The pair returned back to the guild, finding their companions had also returned from their adventuring. Dunes relaxed in one corner, while Jonn and the others relaxed in the another corner. One entire side was full of Adam’s adventuring group. Lucy’s head was planted firmly on the table, revealing how well her questing had gone.

“How was it?” Adam asked, placing the pie slice down, offering it to Dunes’ group.

“Well,” Dunes replied. He could feel the stares of the Aldishmen nearby, who weren’t used to seeing Aswadians so far west. “Six boars.”

“A bear,” Lucy said. She stirred from the pie Jurot had placed down in front of them. She cut a piece for herself, chewing it slowly.

“Just a bear?” Adam asked.

Lucy grunted affirmatively.

Adam glanced between the members of the different parties, realising none of the members in the third group had the same level of tracking skill as those from the first two groups. ‘Oh dear.’

“Are we staying here long?” Lucy grumbled quietly. “Aren’t we meant to be going on some kind of adventure to slay monsters that are ravaging the land?”

Adam chuckled. “Alright, alright. I’ll figure something out for you. I’ll need to speak with the porters and the farmers.”

Lucy groaned in gratitude, still chewing her pie slowly.

“We requested some parts of the creatures we slew,” Dunes said. “It should be placed within the party bank that you opened.”

“Great, thank you.” Adam bowed his head to Dunes. “Right. Have you all heard that the tournament has been pulled forward a month?”

“The fifth month?” Dunes asked.

“Yeah. We might be able to find Amira there. If she’s out and about, wouldn’t she want to fight at the tournament?”

“She may,” Dunes admitted. “We could spend the time trying to find her. There are quite a few Devilkin in East Port, though she might be easier to spot than most. There aren’t many Devilkin from our order who would travel through Aldland.”

“We’ll stay here for a couple more days, and once we’ve finished our preparations, we should be good to go.” Adam glanced at the teen Iyrmen, who seemed to be far quieter than before. ‘Why are you all so quiet nowadays?’

“Adam?” called a voice.

‘Who did I piss off this time?’ Adam thought. He turned to see familiar faces enter the guild. A man with a heavily scarred face, followed by four others, a pair of men and women. Three of them wore chain mail, and two of them wore leather. They left a bear outside, for the guild to deal with.

“Speak of the…” Adam thought against using the phrase. “Rick. Nice armour.” He reached out to shake Rick’s forearm.

“Thank you,” the adventuring farmer replied. “How have you been?”

“Not bad, not bad, you?”

“Well.”

“Good, good. Adventuring safely, I hope?”

“Always.”

“We were just talking about you, actually.”

“Yes?”

“We were planning on going to East Port, slaying all kinds of beasties on the way, before, maybe, participating in the tournament,” Adam said. “I was hoping that you would join us.”

Rick eyed up the rest of the adventurers at Adam’s side. The Demons, the Iyrmen, the Aswadians, and more. He had fought alongside many of them before, and Adam had treated them well enough. “How long will we need to be gone?”

“We’ll be adventuring most of this year, I imagine,” Adam said. “Travelling through the land. We’ll be picking up as many as we can, before it gets too insane.”

“What is the deal?”

Adam looked back at his group, before looking back at Rick and the other farmers. It had been a while since they last met, roughly a year. ‘They must have been questing slowly, as always.’ Adam had yet to pluck them for his business.

“The young ones, Nobby, Brittany, and the teen Iyrmen, will receive one share total. Technically, I’m the one who is paying them to train them, and they’ll owe me once they become Experts. However, I’d like them to get something. The rest of us, we each get a full share, individually.”

Rick extended an arm out, shaking Adam’s forearm. “When do we leave?”

“Soon, in the next few days,” Adam said, though he had no idea the exact date they’d leave. “I still have the porters to speak to.”

Omen: 1, 16

Adam bathed early in the morning, before donning his gear. The previous evening had been quite eventful. He made his way down to find the various groups waiting for him, from his own adventuring party, to the farmers, to the porters, and the Aswadian party.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“Remy, Jeremy,” Adam greeted the porters, greeting Jeremy and Jeremiah, whose names were so confusing in a way that made sense. Remy was actually Jeremy, and Jeremy was actually Jeremiah. Though the pair looked nearly identical, they were actually cousins, as confirmed by Jurot.

“I love the armour!” Adam smirked. “Is that kura…bolo?” He had forgotten the name of the creature with the stony exterior, but was certain he was close.

“Kurabara,” Remy replied, smiling awkwardly. He wore what appeared to be a breastplate made of thick hide, that of a snake the party slew in the previous year, with plates that appeared to be made of stone set within it.

“Thank you again for the plates,” Jeremy said, tipping his helmet, which was also new.

“I’ll be sure to work you hard for the next few months to make up for it,” Adam said, smiling. “Since you owe me, we’ll say you each get a half share, with the other half going to me?”

“As you say, mister Adam,” Remy said. They had stated the terms in the previous year, borrowing a few hundred gold from the Half Elf. The armour had suited them well, saving them multiple times already.

Adam made a mental note to hand over ten gold to each of them, and the farmers, to make sure they could send some money back to their families. ‘It won’t do good to starve their children if they’re going to be working for me.’

Adam’s eyes fell to the group of Aswadians who had arrived the evening prior. There were six of them total, four of whom wore armour, chain mail, with one wearing scale mail, and two who wore none. Each of them wore iron tags, stamped several times.

‘Three or so?’ Adam assumed, trying to figure out their levels.

