Omen: 3, 11

“We’re leaving?” Rose asked over breakfast.

“Yeah,” Adam replied. “Thought it was best to leave now. Early bird catches the worm and all that.”

Rose remained silent. What was Adam doing? They had completed a quest only yesterday, and she had heard that one of the groups under his command had quested the previous two days. “You don’t rest after you complete a request?”

Adam smiled, unable to control his lips. “Well…” He noted the looks of his companions, who were piercing him with their gaze. “I’m sorry for bringing this up so suddenly, but I don’t think there’s much need to waste time.”

“We need time to prepare,” Rose said. “We need to procure food, and other necessary items.”

“We’ve got plenty of food, and we have two Priests who are able to cast a spell that can assist in feeding us,” Adam explained.

Rose blinked. He was going to make the Priests use their spells, the same spells they received from the Divine, for food? She remained stunned for a few more seconds, before she regained her thoughts. “You…” She looked to her companions, unsure if she had heard him correctly.

“We also require items for our spells,” Zishan said.

“We can get them once we’re in Deadwood,” Adam replied. “I know I’m rushing us, but…” Adam sighed.

Lucy was ignoring him. She had returned with such joy last night, speaking of the dawnval wolf they had slaughtered. Upon finding out that Adam and Jurot had killed three powerful creatures, she threw a the quietest of tantrums, blaming him for finding something so fun, before falling silent and ignoring him. She did, however, give up the dawnval wolf core without complaint.

“I would appreciate it if we could leave today.”

“We will finish our preparations by noon,” Rose finally said, giving in to the ridiculous request.

“I appreciate that.”

The group finished their preparations, though they still possessed much of the food the Iyrmen had given them, as well as the various supplied which had been handed to them, from blankets to spare clothing, and most importantly, soap.

“If there are component for spells that you need, make sure you tell me,” Adam said to the Priests of his party. “There are tons of great spells which cost a lot of coin, and that’s what the party fund is for.”

“Sir Vonda and I were discussing the the matter of Brittany,” Dunes said, away from the girl. “There is a Second Gate spell, Protected Pair, which requires two rings made of ruby. The price is fifty gold for each ring. The spell lasts an hour, more than long enough for the typical skirmish.”

Adam thought about the spell, trying to recall what it did. “It would protect Brittany, but…”

“I would be wounded with her,” Vonda said. “I would find it difficult to concentrate on some spells, but it would protect her.”

“You are pretty tough, though,” Adam said. “Still, making sure Brittany is safe would clear my mind. If I recall correctly, the rings will remain intact after the spell is cast, right?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, sounds good. Sir Vonda, you’ll be sure to cast the spell onto Brittany during any fights first thing. We’ll have Dunes cast spells like Bless and Spectral Sentinels, whereas you can remain as a support. You can cast healing spells, and spells outside of combat that we might need, like Aid. While Dunes casts Spectral Sentinels, you’ll cast Create Food and Water, because otherwise we’re going to find ourselves out of a party fund real quick.”

Vonda bowed her head. She could have argued against casting her spell to feed the group, but if it came to casting spells to feed people or kill something, she preferred the former.

“I should probably do that too before I leave,” Adam said, sighing.

The groups all gathered together. Adam’s large group, as well as the Red River Squad, the farmers, and the porters. There were well over thirty of them now, and Adam wasn’t sure he wanted to force them all to move quite as harshly as he normally did.

‘I suppose we can take a little longer than usual.’

The large group set out during noon, trekking northward towards the nearby town, Deadwood. Adam wasn’t sure how long they’d spend in each place, not wanting to spend too long in each town, but he supposed he shouldn’t be too much of a slave driver.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Mana: 18 -> 15

Rose blinked. She looked towards Zishan, whose brows were furrowed. They had noticed Adam could use spells previously, but this was something else. How did he manage to cast Third Gate spells? He seemed like an Expert with his martial abilities, and he was also an Expert with magic?

Mana: 15 -> 12

Rose glanced around to everyone else for support, but noticed that Adam’s companions had found nothing strange in what he was doing. She caught Rick’s eyes, the farmer who had joined them, wearing his heavy chain, with a battleaxe at his side. He could see it in her eyes, the question she had for them.

She was right, of course, for she wasn’t the one who was queer. It was Adam who was queer, the Half Elf who cast two Third Gate spells, both for the same spell.

“I’ll be taking a bath first,” Adam said, while Lucy stormed past him. “Second. In between people bathing I’ll clean up the water. The top floors will be used to take a look out, and both Hades and Zeus will assist. We’ll have four people on watch at all times, and with how many we have, that’ll be eight watches of an hour long, so everyone can have at least seven hours of sleep.”

