I made it back to town after about an hour. There were quicker paths back, but I made sure to take a winding, roundabout route to make sure the drake couldn't follow. No sense in giving it that opportunity. At least, not until I was ready to confront it again.

Flynn and his guards had already set up camp in the town ruins. I passed through a hasty checkpoint made of piled-up stone and wood, noting the handful of tents and the campfires scattered about as I walked towards the light mana signature blazing like a sun in the distance.

The noble stood near the center of town, not far from where I had left him. A massive white and gold tent sat there, easily ten feet tall and wide enough to comfortably house half a dozen people. It gave off a near-identical sensation as Flynn's mana, and a part of me wondered about the magic involved in such a construction.

Flynn must have sensed me coming, as he turned in my direction with a smile before walking closer.

"Welcome back!" Flynn shouted, stopping a few steps away and placing his hands on his hips. "I don't suppose you've got a drake's corpse tucked away somewhere, do you? Behind your back, maybe?"

"No," I replied flatly.

Flynn's smile widened. "So, did you have to leave the body behind or...?"

"I had to retreat," I ground out, even as I dug the butt of my spear into the dirt.

"Hmm...oh well!" Flynn stepped closer, slinging one arm around my shoulders and shaking me. "Welcome to the family. You lost. No shame in that, but since you failed, you won't have quite as many privileges as you might've enjoyed otherwise. For starters, you won't be able to—"

"I didn't," I interrupted, shrugging off his arm and stepping away. "Fail, I mean. Not yet."

Flynn made a show of glancing around. "I'm not seeing a dead drake. That's a failure in my book."

"I didn't fail," I repeated. "I simply retreated."

"That sounds like failing."

"I prefer pragmatism."

Flynn laughed. "Pragmatism. I like that. So diplomatic. Alright, I'll play along. But I think we should hammer out certain specifics of our wager."

I frowned. "It seems a bit unreasonable to change the terms of a wager after agreeing to it."

"You call it unreasonable. I prefer pragmatic," Flynn retorted, his lips curling into a grin.

I yielded the point with a shrug, and Flynn's smile widened.

"Don't worry, I only have a single change in mind. Specifically, a time limit. One month. If you haven't killed that drake in the next month, you lose. We'll leave this town, and you can either come with us and accept a lesser position in my house or go off on your own."

A month wasn't much time. I could get quite a bit done with the proper motivation, a good plan, and some resources, but the truth was I had only one of those. My magical development had effectively stalled, and I had only vague, half-tested ideas on how to improve my spells.

Still...

"Deal," I replied, nodding once.

"Perfect!" Flynn leaned closer. "Now, I gotta ask. What's the plan? I mean, you've got one, right?"

I didn't, but I'd never admit as much, so I tilted my chin back and tried to radiate confidence as I replied, "Of course I do, but you seem the type to appreciate a surprise. Wait, and you'll see soon enough."

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Before Flynn could respond, I turned and walked away. First, I had to find Fortunatus. Then, I would go somewhere private and get started on solving this impossible task I had set before me.

---

Killing the drake was simple enough, but simple and easy weren't synonymous. I knew how to do it, but accomplishing the task was another matter entirely.

I drummed my fingers on my thigh, leaning against a tree as I looked down at my notebook. Sunlight streamed down through the leaves overhead, illuminating the page upon which I had written down a few simple words. They were my axioms, the changes I would need to affect to kill the monster.

The first was getting stronger. My mana simply wasn't potent enough to kill the damned thing. I couldn't punch through its scales, and I couldn't count on my armor blocking anything more than one or two strikes. The fix was straightforward, but was also, much like killing the drake, a daunting prospect.

I was months away from advancing again, and rushing that step was dangerous. My control would suffer as a hasty advancement introduced instabilities. Worse, a failure might cause severe, even permanent injuries. Unfortunately, I might not have much of a choice if I wanted to succeed.

Rather than dwell on that, I turned my focus to the second task: improving my offense. I could always wear down the drake with shallow cuts and slices, but a real wound was far preferable. Advancing would help, but I needed to explore other options. I had grown complacent enough, and it was high time to refine my magic further.

I had ideas for that, most of which traced back to my improved skills with forging. The Everforge had given me a few more leads, but all would require much more time than I reasonably had.

