Three weeks later.

Harkon sat in a chair in his home, the town leader had directed people to take their problems to the new Baron, and every second he became an inch closer to strangling the village leader. he sat, listening to two men arguing. "You cut off my rabbits paws!" The first man said, a farmer who raised livestock

"They're used to make charms!" The town shaman said.

"Charms?! Fucking charms?! I'd have given the rabbits if you paid but you just came into my fucking barn in the dead of night with a hacksaw!"

Harkon just sat there quietly for nearly two hours hearing the same arguments repeat in circles for hours, 'they're my rabbits, I used them to make good luck charms, that's illegal and stupid, you're illegal and stupid, repeat' he finally shouted. "QUIET!" Then after a few seconds of breathing he said. "Shaman man, give Farmer person fifty gold for rabbits."

The shaman looked outraged. "Fifty gold?! I could buy a thousand rabbits for that!"

Harkon stood up, grabbing his axe. "You can pay with gold, or I can cut off limbs like you did to rabbits."

The shaman paled at the massive eight foot tall bearded man who stood before him, hefting an axe bigger than he was. "G- gold will do just fine... I apologize." He said, hesitantly.

The farmer whispered to Harkon. "The crazy old man is an influential figure in the village, I thank you for your decision but you should be careful, he's used to getting his way and might start something."

Harkon grunted and sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. "I need break, Pado, come, we hunt." He said,

Harkon stood up and walked through the front door and grabbed his axe basically pushing the two men through the door with his massive form.

He tied Pado to the sleigh, he got up onto the coach and whistled, Pado pulled the sled through the forest and after fifteen minutes Harkon heard an echoing roar from the mountain. He whistled for Pado to slow down and grabbed a large bow that was more like a small pine tree tied with a rope. He grabbed a quiver of the large spear sized arrows with wooden fletching, He moved forward and unlashed Pado, the large polar bear shook itself the snow on it's white fur being flung all over the place. Harkon patted it on the head and gestured for it to follow. He knocked a large arrow when he saw a group of deer tracks, though one of the tracks seemed way larger than the others, deer tracks at least the size of Pado's paw prints. Considering the lightly falling snow he supposed that the tracks were fresh, very fresh. He followed them and eventually came to a small clearing, a very tall white deer with what large icy crystal antlers, it was tall enough that it's antlers come up to tower to the tips of the trees, it's glowing blue eyes turned and looked at him. then flicked to the polar bear next to him, who was practically invisible in the snow, he just looked like a pile of snow but apparently they saw him just fine.

heard a second bellowing roar from the mountain this time a little closer and the deer's eyes flicked up to the mountain, and many of the deer backed up a few steps away from the mountain, but didn't dare run away from the protection of the massive winter deer, Pado poked his head out from the snow and looked up at the mountain. He waited for the roar again for nearly five minutes, Instead a Large boulder sailed through the air and smashed through a tree right next to him, he held his arm up in front of his eyes and was pelted with wooden splinters, he put his arm down after a few seconds and looked at the boulder, he saw a word in the giant language scratched into the stone. 'LEAVE' Nothing else happened, no bellowing roars or destructive boulders being thrown from the mountain.

Harkon rubbed his beard. "Will have to ask Bernard about this."

Harkon walked over to the boulder, and used his considerable strength to used one of the spear arrows to chisel a reply in the giant language. 'BE, FRIENDS?' He used gigantification and picked up the boulder and arched his hands back and threw the boulder back to the mountain.

He waited for a little bit until a new boulder came roaring back and plowed into the ground. 'IS GIANT SAGE?'

Harkon carved in the words 'YES.' He threw it back and his gigantification ran out.

Harkon looked back at the big deer who was staring at him still, it shook it's head and it's icy antlers shook causing a fresh burst of snow to fall from the sky and it lead the herd away.

Harkon saw the shadow of the boulder soar through the air and land right in front of him, the word 'FRIENDS' on it's surface.

Harkon tapped the stone twice with his axe, a customary tradition in ending a conversation that's been carried out this way. He walked back to the Sleigh, Pado following. Harkon looked back at the ruined arrowhead and tossed it into the snow.

After a while he came to the sleigh and lashed the large polar bear and to the front of the sled and they started toward the river. He watched the trees move past with relative speed, he sat back in the coach seat and one of his arms were draped over the back of the seat, Harkon watched the fish traps in the water ahead and gave a sharp whistle. the bear slowed to a stop next to the fish traps. Harkon stepped down from the large sled and grabbed the fish traps and casually grabbed the salmon that were in each one, he smacked each one on the side of the sled the crunch of their bones being turned to dust and he fed one to the bear and put the rest in the back of the cart. He got up into the sled once again and Pado started going toward the village when Harkon whistled.

The bear rushed through the snow once more, the massive sled seemingly not slowing it down in the slightest, Harkon stood and saw the village approaching in the distance. he a few people patrolling on top of the walls, it was Harkon's first order that a village Militia be formed, even if that basically meant a bunch of teenagers with pots and pans for armor, and wielding board shields and sickles for weapons, he'd have to order some actual weapons and armor from the empire sooner than later.

