Introduction

On the outskirts of a small town named Greenby, in the country of Murrinsbad, on the continent of Ghaen, on the planet of Erulxe, a young man named Harlow Otsoa stared into a mirror in the predawn light and ran an old brush through his fur.

Harlow lived with his father, Brodil, in a small house located on their family's farmland a few miles west of town. Harlow was going through his usual morning routine. After taking care of his morning bathroom business, he brushed his fur and slipped on his tunic before heading to work. His job was located in Greenby at the town's clinic.

He could hear his father snoring this morning. That was an uncommon sound nowadays. When Harlow was younger, it had been the norm. But now, with the weight of his mother's death weighing heavier and heavier on his father's heart, Brodil was home less often and more often away doing nothing good.

Years ago, Harlow's mother, Dinaya, had passed away while giving birth to what would have been Harlow's younger sister. The baby passed away only two days after her mother; before she was even given a name.

This happened before Harlow could remember much. He felt the loss of his mother and sibling, but held only vague images of his mother and had no memories of his sister. He was grateful for the absence of them in his memories, but saddened in a way he didn’t think anyone else could understand.

Now, Harlow and his father were the only occupants of their small house, and life there was extremely difficult. Brodil had become more and more lost to his addiction, and Harlow had to mature quickly to be able to take care of himself.

The farm, which had once prospered due to Brodil's hard work, now sat in a state of disrepair. Brodil's attempts to dull the pain of the loss of his wife and child led him to drinking, drug use, and other forms of self-harming behavior.

As a result of his father's abandonment, the crops failed, the animals died or were sold to pay for his addictions, and the general state of the buildings was severely dilapidated. The house was no exception.

However, there was one exception: Harlow took good care of his room. He kept it clean and orderly. He didn't have a lot of things of value, but he had collected a few books where he could and even made small repairs where necessary.

Harlow's room was his sanctuary. It was the only place where he could escape the chaos and neglect of the rest of the house. It was also the only place where he felt truly safe in this house.

School hadn't been an option for Harlow, so the majority of his knowledge he had come across was from the books he'd found or read in the library. That and the education he’d received by working for the people in town.

Early in Harlow’s childhood, his father had taken to being missing or passed out when morning arrived, so Harlow had taken to walking the few miles to town each day in hopes he could earn some money to buy a meal.

Most days, he was successful in his hunt for work, and he could fill his grumbling stomach on a piece of crusty bread and cheese. Occasionally, he would be lucky enough to have some meat with his meal.

He came to know the kind cooks and servers at the lower-end taverns in town. They frequently went out of their way to make sure he always got more than he could afford. He was very grateful for their generosity.

The staff had also been kind enough to introduce him to many people from around the town who took their lunch at the taverns. He would offer to help them with whatever work they needed done, and sometimes he would be able to make an extra coin in the afternoon.

Other people repaid Harlow's work by feeding him or teaching him a little of their craft. These were the people Harlow preferred to work with, for his hunger for knowledge was insatiable.

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As he grew older and more capable of handling larger tasks, the people of the town began using him more and trading his employment in turn. He began learning skills and crafts from several different people, hoping to find one in which he had a greater talent than the others.

Harlow found that he was decent at working with clay. The pots and bowls he fired were not up to the standard of the potter, but they were still usable. His construction skills were not quite as good. He could measure and fit wood well, but he didn't have the strength to repeatedly swing a hammer or continually carry the wood around.

Harlow also had the opportunity to try his hand at baking, but try as he might, his baked goods always tasted sour or burnt. Mrs. Boffoli, the baker, tried her best to make his bread seem edible, but in the end she let him go with her apologies.

It was while he was doing some menial tasks at the lumber mill that the owners, Niko and Neko Poldare, told him his talents lay not in the physical area, but in developing his mind.

Niko and Neko were identical twins, and Harlow had a difficult time telling the two apart, as did most people. They ran the lumber mill. They seemed jovial and young to the average passerby, but were actually some of the most learned people in town.

