Celenor lake was tranquil and still like a painting made by an inexperienced artist. A boat was gliding across, silent like an owl. Yovan was leaning at the back of the boat, gripping his coat against the cool breeze. It turned out that there were no fire giants in the cold north so he had to make a quick detour. Luckily for him, the ruins of the Demon king's capital was across the lake from Noremion, so he was only one boat ride away from innumerable fire monsters. Fire giants were slow, strong, dumb, and very resistant to physical attacks. They had three fire exoaperions, four fire endoaperions, and one earth. His fire enchanted sword will be useless in the fight. The giant will be the toughest opponent for him yet, and a source of food for a week, if he finds a way to kill it.

The silence was making him nervous. He needed a distraction to calm himself but outside of the boat, there was only a vast expanse of blue. The ferryman in front of him was quiet, like every ferryman in every myth he heard as a child. He slowly lowered his paddle in front of the boat, and with monotone stroke, pulled backward, maintaining a constant speed of the boat. Then he would pull the paddle out and freeze like a statue, letting the boat travel at its leisure. The scene made Yovan laugh and annoyed him at the same time.

"This is a huge lake. Do you have a lot of travelers to the former capital?"

The ferryman turned and looked at Yovan with furrowed brows and cold eyes. Then he returned to his previous task.

"No," the ferryman's voice passed the passenger, just enough that he could hear it, and slowly drowned once it left the boat.

That went nowhere fast. Yovan put his hands over his face and blew to warm himself. The wind was weak but the chill burned his face like a frost branding iron. If they at least moved faster, but their slow pace was almost as annoying as the wind.

"Could you row faster? I think I will freeze to death."

The ferryman just shook his head and continued at the same pace.

"Why are all ferrymen quiet? It would be nice to have someone to talk to during the journey. Why couldn't I get a chatty ferryman?"

"Natural selection."

"Natural selection?"

"Yes."

Pulling the paddle out of the water, the ferryman turned with all his seriousness to the hunter.

"All the chatty ferrymen got eaten by monsters in the lake that were awakened by the noise."

Yovan scratched the side of his cheek. The rough skin flaked under his fingertips.

"I see… Well, that explains it."

There were no words shared until the boat was moored on the shore. Pain cracked Yovan's bones with every move. He was motionless during the journey and the cold made a cast out of his skin. Luckily, it was much warmer on the other side of the lake. He paid the ferryman, who quickly disappeared in the lake, not wanting to remain close to the monster-ridden city. Yovan will have to make a trek back on foot.

The ruins were lying on a cliff overlooking the lake and just under half of the towers remained standing. The remains of the rest were still visible among the rocks on the beach. Thundering roars and occasional flames came out of the castle, a warning for intentional or accidental passerby. The hunter shook off any remaining residue of cold and continued towards his destination.

There was no one Yovan could count on for this fight, and not many items he had could help fight a fire giant. Fire giants were very susceptible to air magic but he doubted if his power came close enough to hurt them even with the advantageous type of magic.

When he found himself close to the ruins, he quickly cast invisibility and muffle on himself. He would still be visible to some powerful monsters but it was better to be cautious. He approached the outer wall and sneaked with his back against the wall. On one corner he reached a guard tower that was half destroyed on the outside. He climbed stone by stone and entered the collapsed structure. The wooden floor was completely burned, only a few supporting logs remained, so he couldn't walk inside the tower and the window was on the opposite side. Yovan wiped off his hands, clearing as much moist as he could from them and then inserted his fingers in between the wall stones. Once he was satisfied with his hold, he moved his feet trying to find a strong enough support for himself. Slowly he progressed towards the window, occasionally finding rest on a couple of remaining support beams

As his hand grabbed the edge of the tower window, he let out a sigh of relief. The scene that transpired inside was exactly how Yovan imagined the former Demon King's capital to look like. There were numerous monsters roaming the site. Giant rats hid in the crevices, a bunch of imps jumped around, some would hunt the rats for fun while other imps harassed other occupants they seemed weaker. A couple of gargoyles were rebuilding the stone fortifications but without any knowledge of binding material, their constructions quickly failed. Still, they persisted undaunted.