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Harkon stopped in front of the newly made gates, one of the guards looked over the stone railing, a young boy about fourteen years old, was looking at him. "What's your business here?"

Harkon blinked, did he not know who the new Baron was? "I am the Baron."

"Ha, and I'm the emperor." The kid said, leaning back against the railing. "I'll let you through, for six copper."

Harkon looked at him blankly, he got out of his coach seat and stomped down onto the snowy road. He walked over to the gate and the boy looked panicked. "H- hey what are you doing?!" Harkon pushed the gates open, the wooden bolt that was used to lock the door shut snapped in half. the boy ran down some stairs leading up to the battlements, he saw the boy rushing at him with his sickle raised and swung it and the curved rusted blunt blade bounced off of his arm. Pado walked up behind the boy the sled scratching on the stones, The boy slowly turned and saw the bear growling at him, the bear opened it's large maw and roared and the boy promptly ran away, a trail of yellow snow following his escape. Harkon ignored the delinquent and walked over to the village leader's house.

As he approached and when he was right in front of the house, he unlashed Pado from the sleigh, then he walked up to the building, he raised his fist and tapped it on the door, though the tapping was more like slamming and snow fell from the roof of the house, a clump landed on Pado's head, he chuffed and shook his head. He saw Bernard open the door and give a polite smile but his eyes all but screamed. 'What are you doing at my house?'

Harkon gestured to the door way. "May I come in?" He asked in his deep baritone voice.

The village leader looked around then held up a finger. "One moment please." He shut the door and the sound of a drawer opening and closing could be heard and then the sound of water running from the water rune sink, he was surprised the timid man had one.

Harkon watched the door open again and Bernard allowed him in, it was a quant home with a small fire and cozy cushioned couch in front of the hearth, Olivia was sitting on the couch, The village leader tried to close the door but Pado was already half way through and squeezed even though Bernard tried to stop him he entered the small house anyways. "Alright then, full house."

Harkon sat back in a chair with a bit of sheep pelt covering the cushioned chair. the chair creaked under his weight and Bernard glanced at him nervously, Harkon finally spoke. "I have very important discussions to have."

"Uh, Alright, what is it you want to discuss?" Bernard asked, sitting on the couch.

Harkon gestured in the general direction of the gate. "Gate Guard, he tried to collect Toll, did you order this?"

Bernard shook his head. "No, the gate's supposed to be closed and the guards are meant to ask the business of any strangers who comes to town. I can assure you, if you had trouble with the gate guard they will be reprimanded."

Harkon nodded. "Yes, I had altercation with gate guard, he demanded toll, I told him I was Baron, he did not believe me, I entered village anyways, He didn't like that."

The village leader paled. "He attacked you?"

Harkon nodded. "He did, but Pado scared him off."

Olivia laughed. "He sounds silly, why would Pado be scary?"

Harkon barked a laugh. "Ha! Pado can be very scary if he wants to be." Pado showed his large pointy teeth and Olivia hid behind Bernard shoulder, Bernard looked like he wanted to hide behind his daughter, but then Pado's tongue slopped to the side of him mouth and he rolled over onto his back and Olivia laughed at the goofy display.

Harkon stroked his long brown beard. "I also saw things in the forest."

The village leader blinked. "Like what?"

Olivia looked at him with curiosity as well. "yeah, what did you see Uncle Hark?"

Harkon nodded. "I saw deer, big deer, with big icy antlers, it was surrounded by other deers."

Olivia smiled. "The guardian? you saw the guardian?" she seemed squealed in excitement to be bouncing in her seat.

Harkon shrugged. "I saw big deer."

Bernard sighed. "Her mother used to tell her stories of the guardian spirit of the forest." he took a drink of tea far longer than he needed to hide his expression.

Harkon nodded. "I also heard bellows in the mountain, it threw rock at me."

Bernard spit out his drink in surprise. "You saw the Babamako?"

Harkon shrugged. "I saw nothing, but they wrote words in giant tongue on the stone."

Bernard nodded as if this made sense. "We've had many linguists come to see what the rocks said, but none of them spoke giant. what did it say?"

Harkon took a glance at Olivia then to Bernard. "Leave."

Bernard nodded as if that made sense. "Going near the eastern side of the mountain always ends in a stone being thrown at them, one's a warning shot always having some kind of writing engraved on it, the second doesn't miss. nobody's seen the Babamako, but it's existence is undeniable."

Harkon looked at Bernard and nodded. "Is likely stone giant, they see rock throwing as form of art, I am good friends with many giants, my axe is gift from Baalthamor the king of frost giants."

Bernard looked at the large axe which was resting on Harkon's axe with awe and fear. "That's quite a feat, Can you tell us about how that happened?"

Harkon grinned. "Is good story."