The Poldare twins became integral in finding him jobs where he could use his brain more than his brawn. They first introduced him to the town treasurer, where he learned his numbers and showed a great talent. However, due to the man's lack of personal hygiene and constant smoking, Harlow wasn't comfortable staying in the man's employ and left to pursue another opportunity as soon as one offered itself up.

During the next few years, Harlow moved from job to job, learning things about many trades in this way. The Poldare twins assisted him multiple times with introductions to people, and they inadvertently introduced him to their younger sister, Mika, who he may have held a secret crush on.

At fifteen years of age, Harlow tried his hand at runecrafting. His skill at drawing the runes was excellent, but he couldn't figure out the correct way to manipulate the energies to activate them. "I'm sorry, Harlow," Mr. Grennera told him after days of trying. "If you can't manipulate the physical energies to make the runes to power up, there's no point in keeping you here any longer." With those words, Harlow made his way home empty-handed and unemployed.

The following day, when he returned to town, he walked to the home of the Poldare twins in hopes they knew of someone else who might need an apprentice. He was afraid that he had tried and failed at every profession in town, or that he had no talent in the remaining available professions.

When Harlow arrived at the lumber mill, he found the compound empty. He made his way to the house and knocked on the door lightly. He didn't want to wake anyone if they were still asleep.

An unusually deep voice called out to him. "Please enter."

Harlow opened the door and made his way to the bedroom down the hall. There, he found Niko sitting at his brother's bedside, holding on to his twin's hand. Mika was also in the room, sleeping in a chair near the foot of Neko's bed.

Niko looked up at Harlow and gave him a thin smile. The owner of the voice stood over Neko, administering to the injured young man.

The man with the deep voice, the town physician, rubbed a salve of some sort into the skin on top of Neko's head. "Mr. Poldare was injured last night by a falling piece of lumber," he explained to Harlow.

He then turned his attention back to Niko and explained, "This salve will dull the pain, but it's up to him as to when he wakes up. Brain injuries can be tricky, but his eyes react to light and his breathing is stable. This usually means the swelling will recede and he'll make a full recovery."

Niko looked to Harlow, who stood in the doorway of the bedroom with a dumbfounded look on his face. Harlow had no experience with this kind of injury. He had injuries before, but nothing requiring a physician. He was also not a part of this family, just an acquaintance hoping they would help him again.

"I... I'm sorry, Niko," Harlow asked in a squeaky whisper. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Harlow, thank you, but with Neko down, the mill is closed for now. Once he wakes up, I'm sure we'll have some work for you," Niko told Harlow calmly.

Harlow nodded solemnly and turned to leave the house. The physician's deep voice stopped him before he could take a step.

"You're looking for work?" the physician asked. "Can you count, read, and carry this bag?"

Harlow turned to see a large black bag that the big man held easily in one hand. "I can count and read well," he said. "And I can try to carry the bag."

The physician chuckled. "Then I have a proposition for you," he said. "I need someone to fetch things for me. You'd have to carry this bag, learn where my different supplies are, and obey my orders when I need things. Would you be interested?"

Harlow needed the money. Other than carrying the large bag, the job sounded easy enough. He nodded and said, "Yes, thank you."

"Excellent," the physician said. "You can start now."

The next couple of years of Harlow's life began at that moment. Then, it had only meant a new job to him and the possibility of learning some new skills. He had no idea how important that moment would actually become to him.

So with his fur brushed, teeth cleaned, and tunic laced, Harlow left his house and his snoring father. He had long since stopped checking on him, or really even caring if he were around or not. His life had changed in the years since becoming the physician’s fetcher.

He had finally found a profession that he had a passion for. He enjoyed working with the old man, and had learned a lot since accepting the job. He had plans now. He saved his coins and would leave to go to university soon.

Harlow had thickened up and looked healthy now. Having a daily meal with Mr. Haramin as well as some coins for extra food had worked wonders for his physique. He was looking forward to finally being able to expand his horizons and leave Greenby behind.

With a skip in his step and a general feeling of enthusiasm, Harlow hurried down the dusty road toward the town of Greenby and his job as the physician's fetcher.