“Hoo!” Lucy exhaled, flexing her body as it cooled from her rage. ‘What a great fight!’
Victory!
XP Gained: +300
XP: 24 400 -> 24 700
“Noorshakar,” the older man said, his dark skin revealing him to be from Aswadasad, and his dyed beard revealing more, though not to Adam. “Always, I say it. Iyrmen, wonderful people, wonderful people.”
“It is fortunate you were not harmed,” Jaygak said, her eyes taking in the sight of the caravan guards, each heavily armoured in chain, wielding spears and shields. Another, the leader of the guards, wore heavier armour, plate, and carried a longsword. Their cloaks were white, and held the symbol of the sun, a typical symbol of Lord Noor. “Rather, you are well skilled, you had no need of our assistance.”
“Always welcome, always. We part the loot? Half and half?”
“We’ll take three parts in ten, since we really didn’t do much,” Adam said, throwing a look to Lucy, raising his brows. The demon smiled in return, nodding her head back, glad Adam hadn’t joined the fray. “Considering the way you look, I mean, the dyed beard, and the turban, and the sun, are you from Aswadasad?”
“I am blessed, born in Aswadasad.”
Adam chuckled. “What do you sell?”
“Cloth.”
“Oh yeah? Very nice. What kind of cloth?”
“Come, I show.”
The pair of groups ate together, and upon the Aswadian’s insistence, Adam accepted the gift of cloths.
“I’ve always said it, Aswadians are wonderful people,” Adam said, clasping the man’s forearm, allowing the merchant to pat his forearm gently with his freehand.
“Noorshakar,” the older man said, smiling wide. “It is our blessing to meet you all.”
“It’s our blessing to meet you.”
The group continued along their way through the forest, coming along to a fork in the road. One road was thick, cobbled, the other flat, and though as wide, it was far smoother.
“A new road?” Adam asked.
“It is the road from the new forts,” Jurot explained. “They completed it recently.”
“They managed to complete this road even as far as the Deadwood?” Adam asked, almost unable to believe it. “The Iyr’s got some competition when it comes to efficiency, eh?”
“This road is fine,” Jurot replied, though he knew the Iyr could create the road better, or faster, should they need to.
“Does that mean we can skip Red Oak?” Adam asked.
‘Eh?’ Jane thought, feeling the ache of the road in her bones.
“We could.”
“Let’s do that then,” Adam said, glancing up to the darkening sky. “Let’s speed up to the fort.”
“Do you not want to claim the gemtroll?” Jane asked. “The Guild would pay you.”
“Eh, I don’t really care that much about it,” Adam admitted. “The quicker we can go home, the happier I’ll be.”
‘I’ve never met a guy who missed his family this much.’
‘He doesn’t want to head to Red Oak?’ Jaygak thought. She patted the blade at her side, wondering if she should tell him. ‘No, it’ll be funnier if I don’t.’
The vehicles continued to barrel their way towards the minor fort, a fort created to house a few hundred soldiers at most, mostly used to assist with the border, and to deal with the threats of the wild. Of course, the Iyrmen understood this was part of the King’s plan to deal with the Tribesfolk, and perhaps, to put pressure on the Iyr.
The Commander of the fort stood upon the walls, which seemed deceptively tall thanks to the slope and the ditch beneath. His eyes remained focused on the figures as they stepped out of the carts, and the wolves. ‘Iyrmen, purple armour, devilkin, and wolves?’ He was reminded of the previous Commander’s words.
‘Let me give you some advice.’
‘What is it?’
‘There’s a group that should pass by. Iyrmen, accompanied by two, what they call, devilkin, and a half elf in purple armour, they might also have wolves with them. The Order might tell you to apprehend the devilkin, saying they’re demons, but whatever you do, don’t trouble the group.’
‘Demons?’
‘Whatever you do, you should not trouble them.’
‘Why not?’
‘I’ve written you a note, but in case you don’t read it, that particular group… they have no view of common sense.’
‘What?’
‘Just trust me.’