It seems no intelligent monster remained. Unsurprisingly as the Warlock wouldn't leave powerful demons behind if he could bind them to his will. It also meant that there wouldn't be an organized attack on Yovan. Everyone was startled by the sound of rocks being smashed. The hunter, hiding in the tower, thought for a second he was discovered but scared faces of monsters, looking in the other direction, relieved his fright.

Yovan moved to the other side of the window to get a different angle and by the edge of the wall, he saw his target. A fire giant was kneeling in front of a heap of stone, mercilessly smashing rocks into smaller pieces. The fire burned all over his body and molten skin moved in chaotic directions, solidifying when it got in contact with air, only to disappear in the giant's insides to be liquified again. The giant took the smashed rocks in his hands and slowly they disappeared through his skin. When he absorbed all the shards, he returned to smashing rocks.

For several hours the giant continued to shatter stones to little pieces and consume them. Yovan took a couple of opportunities to rest and stretch on support beams while the sound of rock smashing still reverberated all around. At one point, a commotion of the monsters changed the atmosphere coming from the inner ruins. Yovan returned to his position by the window. The giant was up and walking down the yard, causing all other monsters to pull back in terror. The hunter rose his brow. This was an interesting development. There was no love among the monsters.

One of the imps was still annoying a gargoyle, oblivious to the nearing giant. He ran around the stony creature, casting small fireballs and throwing pebbles at the gargoyle. The target tried to ignore the dancing devil at first, then to shield himself, and eventually started to growl at his assailant. The imp took this opportunity and threw a pebble right at the gargoyle's face. The pebble entered the gargoyle's mouth, prompting him into a fit of choke and cough. Once the gargoyle came to his senses, he grabbed a nearby rock and threw it at the imp.

Both annoyance and laughter disappeared from their faces the moment that the rock hit the fire giant in the leg. The imp dashed to the nearby hole, whimpering silently. The gargoyle's stony legs weren't as nimble as the imp's. Desperation on his face wasn't enough to run faster than a living stone possibly could, so he ran at the pace of a human's fast walk. A giant fireball enveloped him. His skin melted under the fire giant's spell and his visage became emotionless and crumbling. He fell facedown, obvious to everyone, not to raise again.

The fire giant passed the stone carcass and threw another medium-sized fireball just for good measure. The previously filled yard of the inner city was now empty. Everyone was watching the fire giant, waiting for his next move. The giant strolled towards the corner of the walls and sat behind a small, wooden fence. He picked up something resembling a lizard and placed it in his lap. Yovan focused on the little animal. It was a baby fire salamander. The fire giant placed his palm in front of the baby salamander, and in his palm, molten rocks started materializing. The baby salamander squeaked a couple of times and jumped at the melting stone in the giant's hand. Judging that the danger was now over, most of the monsters returned to the yard and continued what they were previously doing. They still maintained a noticeable distance between them and the giant. Once the fire salamander finished with its meal, the fire giant patted it on the head and returned it inside the fence. Everything seemed to return to normal in the ruins, only the fire giant sat patiently, watching the fire salamander.

Satisfied with his observations, Yovan exited the tower, through the hole he entered, and dropped to the ground. He stretched, removing the numbness he felt after hours of holding still. The curiosity of what he saw brought a smile to his lips. A pet. The fire giant had a pet. Some things he saw, he could've never learned from a book.

The sun was setting and shadows became bigger. He needed to find a place to sleep. Many monsters had superior night vision, so the morning was his best bet anyway. It didn't seem that monsters roamed outside of the ruins, but he found a perfect hollow inside a tree trunk. Yovan found himself oddly optimistic for tomorrow's battle. The comforting feeling lulled him to sleep.

A woodpecker awoke the sleeping hunter. He exited his vertical bed and mentally thanked the bird. The earlier he attacked the better his chances were. He came to his old spot in the tower. And it was a perfect time indeed. The fire giant just finished playing with his pet and was moving towards his workplace. His shift was starting. The sound of rocks smashing at each other commenced.

