Jas returned to Harlan’s far from comfortable workshop in the morning.

“Hargrave, are you here?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t mean to sound greedy, but, is that armor done?”

“And the weapons, and the other things. I can set up a small room to change in.”

“Alright.”

Jas came out with her armor.

It was leather made of wyvern skin and reinforced in certain places by the larger upper scales.

She had two daggers on her hip, both carved from wyvern horns which were much harder than the fangs which were constantly broken and replaced.

“How do I look?”

“You look good.”

“Before you go. Take these.”

He handed her two communication amulets and the finished book of magical knowledge from him.

“These are…”

“When you told me last night that you had a sister and I saw you were worried, I thought it best that you not lose connection with her.”

“I know I accepted everything else, but this is too much. These things are… did you make them?”

“Yeah.”

Jas looked down at the gifts, each and every one of them was soulsmithed.

She looked back at everything she had seen and heard from Hargrave in the short time they had known one another.

“I will take you up on your offer, divining my sister.”

“Are you ok with me touching you?”

“Since I know you, it should be fine.”

Despite her words, Harlan could see the goosebumps and felt her shiver when he held her hand.

Southwest, 2 miles.

“She is very close. We should meet her half way.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

The pair met their target after only a short time.

“Kelly!”

“Jas!”

Harlan leaned up against a tree as they had their tearful reunion.

But there was something really familiar about the shield she had.

“And who is this?”

“This is Hargrave. I took a request to hunt baby Lindwurms and I ended up against a full grown one.

I wouldn’t be here without him. He also divined your position, and he gave me money, armor and weapons.”

Suddenly Kelly’s eyes narrowed on the man who innocently waved back to her.

“That sounds like a lot.”

“I know what it sounds like, but he is a good man.”

“What do you want from my sister?”

“Nothing.”

“Nobody wants nothing.”

“So, that is where she got that from. I’m sure you have good reasons for it, but it would be best to fix that mindset.”

“It has kept us alive, so I don’t want to hear a damn thing about how I’ve raised my sister.”

“Kelly, calm down, he isn’t a bad guy.”

“Fine, let’s go back into town.”

“Excuse me, that shield, there is something familiar to me.”

Kelly hid it behind her back.

“It is a family heirloom. Hands off.”

“I’m not looking to take it, just asking.”

“Jas, why don’t we get some food and get out of here.”

“I want you to meet with him in his workshop, you are being too harsh towards him.”

She whispered to her sister.

“Connie doesn’t like him, she is scared.”

“Then you both need to meet him. I think this is Harlan Fomoria, the guy who-”

“You’ve said everything he’s ever done twice already, at least that explains your attitude.”

Jas waved to Harlan with a beaming smile. As he led them to the simple stone structure he thought about what he should do about his little problem. He might be able to trust Jas, but Kelly reminded him too much of himself and would use that secret of his as a bludgeon if she needed to.

When they stepped inside, Ky was waiting with a stern look on his face, a hand resting on his sword.

Kelly took a fighting stance.

“Hargrave, new orders, we are moving out tonight. And, before we leave, I need to know. You and my mother…”

“I’ve no intentions with her, I was just being friendly.”

Ky let out a sigh. He was barely 20 but due to his work he rarely got to show his real feelings, he was just trying to look out for his mother.

“Great. So, who is your friend?”

“This is Jas’s sister, Kelly. Kelly, this is Ky, he is a ranger.”

“Nice to meet you. That shield…”

“It is a family heirloom, she is quite attached to it.”

“Alright. You are going to be ready tonight, yes?”

“Of course. Now that Kelly is here I don’t need to worry about Jas.”

“I want to go.”

“Ask your sister.”

“Kelly, we should go with them.”

“Where?”

“We need to get Count Oreland back to his home, but there will be assassins.”

“Jas, you are not going off to die for some noble.”

“I want Hargrave to teach me, so I want to stick with him. Come on, I know that he can handle himself.

He killed a wyvern single handedly.”

“No, you are chasing him because… I need to have a chat with my sister.”

“I rented a tavern room for her, you can go there.”

Harlan and Ky were left alone.

“Need your gear checked out? I’m a pretty good soulsmith.”

Ky pulled out the small toy Harlan had carved for him.

“Did you know that you leave a soul smell on the things you make? Soul leeches let me sniff it out.

Long time no see, Harlan.”

“I should make this clear as I can, I did not hit on your mother for any real reason.”

Harlan made a few chairs so they could sit while they caught up.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“How is Zella.”

“She is doing good, found herself a new group of friends, more normal people.”