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
The Commander’s eyes remained focused on the group as they approached the walls. “What brings you here so late?”
“We wish to return back to the Iyr,” Kitool replied.
“It’s awfully late. Did you get into any trouble on the road?”
“A gemtroll attacked a caravan, but it was a small issue.”
“A gemtroll? In Deadwood?”
“Yes.”
“You dealt with it?”
“Yes.”
The Commander slowly nodded his head, trying to buy time to figure out what to do with the group. He could feel the expectant gazes of the Order members near him. “The Order here seems to have an issue with some of you.”
“Yeah, no doubt,” the fellow in purple said, chuckling, before stopping upon seeing the look of the red skinned Iyrman.
“What do they wish of us?” Kitool asked.
“Surrender the demons to us,” the one eyed old woman said, easily in her sixties, considering her wrinkles and her hair, almost silver under the starlit sky. She wore full plate, and carried a longsword at her side. The symbol upon the her amulet was no doubt from the Order of the Floral Sun, considering the sun within the blooming flower.
“You are Vice Commander Esme?” Jurot asked, noting the scar across her eye.
“What of it?”
“I am Jurot.”
“Do…” The old woman paused. ‘Jurot?’ She reached up to rub along the scar which ran along her cheek.
‘You have got to be kidding me,’ Adam thought. ‘Old geezer, how many people did you fight?’ Adam thought back to how many stories he had heard of Jarot. The number was easily over a hundred, and though he had heard a handful several times, almost every week he heard a new tale.
“You must be his grandson.”
“Yes.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Yes.”
“You, a boy not even half my age?”
“Yes.”
The old woman could feel it, stirring deep inside her, the rage. “I heard you had defeated Sir Harrison.”
“No,” Jurot replied. “That was Jaygak.”
“He surrendered before I could defeat him,” Jaygak said, her lips twitching into a smug smile.
“Do you understand the difference between Sir Harrison and I?”
“Grandfather did not cripple Sir Harrison?”
The old woman felt another flash of heat run through her body. “He is not a Grandmaster.”
“It was a joke,” Jurot said.
‘Always a banger,’ Adam thought, while Lucy kept her snort contained, too nervous to let one slip.
“If you do not surrender the demons, I will draw my blade,” Esme said, hoping they would refuse.
“Jaygak?” Jurot called.
“Yes?”
“I would like to face the Vice Commander.”
Jaygak sighed. “Is there another Vice Commander here?”
“…” Esme’s brow pulsed. She stood tall and proud, doing her best not to fall for their tricks.
“It doesn’t seem like it.”
“Grandfather took one eye, I would like to take the other,” Jurot stated, throwing a casual glance towards Jaygak.
“Do you think that your words would coax me into striking first?” Esme asked.
Jurot remained focused on Jaygak, all but ignoring the Vice Commander.
The Commander understood what the previous Commander had said to him. “Last I recalled, the demons were under the purview of Life’s Rose. You there, the young man in purple, are you not the Ray’s husband?”
“Yes?” Adam replied, raising his brows. ‘How does he know that?’
“That symbol, is it of the Iyr’s Lord of Death?”
“It’s the Iyr’s symbol of Lord Sozain,” Adam stated, noting the Commander’s eyes narrowed slightly.
‘You damn fool, why are you trying to fight me?’ “Am I to understand that the Ray remains near the Iyr, and has tasked you with watching over the demons?”
“…” Adam tilted his head slightly. “That is… correct?”
“Then, Sir Esme, you should send a letter to the Order of Life’s Rose to request permission to deal with the demons, or am I misunderstanding the dealings between the Orders?”
“…”
‘Check out this guy,’ Adam thought. ‘I can’t believe there’s an Aldish Commander whose helping us out. He must not be a noble?’
Esme remained focused on the young man before her, who held the same tattoos as the old man that had taken her eye previously. Though her eye pulsed, it was the laughter within her mind which seared itself upon her heart. It had been decades, but she had not forgotten that particular Iyrman. Upon hearing that he had left the Iyr the previous year, and had caused another mess, she had requested to move to this fort, so she could catch him if he dared to step out again.