Yovan made himself invisible and suppressed the noise from his body. He observed the pattern with which the giant smashed nearby. Finding the perfect rhythm, the arcane hunter jumped from the window and landed at the precise moment the giant broke the next rock. Yovan allowed himself a split second to grin and immediately rushed towards the salamander. The small beast growled and was threatening to attack him at any movement. Yovan quickly grabbed it and cast muffle on the giant's pet. The air spell wasn't offensive but it was enough to disorient the baby fire monster.

Yovan picked up the baby and turned around only to be welcomed by the enraged eyes of almost every monster there. They snarled and barked at him and were analyzing every twitch of his body, ready to pounce. Seems his spells needed an upgrade, his invisibility just wasn't good enough. Since he wasn't really counting on his stealthiness to get him far anyway, he took out small rocks from his pocket he gathered before and threw them as hard as he could in quick succession. Monsters readied themselves for the attack but the rocks flew high above them. Most of them missed their mark, but two hit the fire giant in the back.

It certainly couldn't have hurt him in any way, but the giant got up and roared in annoyance. His voice shaking every building around him. He turned towards the monsters and eyed everyone, looking for the prankster who would have dared to annoy him. The monsters quickly realized they were in between the raging giant and the human who provoked him. All of them darted for the first safe place they could find. No one cared any longer for the human who infiltrated their home. Soon enough, only two figures remained.

Everything was going as Yovan expected. He bit his lip and composed himself. Now for the most dangerous part of the plan. He lifted the baby salamander high above, almost mocking the fire giant.

"Hey, hey, hey! I've got something of yours!"

A huge fireball flew right into his face. Yovan threw himself to the side, barely escaping the blast. He managed to keep the salamander in his hands, but he almost lost the slippery monster. He looked up just in time to see another fireball barreling towards him. He jumped on a pile of rocks, dodging the fireball, but slamming his body hard into hard and uneven material. He spat, cursed, as the pain ravaged his body but jumped to his feet. There was no time. He dashed for the exit.

Another and another fireball flew past him. He was sweating all over, partly from the stress, partly from the heat. And the damn salamander wouldn't stop wiggling. Thoughts raced like a wild stampede through his brain, fast and disorganized. Where did he go wrong? If the giant hit him with a fireball the salamander would've died with him. Did he not care about it? Or maybe he didn't understand the concept of a hostage. Yovan hit his forehead with his palm. No. He was not going to die for overestimating his opponent's intelligence. That was just stupid.

Yovan ran out of the ruins through the wall gate. He got a little breather, but it was just a mental pause. He had to keep the distance. So he ran. And not a second too late, a huge explosion blasted a new hole in the wall. Dust and rocks flew everywhere, and through it, the fire giant screamed, wailed, and ran after the kidnapper.

Another after another, human-sized fireballs flew after the hunter. And like a crippled soldier at a ball, Yovan danced around them, hurting himself with every change of direction he had to take. He was almost at the finish line. The cliff above the lake. He rolled forward, keeping the still disoriented salamander in his arms. Then he turned. Jumped on his feet. Faced the rampaging giant and presented the salamander with all the zeal he could muster in his hands. With the remaining energy, he let out a screaming voice.

"Stoooop!"

The giant stopped. His eyes were full of hate. His right hand was in the air, and on top of it stood a colossal fireball. But it stood still. Enough for Yovan to breathe. The giant finally understood he would kill his pet as well if he hit them with a spell. He stomped on the ground several times and then moved to his left, trying to get a better angle. There was no chance the giant could only hit Yovan with that fireball, but Yovan needed to make sure the giant knew that as well. Yovan moved the salamander to his right, mirroring the giant's movement. The giant tried the other side but his pet once again appeared between him and his target.

Frustrated with constant denial, the giant dematerialized the fireball and let out a tremendous roar. He charged the trapped hunter. His arms stretched out, his scream announcing Yovan's fate. And Yovan didn't move. He watched the giant's every step, biding his time. With just two steps between them, the hunter took his chance. He rolled to the side of the lumbering giant's legs. Just enough to miss him, too far away to hit him. The giant stopped just one step in front of the cliff, somehow holding his balance. And it was exactly one step enough for Yovan.

