Sometimes the most dangerous shit happens when you're not on a job. Just had to talk some asshole down at the tavern who thought it'd be cute to grope the new barmaid. Fucker had her backed into a corner, hand on her ass, whispering shit that made her look like she wanted to vanish. My fire was already itching under my skin before I even thought about it.

Didn't need a spell. Just walked up, got right in his space, and told him exactly what would happen to his fucking fingers if they didn't get off her. The magic was just... there. A heat haze in the air around my fist. He saw it. Saw the look in my eyes. The one that says I've seen worse men than him end as charcoal.

He backed off. Apologized. Whole fucking tavern went quiet.

I didn't used to be able to do that. Back in the mines, you kept your head down. You took it. Now? Now I can make the air taste like ash before I even throw a punch. The power isn't just for killing monsters. It's for making sure some scared kid doesn't have to learn the way I did.

She bought me a drink after. Didn't know what to say. Neither did I. Just nodded. It was enough.

(And for the record, if you're the type of bastard who gets off on that kind of power trip, come find me. I've got a special kind of dark magic that'll make your cock forget what it's like to ever get hard again.)