“Huh…”

“Don’t take it that way, I’m not doing anything that different. I’m not sure how I feel about the world, I’m full of hate and anger and wasn’t sure about who I was. By seeing normal people, and seeing how different I am from them, it helps me to understand who I am and how I fit into this world with people who can’t even possibly stand alongside me, who will turn to dust and I’ll still look 25.”

Ky leaned back in his seat.

“Shit. I didn’t think you would grow up so quickly. How is Amber?”

“Wanting to know all of your old girlfriends before anything else?”

“What? No. I’m just wondering how your sisters are doing.”

“What is my mothers name?”

He glubbed like a fish before going quiet for a moment.

“Alright, how is Amber?”

“In her last year of academy, unsure what she wants to do with her life since the war is over and I got back home.”

Harlan hesitated to finish the sentence.

“And yes, she is single. Apparently everyone at the school either ignored her or insulted her for being lowborn, then when I came back people actively hated her, and now everyone is too afraid of me to go near her.”

“I have the 12th and 7th months off, if she ever wanted to visit.”

“Do you have a communicator?”

“Army issue, not supposed to use it for personal calls.”

“I have until tonight, I’ll make you one.”

“Alright, but first, I want to hear everything.”

“You can settle for most of it.”

Harlan had to cut it short so he could get some work in. Ky did leave his swords with Harlan for some upgrades.

Jas came back with Kelly just before dusk.

“I’m going with you.”

“Godsdamnit Jas, I said no.”

“I’m not missing this chase to… learn magic from Mister Hargrave.”

“Mister?”

“You are my teacher, so I’m trying to give you some respect.”

“I’m just an old man going on a walk.”

“Through hundreds of enemy soldiers.”

“Yes.”

“Hargrave, I don’t give a shit who you are, or might be, you are not bringing my baby sister on some shithead count’s fight. SHIT.”

“Jas, stay here. Your sister is just looking out for you. Can you hand me that book of magic real quick?”

She hesitated, worried that he wouldn’t give it back.

It only took him a moment to write a few more words in it.

“If you come to my home, I will teach you, or I will get somebody who will. Just say that phrase to my brother.”

“But I don’t know where you-”

“I know you figured me out. If you are so happy to meet me, it feels wrong to turn you away.”

Harlan rubbed the book, a smile crept on his face.

“I’m really glad that someone out here likes me for who I am. I just…”

A few tears fell and Jas hugged him.

“If it wasn’t for that shield, we would both be dead and that man would’ve… you are my hero, no matter what everyone else tells you. I can’t believe you are younger than me. Is your birthday really on new years eve?”

“Yes, but don’t spread that around. Ava will always be my big sister, and I’ll always be her little brother, no matter my age.”

“How sweet, now step away from my sister, you need to go off to your fight, and she is staying here.”

“Jas, I’ll see you again another day, don’t follow us. And you should find a better man to call a hero.

Kelly, I know she is going to try, so keep a close eye on her. Also, that shield, it is the Black Soul condor, isn’t it.”

“We call it Connie. It has saved us more than once.”

“Could I speak to it?”

“Kelly, hand it to him.”

“Connie doesn’t want to.”

“How smart is Connie? I don’t mean it as an insult, I’m just wondering.”

“Connie is fine.”

“Has it grown smarter? Does it learn new magic? Soulsmithed items have limits, if Connie grows too much then… she could die.”

“Kelly, let him look at it. Also, she?”

“Connie, sounds like a girl’s name to me. I can’t remember if the bird was a girl or not. I can feel a mind, faintly, inside of her, which makes it at least an entity even if she might not be a person yet.

If nothing else, call me if she begins to feel strangely. I made her, it is my responsibility to help her.”

Kelly hesitated, but hearing how Harlan spoke chipped away at her icy heart, just a bit.

“I will call you. But I’m not handing her over.”

“That is all I ask.”

Harlan made the finishing touches on his work and handed the blade back to Ky before they left.

“Where is the count’s son?”

“Riding in the carriage with his father, kid that young should be anywhere around this stuff.”

“How old is he?”

“13. Shy, meek, the opposite of his father.”

“When I was 13, I was manufacturing undead. At 14 I knowingly killed my first man, at 15, just two months ago, I killed over 500.”

“I kinda got the feeling before that you were soft, that violence and blood didn’t suit you.”

“If I didn’t, the war would be ongoing, my uncle would be dead without the things I’ve made. I’ve come to terms with what I must be, what I’ve become. I made that choice.”

Harlan flipped up his hood and started walking. He and Ky were on the direct left and right of the carriage, the knight commander rode a horse in the front. And the other near 300 men walked or rode on wagons with guns in their hands. They hadn’t become widespread, as of the moment guns were privately sold and owned. The army would have its own standardized guns in mass production within a year.

