The dreggen hit the ground and skidded to a halt about ten feet away. I would have preferred not to have to shoot its wing, but after tracking the damn thing for a month, I just wanted it dead. I put Xet’s heavy pistol back in the holster in the small of my back and pulled my cloak tight again before I walked over to start cutting the head off of my most recent prey.

It had been almost a full four months since the night Xet… no, her real name was Lindsey, that’s what you were told by the association… it had been four months since Lindsey passed. In those months, I’d managed to build up a reputation as a monster specialist in the Hunter’s Association. The dreggen, a giant lizard with cat-like features, was just another notch under my belt at this point. So what if it had killed four other hunters before I accepted the contract? They have the audacity to call themselves rank 9, but they got wasted by such a pathetic creature? It wasn’t even past its first century!

I knew, from some objective point, that my attitude was worse than when I had started living with Xet. The dark emotions were easy to pick up, the light ones were mostly gone, and I spent most days in an apathetic stupor. A part of me associated my emotionless state with the loss I was still feeling, but another part called it shock. Shock from how drastically my life changed in such a short time, I figured. First I run away from the only life I ever knew, and then the cozy little life I had made for myself was utterly smashed to bits… maybe there was some karmic backlash there.

I shook my head from those thoughts as I finished decapitating the dreggen. I only needed to hand in the head to collect the bounty, but I could sell the body parts to interested parties if I so chose. But to do that, I’d need a cart to get it back to the association building… Wonder if I can find a travelling merchant or a farmer somewhere nearby...

Being that I’d ambushed the dreggen just outside its cavern lair, I’d likely need to bring whoever I found back here, but that would cause a lot of commotion about the treasure inside the cave. That was not something I really wanted to deal with either, being that the treasure happened to be ancient objects that would be best placed in the care of a museum. So, instead of taking the easy way back, I stretched out my energies and began to manipulate the winds. Let’s see if we can’t lift this beasty, I thought as I shifted my control to create a disk of air beneath the dreggen.

It was, even by my standards, a herculean effort to move the body just a few feet. I pushed and shoved with my will to make it move, slowly inching forward the two ton monster corpse. At this rate, I’d be lucky to get near a dwelling by nightfall, but that would have to suffice. I continued my mammoth task at my best speed for several hours.

By the time dusk came about, I was moving at a much better pace. The first hour or so was hard to overcome, but once I got to about hour three, I was moving at my normal walking pace. I wasn’t certain if it was my skills growing, or if maybe it was just a case of location working in my favour, but whatever the cause, I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Even better, I could see a farm about a thousand feet ahead of me.

I hid the dreggen body off in a field before I made my way toward the farm. Never take chances, I had always been told. But, as I managed to get closer to the farm, I saw my worries were unnecessary. I was greeted by an old man sitting on his porch, a sight I’d always assumed was fictitious, and his wife.

“Hello!” The old man called out, his voice deep and somewhat hoarse.

“Greetings.” I said, stopping a ways off and bowing.

“What brings a spry feller like you out this way?” the old man called out as he motioned for me to move closer.

“You must have good eyes, I would have swore my cloak hid my body quite well.” I responded as I moved ever so carefully forward.

The old man shook his head. “It weren’t yer clothes what gave you away. It’s the direction you were comin’ from.”

I lowered my hood and smiled. The man must know the roads around him quite well.

“I’m a hunter. My name is Bex.”

The man nodded, rubbing his chin in thought. “So you took care o’ the beast in the cave?”

“I have the head to prove it, if that helps.” I said, shifting a bit so I could expose the bottom corner of my pack. Sometimes you have to play innocent to get results.

“What happened to the rest of the creature?” the old woman called out from beside the man.

I shifted my bag back onto my shoulder. “Well, see, therein lies the rub. I happen to be in need of a cart to get the body back into town, sell it to someone who can use the parts and all that.”

The old couple exchanged a look before the old man spoke up again. “And what makes ya think you can find such a cart here?”

I moved my shoulders again, readjusting the way my pack rested. “Well, I wasn’t certain I could. I took a guess, what with this being a farm, and hoped I could at the very least try to strike a deal with the owner.”

The woman’s eyes seemed to sharpen at this, and the man’s face betrayed his interest.

