“Why are you bringing a wyvern fang in?”

“Direhold was founded by those who left the north, some of their culture was carried over, and I know a thing or two about the north.”

They stepped inside of the tavern, The Drunken Drake.

There might’ve been better places in town, but Harlan chose this one.

He spoke as he laid the fang on the counter.

“One room for the night and a table for dinner.”

The old woman picked up the fang.

“You kill this yourself?”

“The body is still outside the town, haven’t had the chance to finish butchering it yet.”

“I’ll take this as payment for room and however much you can eat and drink.”

“I don’t drink, but this young lady is my companion so I’ll take you up on that offer.”

She gave him some side eye, and an older man with a much younger girl and only her drinking, but it wasn’t her problem.

Harlan went to the nearest clear table and sat with Jas taking the seat across from him.

“I’m not sharing a room with you, so don’t even-”

“I will sleep outside to guard the wyvern’s body and make a few things. Do you have anything that you need? I am going to be buying a few things in the morning.”

She still didn’t trust him, to her it was like he was trying too hard to pretend that he wasn’t who he was.

Though the woman at the counter considered the fang payment enough, he would still leave a few silver coins; he felt like he was cheating the woman to pay such a small fee for what he was consuming.

Another man came near, the moment he tried to touch her shoulder Harlan used a glare to stop him.

“She doesn’t like others touching her.”

“Maybe the girl just hasn’t had the right man.”

The lecherous look in the handsome man’s eyes brought back memories of Jet.

“I’m sitting here, I can defend myself.”

“Ava, I’ll-”

“Ava?”

“Come on then pretty lady, why don’t I show you a good time?”

“I’m not interested.”

“I’m a knight, I’m sure I’ve got a bit more stamina than this old man.”

“Fuck off to a brothel, you shrimp dicked whoremonger.“

“What did you just say?”

“Did you hit your head too many times in training? Instead of going after a young girl drinking at a tavern, go to whatever nasty little hussy gets your rocks off. Did you take the hint? Or do I need to explain more slowly?”

“You little-”

The man drew his hand back to slap her and Harlan stepped in, blocking both her dagger and his arm.

“The lady has given you your answer, if you want to test stamina, I can go all night.”

“Unhand me, or I’ll have you both arrested. I am a knight of count-”

Harlan headbutt the man, breaking his nose and leaving his unconscious on the floor as he sat back down to finish his meal.

“I can handle myself.”

“You would’ve killed him, or, more likely, your blade would’ve failed to pierce his armor. At which point he would have legal precedent to kill you, or, more likely, he would arrest you and take you back to a cell to unleash his anger on. But, more likely than that, I would paint the floor with his brain and then I’d need to kill every other knight here to avoid being hassled before I left.”

“You think he is going to let this go?”

“Nothing happened, I’ll pour some ale on him, heal him of everything but a strong headache, and then wake him up after you’ve gone to your room.”

“What about witnesses?”

Harlan stood from his seat.

“Did anyone see what happened to this man?”

The woman at the counter answered back.

“Some damn fool knight got drunk and banged his head on a table.”

The rest of the room nodded.

Killing wyvern’s wasn’t just part of history for the north, with the great slaying when Sepul returned as the champion of light and backed by the army of Ragne it became a point of pride and status.

They had been oppressed by the lizards for centuries, and when the time came wyvern parts were worth more than gold. By having parts it meant you had done a great service to the north. This was something repaid by those who knew what they meant, and while the title didn’t have any authority and wasn’t recognized by Ragne, those who could be called Wyvern Slayers were treated with respect.

Jas was a little impressed by the display of loyalty for a man who they didn’t likely know the name of.

“What was that?”

“Respect is earned, I killed a wyvern. Out here, the people are more worried about living another year than anything else.”

“Huh. So, who is Ava?”

“My sister.”

“Is she still…”

“She is back home.”

“The way you brought her up when he went after me, I thought something bad happened.”

“I’m just protective, it wasn’t the first time that I’ve seen a man go after a young girl.”