It was his time to roar. He opened his mouth, but from the blood rage, he couldn't even hear himself. He forced his entire being into this one push. Every ounce of the strength of his spirit materialized into a force. He felt the energy outside of his body. It overloaded his senses and reinvigorated him, like a new circulatory system that just started working. It was his exoaperion. The air energy flooded his entire body. He could see his immediate surroundings in his mind with his eyes closed. The stream of energy clashed in every part of his body, culminating in his hands.

And from his hands, a ripple of energy burst into a wave of magic. Air shock. The spell slammed into the giant's back. The fire that burned all over the giant's body was temporarily extinguished. It quickly rekindled everywhere except for his back but was enough for the giant to convulse in pain. Yovan couldn't trust his senses, but the giant was wailing like a bitch. He lost his footing, his body too cumbersome and too much in pain to control. He fell over the cliff. A screaming splash detonated in Yovan's ears. In the cold lake bellow, the giant was trying to grab anything but only water welcomed his hands. He shrieked and jumped up and down, somehow pulling forward. The one part earth was still keeping the fire giant alive.

Having no use of it, Yovan finally released the baby salamander. It stumbled and fell on its side. The effects would probably last for another hour. Yovan stretched his right arm to the side. A new surge of power coursed through his body. His exoaperion was filled with air magic. It felt like he could breathe and for the first time smell the sweet fruits of life. Yet he wasn't done. Bellow, the giant still tried to escape his watery execution. Be it overconfidence or madness, Yovan jumped over the cliff head first.

He looked down at the desperate giant, holding out for the last straw of hope. Yovan pulled energy from his body and his newly opened exoaperion. Like wet clay, he molded the energy in his hands and released another air shock spell on the fire giant. The spell landed, silencing his opponent and creating a turmoil of water and air. The fire was no longer.

Yovan dived into the lake. He moved through the water like a seal and casually reached the surface. He was exhausted, but the thrill made the exhaustion pale in comparison. He secured magical food for at least a week. He developed an exoaperion and could cast spells at range. And he secured on of the best air teachers in the world. He just needed to pick up the giant's body from the bottom of the lake and return with proof to Lutar in Noremion.

Yovan continuously banged on the door. The need to show his trophy to Lutar was overwhelming him, like the sound of banging overwhelmed the whole neighborhood. At long last, the door opened.

"What is wrong with you? Why don't you knock like a normal person?" Lutar looked at Yovan with a cranky stare.

"I'm back."

"What do you mean you're back? Who the hell are you?"

Yovan was taken aback by the question. He coughed two times before continuing.

"I'm Yovan. We talked three days ago. I want to become your student."

"Ah, I remember now. But I already said I don't take on new students."

"Yes, and then you gave me a task to prove myself."

"What? I remember no su-".

"Here." With great enthusiasm, Yovan pulled out a severed fire giant's head from his bag. Lutar recoiled in shock at the bizarre sight.

"Are you insane? Put that back! Why did you do that?"

Yovan studied Lutar with a questioning look.

"You told me to go hunt a fire giant. And if I succeed you will take me on as a student."

Lutar closed his eyes and grabbed the bridge of his nose.

"Yovan… You are not from around here."

"No. Why?"

"Because 'go kill a fire giant' is an expression. That's our way of saying go fuck yourself, I'm not listening."

Yovan's heart collapsed. He did everything right…

"But I managed to kill it! It has to count for something. Could you please reconsider?"

"I don't see someone who failed to learn simple idioms in his new country as really worthy of becoming my student. And even if I felt generous, I have another project in the works and no time for a student. I'll try to make this very clear again. I am not taking any students. Not now nor in the future. Please go away and take your head with you."

For the second time, Lutar's door slammed in Yovan's face. He laughed for a second and then changed his laughter into a shout.

"I hate this fucking country! This is insane! Everyone is insane here."

It was enough stress for one job, he was definitely leaving tomorrow. With a tiny amount of luck, he could lay low there and become invisible. Still, the hunt was great and he achieved a significant breakthrough. Yovan couldn't wait to test his newfound spells and new exoaperion.