One of the unarmoured Aswadians was like Kitool, in the sense that she did not need to wear armour while fighting in close combat. She was one of two Devilkin, the other wearing heavy armour. The last unarmoured individual other was no doubt some kind of mage, since he was a handsome fellow without any scars, and very few callouses on his hands.

“Adam,” Adam said, reaching out a hand to greet them.

“Rose, and we’re the Red River Squad,” the unarmoured woman said, shaking the Half Elf’s forearm. Once Adam had introduced himself to each of her party, she continued. “You’re the leader of the party?”

“That I am,” Adam replied. “Why?”

“There are Iyrmen in your party,” she said, simply.

Adam couldn’t help but to smile. “One of them is my brother, and I make sure to keep my ear open to whatever they say. Are you the leader of your party?”

“I am.”

“Great.” Adam greeted the rest of the party too, shaking their forearms. “We’re Fate’s Golden, and Rick’s party is currently working under us too.”

“You’re of different ranks?” she asked, noting how the group wore different coloured tags, with a different number of stamps too.

“You know how it is,” Adam said. “Only a few of us have slain Dragons, but I can guarantee that our group is decent. The weakest members of our group are at the level of the teen Iyrmen.” Adam motioned his head to Nirot and the others.

“Your party has slain Dragons?”

“At least one, but we helped in killing another too,” Adam said. “We slew a Blue Dragon, and a White Dragon.”

“Vandra,” Jurot said.

“Vandra?” Rose replied, trying to think of the name. The rest of her party tried to recall the name.

“The White Terror,” Zishan said, nodding his head. “She is from further east of Aswadasad. She terrorised the coast to the south of the Confederacy. You slew her?”

“I mean, I helped?” Adam said, smiling politely. “Technically, the Vice Master and a couple of Iyrmen dealt with her. I, on the other hand, managed the last blow.”

“So you took the glory?” Rose asked.

Adam shrugged his shoulders. “Like I said, I helped.”

Rose narrowed her eyes. “Will you claim victory over our kills too.”

“We will claim to help each other in slaying the various beasts we meet,” Adam stated. “We share in our glory, in the same way we share loot.”

“How will we share it?”

“The teen Iyrmen, Nobby, and Brittany will share a single full share,” Adam said. “Everyone else gets a whole share individually. The porters owe me some coin, so I’ll be claiming a half share from each of them, but that’s their business.”

“The porters will gain a full share?” Rose eyed them up. “Are they strong?”

“You see their armour?” Adam asked. “That stone there is made from kurabara. Each one would give an Expert trouble. They were there when we fought the kurabaras.”

“They were there, but did they fight?” Her eyes continued to scan them. It was one thing if they were fighting, but if they were portering? “They should not claim a full share if they cannot fight or keep up with us.”

“Speaking of being unable to keep up,” Adam began, his voice lowering. He paused, taking a moment to compose himself. “Do you believe you could keep up with me?”

“Are you an Expert?” Rose asked.

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Remy and Jeremy may fight alongside us, but their goal is to help with carrying equipment. Do you have anything which will help us carry the remains of what we kill?”

“No.”

“I have a steed that can help carry things, a giant elk. Jeremy and Remy have their palanquin, or whatever it’s called. I expect, if a fight breaks out, they will assist us. After that, they will be responsible for carrying the items, in which they will get a fair share. The more they get, the harder they will work. Now, I don’t mind if you want to change the shares depending on the work that we do, but I assure you, none of you will be able to keep up with Jurot and I, or even half the people that make up my party. So if you want to decrease their share, that’s fine, but we will decrease your share accordingly.”

Rose looked to Dunes and the other Aswadians, and spoke up in their tongue. “Order of Black Mountain?”

Dunes nodded. “Red Sun?” he asked in their tongue.

Rose nodded. “You follow this Half Elf? Has he forced you into his debt in this cursed land?”

“He has, but not in the way you think.” Dunes almost chuckled, flashing a knowing smile. “I follow him because if he were to face the six of you alone, I would bet on him.”

Rose’s eyes snapped to Adam once more, noting how he stood so casually in front of her, his elbow wresting against his axe. From the entire conversation, she hadn’t been sure of Adam, who seemed to take the glory from the others within his company. Yet, it didn’t make sense.

Dunes, and the other two Aswadians, were from Black Mountain. Black Mountain, known as the region which held the oldest temple to the Goddess of War. There were also more than a few Iyrmen within the party, which would make it easier for anyone if they wished to become known as Dragon slayers. Yet, it was one thing to party with one or two Iyrmen, but to have so many follow him? And it was something else for one to allow the Half Elf to call him their brother.

“How strong are you?” Rose asked.

Adam eyed the group up. He could have mentioned how he would probably be able to beat all six of them by himself, but that wouldn’t be conducive towards a friendly environment if they were going to travel with each other. “Uh. Let’s see…” Adam turned to Jurot. “Would you say I’d rank top three from our groups?”

Jurot paused for a long moment. What Adam said was technically true, since being the strongest would put him in the top three. “Yes.”

Adam shrugged towards Rose again. “I’ve never heard of an Iyrman lie before.”

“Nor have I,” Rose said, extending a hand to shake Adam’s forearm. “A full share it is.”

Adam thought for a moment as she held out her hand. She had taken quite a shot at Remy and Jeremy, who worked under him. However, he shook her forearm. “I think your words, though impolite, were from a place of making sure that you and your own were taken care of, so I won’t hold them against you. I hope that we will have a fruitful relationship, Rose of the Red River Squad.”