“Hmm…”

After Jas went to her room, staggering back and forth, Harlan woke the knight up.

To prove he was a healer he fixed the headache and claimed to have flushed the alcohol from his body.

Harlan lamented that everywhere was closed before he had the chance to buy what he wanted, but went back outside to the wyvern’s body to do some other things with it.

In the morning Harlan retrieved the bones and meat and loaded them up on another sleigh to bring them to the market where Jas would be selling them.

Once there, he took just a couple of packs of the meat and went to find Ky’s home which was not far from there.

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“Morning, is this Ky’s home? And you must be his sister?”

“You must be Hargrave. He mentioned that a man would come to sell some wyvern meat.

I am his mother, Sela.”

“Do you mind if I come in?”

“Of course not. Please, we can talk in the kitchen.”

Harlan hung up his coat and took his boots off when he came in.

“Sorry to have interrupted your breakfast.”

“Not at all, the children aren’t going to stop eating just because you are here. Kylie, Killik, greet the man.”

“Hello.”

“Are you a ranger too?‘

“Nope, I’m just a traveler.”

Kylie immediately went back to her meal.

“Anyway, this pack here is free. These other packs are 90 bronze each.”

“Isn’t that a bit cheap?”

“I figure he can get more use out of it then some merchant or noble buying the best cuts for whatever half true mysticism they think it has to it. Money isn’t something that I care about.”

“I’ll give you a silver for each, do you have more?”

“I’ve got my companion selling the meat and bones and such over at the market. But since that money is for her, I can’t cut you a break on the prices.”

“Kylie, Killik, finish up your food and get ready, we are going to the market. Hargrave, would you like to accompany me?”

She grabbed his arm and gave him a look.

“Of course, so long as I’m not going to cause any friction with your husband.”

The kids looked away but Sela didn’t let go.

“I’m sorry to have mentioned it, apologies for your loss.”

“I’ve been a widow for 5 years now, I’m not going to break down. Do you plan to stay for long?”

“Just until I finish teaching my companion the basics of magic and finish the book I want to leave for her. I’ve got somewhere else I need to be, I can’t be on vacation for too long.”

“What kind of vacation has you killing a wyvern?”

“A good one.”

Harlan walked with them to the market where luckily the knights were haggling instead of threatening for good prices.

“I see you’ve been selling well.”

“Of course, everyone wants to buy from a pretty lady.”

“This is Sela, Ky’s mother, I’m not telling you that you need to, but be fair on prices with her at least.”

“If you say so.”

Harlan sat on the sleigh to watch for trouble, but after a few hours he didn’t need to lift a finger.

The count sent some knights to guard the sleigh and Harlan decided to trust them while he shopped for the things that he wanted.

A few hours later a man came in and approached Harlan who had returned to the inn to continue writing.

“That girl you were with. Knights were taking her to the mayor’s home, something about the count’s son.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

“Not a problem, Wyvern slayer.”

Harlan shot through the air to reach his destination.

“Halt. By order of-”

Harlan lifted the man with one hand.

“Where, is, the, girl?”

The man struggled, even trying to slash at Harlan who caught the blade with just two fingers.

“Three seconds, then I kill you and tear through that little mansion like a pissed off drake.”

The man, finding that he could not budge the blade, gave up. Or rather, that is how it seemed from the outside. He was hoping that once inside Harlan could be put down by the knight commander if not the count himself.

“I’ll lead you to her.”

“Good.”

As they walked through the halls Harlan looked at the wards and arrays.

The mayor did not want to risk harming his staff or guests if something went wrong, so the arrays and wards were rather simple and more designed against wear and tear, not cubing a man.

He took note of how they could be easily collapsed, if needed.

Harlan found Jas having a rather level headed conversation, from her outburst the night before, he couldn’t tell if it was her fear causing it, or if sobriety let her hold back her true self.

“Squire, who is this?”

“My name is Hargrave, why have you taken her?”

His tone demanded an answer and conferred no respect.

