After the electrical storm of the day before, the skies over Gadobhra were clear and the air brisk.

A strong wind out of the north brought the smell of snow and the temperature began to drop.

The city cared little.

Winter or summer was all the same to the creatures of the dungeons and the Beast Woods.

Hungrytown had feared the coming winter, but the Baron's word had been good, and great supplies of boards, timbers, and cut stone had been supplied to the shanty town.

Rather than rebuild, new wood was hammered over the old to fix drafts and repair roofs, keeping the rustic look of the area.

It would have driven Woodrat to insanity to see good wood used that way, but it was how the denizens of Hungrytown had lived for generations and they saw no reason to change just because of some temporary prosperity.

The brownies repaired the holes they missed late in the night, leaving the shanties snug and warm, by their inhabitant's normal standards.

In the Hamlets, the last of the vegetables and fruits were harvested and the cellar doors opened to invite in the cold, dry air.

The Dryads prepared for the long winter but felt no chill.

Pomeline had beseeched the unicorn herds for their aid so that no Dryad would suffer her fate.

The unicorns shifted their play area to the trees happily.

They were quite fond of the sweet grass and windblown apples from the apple orchard.

The trees would not have to worry about the worst that winter could throw at them.As the day wore on, the temperature dropped further, and dozens of people sought shelter in the tavern in Sedgewick.

Suzette saw faces she hadn't seen before.

Many people were traveling from Rowan Keep to Sedgewick and on to Gadobhra to see the city, but more and more were coming inside to warm up and sip beer or warm cider.

Nothing like political drama and a flock of vultures to bring in new business.

No matter why they were here, people needed to eat.

The exception was the group in the far corner.

They were keeping to themselves and had only asked for white wine and a pitcher of water.

She might have thought about them further, but the group huddled near the fire called for warm, mulled wine, cheese, and soup.It was only when she brought more water and wine for the group sitting furthest from the fire that she noticed the frosted glasses in their hands and the chill coming from them, and realized something was very wrong.

Delbert could feel the cold wind blowing through the town.

That was going to make things uncomfortable in the barracks.

He released some of his stored heat and sent it along a fast breeze to the vents in the basement, maintaining a comfortable temperature for the other workers who still lived there.

The rebuilt tunnels under Sedgewick made it easy for him to maintain his storerooms and maintain an even temperature in the barracks.His powers and perception had grown considerably in the last few weeks.

He was an introvert by nature and had devoted his time almost exclusively to keeping the stored foodstuffs fresh.

His abilities had slowly grown, but not expanded until his friends pried him out of his lair and took him on adventures.

First had been a long week in the forests, working eight hours a day with Jon and Cham stripping bark and shaping beams with an adze.

Gaining his first point of strength had opened his eyes and stilled his grumbling.

If he could lift the heavy barrels by himself, he wouldn't need to ask for help in his storerooms and could keep things perfectly arranged to his liking with less heat lost and less dirt tracked in.

He fell into a routine, working by himself in the woods on the large stacks of logs the lumberjacks left for him.

Twice he'd been attacked by strange creatures made of bark and twigs.

Both times he'd panicked and hacked them to splinters after he froze them into immobility.

Cham had come running the first time, hearing his scream.

By the time he got there, Chuckey Barksley was an icy smear on the ground and Delbert had earned two enhancement points.

His fight with Smark, son of Bark was no less hectic, but at least he didn't scream that time.

His unthinking reaction to freezing his opponent bought him time as his enemies slowed to a crawl.

When he'd gained five points of STR and rank 5 in Adze, he'd been encouraged to move on to Butchering.That had been terrifying.

It was good he'd been accompanied by other workers, especially Ozzy.

Walking through that haunted city at night hearing the screams of ghouls and hunting calls from the Beast Woods was terrifying to someone who liked an enclosed, controlled environment.

Without people around him, he'd have run straight back to his storerooms and never come out again.

And butchering was messy.

He didn't like messes.

They had no place in his orderly world.

His initial reaction to the job of cutting up a horned rabbit had been to freeze the carcass solid.

Ozzy had just nodded slowly, then brought his cleaver down, taking off the head.

Looking at the perfect cut, he smiled his approval, "Nice thinking.

Frozen meat gives more precise cuts.

I bet you'll be able to make thinner slices than anyone else once you pick up some skills."That made him consider his limited abilities in a different light.

A week of butchering every night earned him another point of strength and new abilities that let him precisely slice into a carcass and section the meat perfectly for cooking.

While everyone else concentrated on speed and sending the meat into the dungeon, he took exactly the right amount of time to orderly reduce his animals to their component parts.

Ozzy noticed and mentioned how much Betty and Granya would appreciate perfectly sliced frozen meat delivered to their kitchen.

That had proved true and his reputation in the tavern, non-existent at that point, had increased considerably.

Granya began dropping off dinner to him a few times a week.

Thin sliced Terror-Ostrich in gravy with mixed vegetables was better than gnawing on a piece of salted, half-frozen sedgebeast.

And strangely, he was learning to enjoy the company.More enhancement points and Levels came his way from Butchering and hunting in the Beast Woods with Rolly and Squirmie.

He was terrified when they first took him into the overgrown jungle.

But it didn't bother him as much as he thought it would.

Squirmie explained the difference between Predators and Prey Beasts.

It made sense to him.

Prey led a frightened and disorderly existence while a Predator was in control of their world.

He liked being a predator better.

He hunted with them often after the nightly butchering after that talk.

And then a week later, finally started hunting on his own.

He enjoyed the long nights, quietly laying in wait, matching his temperature to his surroundings and waiting for a creature to come close enough for him to slow it with cold, and then slice it into small parts.

He made offerings at the Shrine of the Hunter and completed as many quests as he could.

When he had done enough to move to the third tier the system forced him to spend his enhancement points.

This disappointed him.

He wanted to know exactly how things worked before he spent any.

Everyone had opinions on what it was best to work toward, but Suzette had helped him the most.

The barmaid had told him, "Decide who you want to be, and what will make you happy.

I didn't always follow that rule, and it caused me a lot of stress."Delbert knew what he wanted to be: He wanted to be a Wizard! He'd been thrilled to have even minor spells and an aspect and he wanted more! He spent his Enhancement Points on the Aspect of Fire and Aspect of Air.

He imagined creating cold winds, throwing bolts of fire, and building castles of ice.

Instead, he gained two simple cantrips: Hotfoot and Gentle Breeze.

He'd told himself these were the building blocks of his mighty spells and began practicing.

And spent a lot more nights in Gadobhra.

He didn't mind the grind.

If becoming a mighty wizard was easy, everyone would do it! The rest of his points went into anything that would increase his mana.

All but one of his Tier Three choices were ignored.

His path was clear.

Thermic Mage (+2 INT, +2 PER)If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent.

Report it.While others dabble in Fire or Ice, you have unlocked the secrets that control both.Gain the following skills:Endothermic Absorbtion (CON)Exothermic Projection (INT)Fire Resistance (CON)Frost Resistance (CON)Domain Control (PER)