It was, 3, maybe 4am.

Harlan rushed skyward, though really branchward, and blood came from above.

Nobody even noticed he was gone until he touched back down, dripping crimson onto white snow.

“The threat is gone.”

The squire who Harlan had assaulted the day before was stood not far from him and saw each drop fall.

“Keep up your pace, if I trip out here it is your head.”

“Yes sir, sorry sir.”

Dawn broke without any more assassination attempts.

Every man was tense, they were tired, always remaining vigilant for the entire trip was wearing them down.

Harlan did what he could to make sure that those who were suffering from the cold, but after an entire night he had to sleep on the roof of the carriage.

Then the first shot rang out.

Harlan cast hover and lifted the carriage from the ground before the bullets could hit, moving it behind a tree.

“Count Oreland, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

Harlan looked over and saw some others had been hit. The gunmen had flipped the wagons to use them as barricades.

With the sun behind them the enemies were hard to see, and nearly impossible to hit.

Then the warmagic hit without the counter spells having a chance to stop them.

A third of the knights died in the opening volley and the ones that lived moved behind the trees to avoid becoming easy targets.

“How many are out there?”

“We lost about a hundred men. I’ll check enemy force numbers.”

Harlan cast a simple cone of divination, and the results were not great.

“700, but I could’ve missed some.”

“Hargrave, take my son. Get him out of here. I’ve seen you move, I know you can get past the blockade, send my forces from my home.”

“We still have a chance, I will-”

“Hargrave, please, no father should see his son parish before him. I will help my men hold them off, draw their attention.”

“Are you a good man?”

“What?”

“Answer the question.”

“I have done everything I can to help my people fear man, not beasts or famine, I’ve raised my son with care, perhaps I’ve sheltered him too much.”

The boy hadn’t said a word, he simply silently wept as he held on to his father.

“Rass, tell your mother I will hope to see her again someday.”

“NO, IF I GO YOU WON’T COME BACK.”

He patted the young boy’s head and shushed him.

“Every man must die some day, I am glad it will be in defense of you. When your time comes to be count,

I hope you remember this lesson. A life is given meaning by who you save, not who you kill. Do not be afraid to do what needs to be done, but do not kill them out of anger, do it with reals. Serve your king faithfully, do not blame him for this. There is a traitor somewhere who has intercepted my calls for aid, tell the Seekers about this.”

“Count Oreland, your men, would they serve you faithfully even after death?”

“What?”

“No son should see his father parish.”

“Whatever plan you have, do it.”

Harlan entered his full armor, dashing between the shots to grab the bodies.

He filled the gems with fragments of himself, little memories and feelings that he knew would come back and wouldn’t harm him to not have for a few days.

Harlan saw Ky struggling to remain standing, to get back behind cover.

His body was covered in scales and he had wings on his back from the wyvern meat he had eaten.

Combined with the shadows of a warg, he had a demonic appearance, just like from the stories of Reino.

“KY, STAY WHERE YOU ARE, I WILL HANDLE THIS.”

The volleys had stopped, the knights were moving forward to finish off the survivors.

Harlan stood in the middle of the road, not a single casualty had been inflicted on the enemy side.

He shouted as loudly as he could, dawnlight shone upon him.

“I AM HARLAN FORMORIA, ARCHAMGE CHANGELING, CHAMPION OF DARKNESS. I GIVE ONE WARNING, TURN BACK, OR PARISH TO ME.”

The men stopped for a moment, Harlna’s armor and weapon were known to many, but nobody really believed it was him.

The slits on his helmet closed, he would not need his eyes for this.

Then the light which shone upon him was gone, clouds gathered overhead and Harlan began to pound his rod onto the snow, the rhythmic pounding causing tension among the knights.

“A WARNING GIVEN, A WARNING IGNORED.”

The pounding stopped, Harlan raised the rod a final time.

A week later, the Seekers overlooked the scene.

“Your saying he admitted to doing this?”

“Yes, no idea what we are doing here though. Can’t even count the bodies after what he did to them.”

“The ones who were vaporized, or the ones that he took as ‘materials.’ That can’t be legal.”

“He invoked slayer's rights.”

“Are you kidding me? That is for monsters not-”

“He said he killed monsters.”

“As an excuse or-”

“He said child killers, or rather, attempted child killers, don’t count as people. He avoided saying human, that judging people based on such a simple factor was foolish.”

“Insanity.”

“If you think that is insane, you should hear what our next queen said about him.”

“Wait, you mean he announced his heir?”

“Yeah, it is going to be…”