“And why should I tell a man who bursts into this room without any respect.”

“Hargrave, it is fine, I’m handling it.”

Suddenly the atmosphere around Harlan shifted.

“I’m very sorry, I thought something uncouth was happening here.”

“Are you her father?”

“No, I am just someone who met her during my travels.”

“And my squire that seems overly pale?”

“As I said, I thought something uncouth was happening. So naturally I threatened his life and forced him to grant me guidance towards this young lady.”

The squire nodded his head.

“So you came here, into the fortified home of the city ruler, where 300 knights, and a very talented ranger are stationed, with hostile intent?”

Harlan saw it as the test that it was, but had no desire to play on any terms but his own.

“The magical fortifications on this place are lackluster.”

With a snap of his fingers a few shut down.

“These knights are weak. And the ranger, well, I think I have pretty good chances against him.”

Nobody had thought anything of it, but there was quite a bit less wyvern for sale than there should be.

Harlan had come to understand why his body rejected its new power when he assimilated the men who attacked his home. Their bodies were simply too weak compared to his, he could’ve expanded his own size, but compressing them was beyond him.

As he was now, Harlan weighed nearly a ton and had grown to 6 feet tall, which he would explain away as a growth spurt once he got back home.

“I can appreciate a man who knows what he can do. Do you want some work? Just temporary.”

“I’m listening.”

“First, this girl, my son liked the look of her when she was selling the wyvern pieces, she was brought in to meet him. She refuses, so I wanted to attempt to convince her to change her mind.”

“Jas, is this true?”

“Yes, and I wasn’t dragged in, I was about to leave when you came in.”

“I’ve done nothing against the girl. It does make me wonder, why would you think so lowly of my knights?”

“Bearfast. Those knights tried to steal Lindwurm meat.”

“And how do you know this?”

“Because I killed those men.”

The count chuckled.

“You seem to have integrity, I heard what happened afterwards from the Seekers. Corrupt knights who sully my name have no place in my forces. I need to have myself and my son guarded on the way back to our home. We leave in three days, will you join us?”

“What do you expect to fight.”

“Several hundred assassins from another count’s house.”

“I think I have some responsibility to this girl here as a magical teacher. I shouldn’t leave.”

Before the count could reply Harlan continued.

“But I think it is more important that I keep Ky safe. I’d hate to see his mother cry.”

Ky was in the room and was unsure what to say, but he would ask his mother how she felt about the man.

“Return here in three days' time, early in the morning.”

Jas silently came back with Harlan to the butcher room outside the town.

Harlan could see that she had question, but didn’t want to ask them.

“I never knew my birth parents, my mother died shortly after my birth, my father is a murderer who took my mother against her will. I’m an orphan, but I’ve had great parents and wonderful sisters since I was an infant. I am aware of how much I have, and from how you’ve reacted to many things, I’m sure you have lost more than you’ve ever really had.”

“What?”

“You are wondering, why does he do what he does? Why was he willing to storm that place when he believed I was in danger? It is because I think you deserve that much after everything that has happened.”

“I don’t want you pity.”

“I’m not pitying you. I look at you and see myself, but I found out how to trust people.

I’ve come to understand how much that last part matters. People aren’t built to be alone.”

“I’m not alone, I just need to find my sister. We got separated a few weeks ago after a fight and I’ve been looking for her. We set up which town we should meet up in and I need to wait here for her.”

“I’m a good divinationist, do you want me to help?”

She wasn’t sure how to respond, she wanted to jump at the chance to find her sister more quickly.

But, she still didn’t understand or trust him.

“I need to just keep waiting here for her.”

“Alright. I won’t push this.”

“What are we doing out here anyway?”

“I want to make some things, but I need privacy. Also, do you happen to know your measurements?”

“What?”

“I want to make you a set of armor. I don’t need to touch you, if you are willing to just spread your arms out I could eyeball it.”

“Fine.”

Jas went back to the town and slept in the tavern.

Harlan went to work.