, he found it rather easy to use the spell and the void listened to his commands.

It woke up and thrashed around since with such a massive size and Harlan not exactly having an anatomy book on standby he had only taken out a chunk of the brain but not the whole thing.

“Oh, shit.”

The beast’s reaction time was slower on account of its missing brain matter, but at such a close range Harlan knew that he wasn’t going to get away, so he instead jumped at the creature.

The roof of its mouth had been bored through already, so instead of being swallowed Harlan just flew in and then back out.

Despite its power, and its magical properties, the beast was no mage and its own ranged attack was the acid spit. Yet the damage done to it already made its shots inaccurate so Harlan had little issue staying in the sky while the beast’s body began to shut down as its brain leaked out from the thrashing around.

After a short call to say that he was alive and his plan had worked, Harlan wanted to know if this thing tasted good. Shockingly, according to Redmond, it was actually a delicacy as long as the acid sacs hadn’t burst and poisoned the meat, even then the effected area could be removed.

Harlan didn’t really care that much about being found out now, he was tired, and yet full of vigor from the snake meat.

He severed the head, cast hover, and then took along an egg too.

Those were supposed to better than the meat and the unborn Lindwurms had soft bones that could be eaten without worry.

Harlan had found the idea to be a bit disgusting, but Redmond convinced him that he needed to try it since he had the chance.

He moved like a bolt through the air and it took just half a day to reach Bearfast.

The gate guards just stood aside, Harlan looked feral covered in many furs and with a floating wurm head behind him.

One of them rushed to get the guard captain.

Harlan left the head in the street as he went inside the adventurers guild, the egg was strapped to his back with rope he made.

“Coins.”

Harlan grunted.

“I brought the head.”

She called for Rent and they went outside to confirm.

Harlan was to lead them to the body so they could gather all of the meat and the eggs.

But that would only be after he got a good rest and got the egg cooked.

The egg stood 4 feet tall and so he had to dig a pit in the ground and fill it with water so it could be boiled.

The mayor even came out and thanked Harlan for his work, but really he just wanted the egg.

“How much does it cost to purchase the full egg?”

“I’m hungry, I’m going to eat it, but I’ll share.”

The man wasn’t exactly happy with the answer and kept trying to haggle for it.

He didn’t want part of it, he wanted the egg.

Harlan was annoyed after a few minutes but a glare stopped the man dead in his tracks.

He was not a weak man, he had been a soldier for years, even had a high rank before he retired.

Harlan could feel the indignation of the man and expected that this was not over.

“You know, there are more eggs, they just need to be brought back.”

“Would you be willing to sell me one of them?”

“You can buy the whole clutch for all I care. My uncle said the flavor is unforgettable, just needs a bit of salt. I can’t very well not try it once.”

“Of course. But, I’ve heard it can have, other properties.”

“Ah.”

Harlan said no more.

Rent came by to awkwardly avoid asking for some of the egg.

After Harlan said that he could see through him from a mile away, but the answer was yes, he sat next to Harlan and watched as the water in the pit boiled.

“Impressive control for someone so young.”

“What do you really want?”

“I’ve thought about hunting the beast for over a decade, but I’ve never had either a strong enough group or enough forces to kill it. To see you come back after a month by yourself, well, you’ve taken the wind out of my sails. I spent so much time dreaming about how I would kill it, that you got there first.”

“I’ll be right back.”

Harlan returned with a bottle of liquor.

“Drink. You look like you could use it.”

Rent didn’t question it, he just started sipping the bottle.

“How did you do it?”

“I drew two massive runes, inducing an artificial winter to force a hibernation state in the creature. Then I struck it from above with a spiral warspell and dodged its desperation attacks.”

The mayor and the Ursa looked at him strangely and Harlan saw it.

“How often do you actually go that deep into the woods?”

“It’s been a few years, I’m technically retired.”

“Mammoths are native here. I saw bones out there, but you would be hard pressed to find many large animals left. I’d give it a year, three at most, before it moved on. If you were lucky, it would go north, settle down in another patch of the woods. If you weren’t lucky, it would come here, eat its fill, and then keep going south. Some things are not supposed to live for so long, grow so strong. Lindwurms are a dead end, they are not smart like a Skoll or a Fenrir, they are just animals who can use some basic magic.”

“Really? I thought that thing would just stay put, like some kinda monster in a storybook.”

“They are nothing but animals. They should be viewed as beasts to be understood and slain as needed.

I do wonder, how did it grow so long? I saw drake bones, perhaps the Greater Drake which should’ve killed it died from some other creature.”

Rent averted his eyes.

“Ah, that makes sense. Mankind, always ready to make their own worst enemies.”

“I’m not a human.”