“If you’ve a cart at your disposal, I’d be happy to negotiate a sum for borrowing it. I know a guy who is willing to pay a decent sum for the remains of the beasty I just killed.” I said, trying to sound cheerful and optimistic.

“What’s your offer then, boy?” the old woman asked before the old man could speak.

I grinned, “I’d be happy to talk this over more after I see the cart you are willing to-“

“No, we want to know your price.” The woman cut me off.

Sighing, I pulled out a parchment to look over my finances. I noted that after turning in the head, I’d be looking at about fourteen thousand gold. I’d need a major chunk of that to get to my next destination, but I could barter with at least two thousand if I needed to.

“Would you be wanting a pay out in gold or in a share of the creature’s materials?” I asked after rolling up the parchment.

The old man stood up shakily. His wife steadied him and they stepped toward me. Something about the act made me feel uneasy, as though I was going to regret asking their preference.

“Our daughter passed away six winters back. Her husband sold their only child to a slaver, trying to pay off some debt that would only come back to bite him later. A month ago, we were able to hire a man to find the girl… it was no small fortune just to get that far. But he did tell us where she was, and we’ve been told the estimate for getting her free.” The old woman spoke.

I felt a chill run down my spine, slavers buying kids?

“So, ye can see, we’re in need of a decent chunk of change here sonny.” The old man said, his face a mask of anguish.

“Then let me rephrase my offer; do you want the coin to buy the girl at whatever inflated price those monsters are charging, or would you rather I buy her off of them and send her back this way?” I asked, my tone darkening sharply.

“We don’t need her to be sent back, we’ll not likely live long enough to see her after she’s freed. We just want her to be well off. The slavers know that, and they’re wanting three thousand gold just to get her out of the horrible place she is in.” The woman said, her face looking suddenly tired.

I stepped onto the porch with the old couple and pulled out a parchment and a special pen I had gotten made for signing contracts.

“May we sit at a table? I’d like to offer a contract in exchange for the usage of the cart.” I told them.

In moments we were gathered about a quaint little dining table in a small and dimly lit room.

“This pen was forged in a nasty little place for those who take their word as their bond. A contract signed with this pen is absolute, as is denoted by the cost it takes to sign one’s name with it. I shall write up the basic outline, and I will let you make whatever changes you see fit… but after that, we will both sign. I should mention, it will hurt, every second it takes to scribble your name on the line.” I said, lifting my pen.

“Nothing can hurt as much as knowing what them animals are doing to that little girl.” The old man said, glaring at me with a resolve so strong I could almost taste it.

I spent a few moments writing the full extent of the deal, adjusting as the old couple demanded, and eventually we had a finished draft. Their best cart, a shelter for the evening, and two meals, in exchange for the freedom of their granddaughter and enough coin that she could start a new life. Honestly, it was almost painful how much I’d be losing out on this deal, but I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

I proffered the pen to the old couple, “I only need one of you to sign for this to take effect.”

“We both sign, it’s only right.” The old woman muttered, grasping the writing implement from my hand.

As she began to sign the document, her face broke into a grimace of intense pain. I almost expected her to scream; she wouldn’t have been the first to do so when using this particular tool of mine.

She finished up and pulled away from the paper. “I didn’t think you were telling the truth. That is a terrifying little thing.”

I smiled, “Look at your under arm. You’ll see just how bad this little guy is.”

She lifted her arm and almost let out a screech. Under her arm was the full script of the contract, including her signature.

“Only those who sign the contract may see the marks it leaves. Upon completion, the marks will vanish. As an extra little gift, those using this pen cannot die of natural causes until the contract is completed. It makes collecting on debts very helpful. I can’t even begin to count how many people tried to cheat me because they were dying of a sickness and wanted me to go do something without paying ahead.” I spoke softly, a small grin creeping across my face. I had become so gruesome in my time alone, but also very effective.

The old man snatched the pen from his wife and wrote out his name slowly and carefully, his jaw clenched the whole time to prevent him from howling in pain. He then pointed the end of the pen at me. “Your turn.”

“But of course.” I said, taking the pen and placing the tip to the paper.

As I began to write, I could feel the contract carving itself into my skin. Each stroke of the tip across the paper sending another wave of pain through my body, just as I knew would happen. Then, all at once, the pan vanished. The deal was signed and we were bound to one another.

“The contract is complete.”