Third, and least important of all, I needed to improve my stamina somehow. I wasn't one to brag, but I doubted there were many mages with reserves as large as mine. Still, maintaining my armor and strengthening spells at once took a toll, and improving my efficiency was a never-ending toil.

This was the hardest problem to solve. I had exhausted many of the quick and easy fixes, and eeking out further improvements would be challenging. Not impossible, but a tall task regardless.

I glanced down at Fortunatus, who was curled up nearby. He lay in the sun, basking in its warmth as he often did, and I could feel his emotions through our bond. I sensed none of the stress and frustration that had become my constant friends. Cats didn't seem to care about much, which was almost enviable.

Our familiar bond had grown stronger and more stable, but I still couldn't sense much change in my magic. If there were any, that might be a viable option to explore, but it seemed best to consider it a non-factor. An unreliable weapon was often worse than not having one at all.

I could draw on the Aether within the cat's body, though. Anything I took would need to be restored, but that brief surge of stamina might be enough to kill the drake. Maybe. I would still need to hone my spells beforehand, but it was an option.

That might end up being the prevailing boon from our bond. Fortunatus might serve only as a secondary power source, which wasn't the worst outcome. Magical beasts had an easier time storing and processing mana than we did.

I wondered then what might happen if I funnelled as much Aether as possible into the cat. He should grow stronger, but how far would that go? Would Fortunatus eventually surpass me entirely, growing powerful enough to slaughter the drake on his own? The image was amusing, but it led me down an interesting train of thought.

If I did that, could I reverse the connection? Our familiar bond made his mana compatible with mine and vice versa, meaning I could, in theory, draw upon his Aether to strengthen my core. What might happen if the feline grew far stronger than I, and I absorbed some of that condensed power? It seemed plausible that—

An idea struck me like lightning. I felt my pulse quicken, my eyes widening as my thoughts raced. It had been an idle wondering, coming to mind almost by accident, but now it felt so obvious. How had I missed it?

I needed more power. That much was obvious. And I had considered tapping Fortunatus to get it, but that was an overcomplication. I had plenty of power if I knew where to look. All that I needed to do was tap the reserves that already existed within me.

My notes had been lost to the seas, but I had long ago committed most of the information to memory. Still, I began to write even as my mind wandered from lesson to lesson, recalling memories spanning over a year as I trained and traveled the country.

First, I considered the Aether pool to the north. It had been an interesting material, and had shown me that Aether could co-exist with the physical. Sure, this seemed to require months or even years as the mana slowly reached an equilibrium, and yes, it wore down portions of the matter along the way, but the possibility was more important than the practicality.

Next, I thought of my time as a healer. I had learned about the body, from how it worked to how it recovered when strained. My training as a true magical healer was limited, but it had given me some intriguing ideas which connected with my study of Fortunatus and magical beasts in general.

This was where my understanding had mostly ground to a halt. I could see that magical beasts processed mana in ways we couldn't. They seemed to absorb and utilize the energy far more efficiently, doing by instinct what we couldn't even with study. How? Why? The riddle had eluded me for months—no, years.

But the Everforge had given me a hint. It used vast quantities of mana and the runes of that place to drive focused intent into physical materials. This bound the magic to the material, creating something far more fundamental than just an enchantment. It was, in my estimation, the truest form of magical enhancement possible.

I had begun drawing a design on the paper, almost without realizing it. Now, as the idea in my head began to crystallize, I examined what I had sketched out. It was ambitious, dangerous in ways I wasn't fully sure I could articulate. Yet despite that, I knew I would have to try.

Days passed as I worked, never stopping for longer than the bare minimum it took to eat, sleep, and bathe. I barely spoke with Flynn or his servants and guards, instead keeping to myself. The design within my notebook began to take shape as I considered and discarded options one by one, calling on half-remembered lessons and half-read passages.

More challenging than even this was considering the possible, unexpected side effects. Rapid advancement was always dangerous, and I was seeking to do far more than just that. I would need to weigh every scenario, predicting any possible pitfalls and foreseeing any developments.

If I had the chance, I would take months to prepare, but I didn't have that much time. Those assassins were likely hunting me even now, and though they hadn't found me yet, that was poor protection at best. I had to move as though this was life or death because it was at its heart.

Finally, after seven sleepless days and nights, I was ready to take the next step.

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