Rose was still looking around, trying to find someone who will talk about the two towers Adam summoned.

“We can reduce the number of people on watch to three if we want our casters to be fresh, but we’ve got enough people that we can have everyone on watch for one hour, all save Sir Vonda.”

“Why Sir Vonda?” Zishan asked, though there was a more pressing question he had on his lips.

“Sir Vonda is one of the people who will bring you back from the dead if you go down,” Adam replied. “If you feel that is not a good enough reason, well, we’ll make sure not to spend three hundred gold to bring you back.”

Zishan furrowed his brows. “She will revive us if we die?”

“As long as we can do it quickly and safely, we will resurrect anyone here, as long as you didn’t die being an idiot,” Adam said.

Suddenly, the question they had for Adam changed. “We would be unable to afford it,” Rose said. “Though we would offer you a great favour if it is acceptable.”

“A favour it is, but just know, we’ll probably only revive one or two of you at most, because otherwise there will be none left for my companions, and I’ll be prioritising them over any of you,” Adam said.

“That is… understandable,” Rose said. Every time she spoke to Adam, she questioned everything she knew about life.

The camp was quickly made, with the two towers Adam had summoned falling within the walls. The Iyrmen had made short work of the nearby trees, cutting them down with Iyrman efficiency, while the others had dug out a small ditch around the camp. The two towers had been formed to include a bath, two bedrooms, one which the Red River Squad could use as they took watch, and another for some of Adam’s companions as they took watch, and a dining room for them all to eat at.

“Should we ask about the towers?” Kadija whispered, unable to control her curiosity.

“No,” Rose whispered. “I don’t think I could live with the answer.”

“He likes his baths,” Rick replied, simply.

Vonda ended up using a Second Gate spell to make food for the group, though Adam it was mostly Adam, the Priests, and the Iyrmen who ate the food. It was normally bland, but Adam flavoured it using his Tricks trick. Others picked from the food, eating them along with their rations, so they could stretch their rations further. The spell provided enough food for just under half of them.

“Damn I miss me some chicken tikka masala,” Adam whispered, shaking his head. “I miss my adorable little babbies more.”

Omen: 6, 15

A beautiful song carried on the dawnval breeze, beckoning the group forward. Adam threw Jurot a look, who exchanged a look with Kitool and Jaygak, before the three continued forward with greater purpose. The forest was full of dangers, but it was also home to those which did not belong to the villages, towns, or cities of Aldland.

A woman lay against a tree, staring up at the sky, continuing her singing in an unknown language. She was gaunt, her skin, though typically tan, was pale and cracked. Though she looked like she hadn’t drunk in weeks, her voice held strong.

Adam stepped forward, but Jurot held out his arm, stopping the Half Elf. Adam stared at him, but the Iyrman did not move his eyes away from the figure. Kitool planted Tigerstaff on the ground, before she stepped forward. She stepped on a twig obviously, stopping.

The woman’s song trailed to silence over a long moment. She turned her head, but the light shone in such a way to hide her features, though it should have revealed her features.

“I am Kitool, daughter of Citool, and I have come to answer your call.”

“You have come, Deathsinger,” the woman said, her voice still strong and clear. “It is I who answers your call.” She smiled towards the Iyrman.

Kitool stood frozen for a long moment, deep in thought. This figure was no doubt related to her, but she was still uncertain of her decision.

“What is it?” Kadija whispered.

“You should know what you should know,” Jurot replied, simply.

“What does that mean?” Kadija asked.

“It means that you don’t want to die over nothing,” Adam explained.

Kitool stepped towards the woman, kneeling in front of her. A wicked crack filled the air, before she stood, and the woman, now dead, sank into the earth, nature claiming her. Kitool returned to the group, grabbing Tigerstaff. She remained silent, and Jurot led them forward.

“Did you have to kill her?” Vonda asked.

“She answered my call,” Kitool replied, before her eyes scanned the forest. “Mahtu’s grace does not reach this realm.”

Vonda glanced around, finding nothing out of the ordinary. It was only minutes later when they realised that things had returned to normal, though they did not feel anything wrong. It was as though they had awoken from a dream.

“Iyr business?” Adam asked.

“Iyr business,” Jurot replied.

Adam nodded, and with that, continued as though nothing had happened. He had no reason to give the Iyr any more excuses to kill him, not when they were already deciding on what to do with him.

“You’re not going to tell us what happened?” Rose asked.

“The last time Aswadians asked the Iyr to explain something, three hundred people died,” Adam said. “You should know what you should know.”