‘What am I doing? Picking a fight with a boy?’ “Since that is the situation, I will step back, for the sake of Life’s Rose.”
‘If it’s not my brother, it’s my wife,’ Adam thought. ‘One day, my name will protect you too.’
“I preferred the North,” Lucy finally said once the group were within one of the tents of the fort.
“Yeah, well, it’ll all be over soon. If we rush, we can make it back in a single day, probably?”
“No, that hurts too much,” Lucy said, already feeling the ache in her body from the thought of the wagon shaking so much.
“Alright, alright,” Adam said, smiling, though he stared at the top of the tent. ‘Damn it. I can’t really move around in Central Aldland or the South, but Lucy and Mara?’ “One day, Lucy.”
“Yeah.”
Unfortunately for Adam, he was unable to wallow in his thoughts for too long. The next day, as the carts followed the cobbled road, shaking slightly, the group stopped, still some ways away from the first village.
“What the hell is that?” Adam asked.
“I do not know,” Jurot admitted, staring at the creature before them, which stared at the group. It seemed almost like a wolf, except it was made of blood, and parts of it seemed to be made of shadow. .
“Creatures of blood and shadow,” Jaygak whispered, having drawn her blade. “I… don’t remember which tale exactly, but…”
“Bad news?” Adam asked.
“Yes.”
“It feels weird,” Lucy whispered, holding Great Destroyer in hand, the large greataxe glowing lightly with heat.
“Yeah,” Adam whispered.
The creature blurred, and like a loosened bolt, darted towards them.
Battle Order
D20 + 1 = 16 (15)
Fighting Spirit: 3 -> 2
Attack: Wraith (Advantage)(Flanking)
D20 + 11 = 28 (17)
D20 + 11 = 31 (20)
Critical hit!
Wraith: 3 -> 0
Mana: 25 -> 21
Ability: Divine Smite
Divine Smite Improved!
4D6 + 12D6 + 10D6 + 9 = 88 (10)(40)(29)
88 damage!
Attack: Wraith (Advantage)(Flanking)
D20 + 11 = 21 (10)
D20 + 11 = 29 (18)
Hit!
Mana: 21 -> 20
Wraith: 0 -> 1
Wraith: 1 -> 0
Mana: 20 -> 19
Ability: Divine Smite
Divine Smite Improved!
2D6 + 2D6 + 3D6 + 9 = 35 (10)(4)(12)
35 damage!
Onward Soar: 1 -> 0
Attack: Wraith (Advantage)(Flanking)
D20 + 11 = 13 (2)
D20 + 11 = 30 (19)
Critical hit!
Mana: 19 -> 16
Wraith: 0 -> 3
Wraith: 3 -> 0
Mana: 16 -> 12
Ability: Divine Smite
Divine Smite Improved!
4D6 + 12D6 + 10D6 + 9 = 99 (13)(41)(36)
99 damage!
Attack: Wraith (Advantage)(Flanking)
D20 + 11 = 21 (10)
D20 + 11 = 29 (18)
Hit!
Mana: 12 -> 11
Wraith: 0 -> 1
Wraith: 1 -> 0
Mana: 11 -> 10
Ability: Divine Smite
Divine Smite Improved!
2D6 + 2D6 + 3D6 + 9 = 30 (4)(6)(11)
30 damage!
Adam inhaled deeply, focusing completely on killing the creature. As it blurred towards them, his axe flashed cold and white hot, exploding with magical force, crashing through the creature’s body. He bisected the creature in half as he met it in battle, the two halves of the creature flying past him.
‘Damn! Over two hundred damage?’ Adam thought, before he heard it.
It was a wet noise, as though a seal dancing upon land. He turned his head to watch as the two halves of the creature, the wolf made of blood and shadow, began to reach out to one another, and knit itself back together.
‘What?’ Adam remained frozen from the shock.
252 damage.
That’s how much damage Adam had managed in a single round, perhaps more than he had managed ever before.
252 damage.
That damage could have killed even Keswing.