“Then you are twice the fool. But that makes sense, the other Ursa I know is a battle maniac who doesn’t think through her actions.”

“Are you looking for another fight?”

“You cheated last time.”

“And you sucker punched me when I helped you get up.”

“So then we are even.”

Any bystanders quickly left the area, not wanting to be caught up between them.

Instead they simply glared and ended it with a handshake where each tried to break the other’s hand.

Harlan could only really reach around a few fingers, so they considered it a draw.

The egg was good and Harlan offered it to anyone who passed by.

It was great for morale and more volunteers signed up on the mission to butcher the Lindwurm.

When Harlan turned in for the night, he called Adina.

“Harlan.”

There was a barely contained rage in her voice.

“Hey, thought that I should call. Did Mary talk to you?”

“Have you found yourself yet?”

She mocked.

“I know, you’re mad, and I get it. But I think this can also be a good thing for you.”

“Oh, really? How?”

“You are always looking to me for something, affection, advice, praise. I am worried that you are dependent on me, and that I’ve been feeding that so much that it is stunting your personal growth.”

“I feel fine when you are around, there is nothing wrong with that. So get back here.”

“If you can’t feel fine without me being there, doesn’t that worry you?”

“No, because I know you are always going to be there. Please, come back, or just bring me with, I…”

He could hear her choking up.

“I’m lonely, everyone else is around me, but you aren't, you left me here.”

“If I don’t do this now, I’m never going to be myself, I’ll always be split between two sides that can’t find a balance. It is killing me, and one day, it might kill you. I’ve lived for so long trying to be strong, to keep everyone safe, that I haven’t had the chance to really come to grips with who I really want to be.

Once I have all the power I can ever need, what do I do with it? I can’t bring you, because I don’t act the same around you as I do when I’m alone. I will be back. You don’t need to worry about me, and when I do, you are free to beat the shit out of me for hurting you.”

“I don’t want that, I just want you here.”

“I can stay on the call until you go to sleep, but I can’t be there with you.”

They talked, trying to avoid all of the pain between them, until she couldn’t stay up any longer.

“You should go back.”

“I thought you weren’t talking with me still?”

“Shut up.”

“I need to do this, you know I do. I’m going to snap one day, and when that happens, things can get very bad, or they can work out. I think a lot about the day I had my empathy explained to me. She told me that if I don’t get it under control, a lot of people are going to die, and if I understand my power, it will be marginally better. I’ve had moments when I lost control and I thought maybe this is it, this is why I had to have control of my power. But I don’t think it has happened yet. Do you know what it is like? To be afraid all the time over what you might do? That people will die, and only by being in control can I somewhat mitigate it, but not avoid it? I killed 500 men, and I don’t care, but I see people afraid when I’m on stage and I flip the script entirely? I have no idea who the fuck I am.”

“Is this really going to help though?”

“Maybe I’ll go another month and run out of steam, but it is somewhat refreshing to have people treat me like a person. Though I should probably change my face and name, since I’ve drawn attention to this identity.”

“I’m going to sleep.”

“You can do that?”

“Yes.”

In the morning a train of wagons were ready to follow him into the woods.

Harlan sat on the head wagon and whistled to start.

Rent was in the one behind him, he wasn’t going to miss the chance to see the body up close and make sure that the beast was butchered properly.

On foot Harlan got there in 2 days, though flight, close to 8 hours, the train was expected to take 5 days, then 4 to butcher, 6 to get back with full loads.

On the first day it rained, Harlan tried his best to clear the clouds, but there was something up there and his sixth sense told him to leave it alone.

They went through a valley on day 3, bandits came for them.

On day 4, Harlan picked a tooth from his hair.

On day 6 they arrived.

A tribe of ogres arrived on the 2nd day of butchering; though there was some arguments, it was settled in a duel that they would get just the tip of the tail. It had some value to their shaman apparently. It was mostly skin at the end anyway, so it wasn’t a big loss.

On the final day a group of adventurers attempted to leave with a full wagon in the night.

Harlan spared them.

On the way back they encountered little resistance, though without Rent and him there, the Wyrmlings attracted to the meat would’ve torn the group apart.

Harlan was chewing on the burned meat from using chain lightning on the flock and resting.

The head of the group of butchers was a man with some relation to the mayor, though Harlan cared little about the topics he spoke of.

Harlan had no interest in booze, or brothels. Cards did interest him, but the man was a cheat.

He was missing three fingers, each from cheating at cards. He was warned that the 4th time they wouldn’t be taking another finger, so he fled to the frontier.

He dodged the question of if he was still cheating.

Harlan was glad to finally be ready to move on, though seeing that a flag had been raised in the village, denoting a band of knights, made Harlan worried.