‘Damn it,’ Adam thought. ‘Seriously, man, how the hell are you still like this?’ Adam rubbed his eyes with his thumb knuckles, shaking his head lightly. ‘How many kids do you have now? Six? Come on, man…’

Vonda only beamed as the pair made their way out. Adam had tried to donate the gold to the acolyte, who refused. After slipping a gold coin into the donation box, Adam promised to return the next day with more gold for the Divine.

“Vonda, what am I to do?”

“What do you wish to do?”

Adam fell silent as they made their way back to the adventurer’s guild. “I want to eat.”

Once the guild’s doors opened to splash them with heat, Adam exhaled, walking up to the corner where he found many of his companions. His eyes scanned the area to find other groups, some he was familiar with, others he was not. The older northerner he had beaten bowed his head lightly towards the half elf, who returned a bow of his head, before he settled himself beside his companions.

‘Oh, right, I have to order the food.’

While Adam ordered food from the guild, Kitool ordered food from a particular tavern. “Two potatoes, salted, no butter. A half portion of meat, and a cup of buttermilk.”

“Which meat?”

“It would be your recommendation,” the young woman replied, placing down a silver coin over a copper coin.

“Any drinks?” the barkeep, an older, overweight man, whose arms were thick with fat and muscle.

“It would be your recommendation,” Kitool replied, placing down another silver coin over a copper coin. She waited for her meal in the corner, and once she was done, she slipped out of the tavern, making her way through the alley. A worker lifted up the crates to stack them, and as he reached for the other, Kitool hopped atop the crates behind him, onto the third story window, before slipping inside. She silently crept through the place, heading to the attic. There she found more crates. She undid a particular crate’s lid, finding the ladder which fell down to the underground.

As she reached the bottom, into the tunnel network of the underground, she reached for the torch, lighting it, before making her way through the dark tunnel. She stepped past several of the outward tunnels, before finding one with a particular chip in the corner. She turned an made her way through it, only her breath keeping her company. Once it split, she took the left path, the path most travelled, following each of the paths which were most travelled, before finally taking the last two paths in the opposite manner.

She entered a large room, one which was easily a hundred paces long in every direction, full of tables, drawers, and ten people. A large map of Red Oak covered the wall, marked with all manner of colours and symbols. Several tunnels led out towards other business who were in the know.

Each worker wore a copper pin, though there was a woman in her thirties, a devilkin, who wore a silver pin against her collar. She smiled towards Kitool, bowing her head lightly. The others around all turned to face Kitool, reaching for the blades at their side.

“Are you lost, little Iyrman?”

Kitool walked towards the woman with the silver pin, before sitting opposite her. “I have come with information.”

“We don’t pay for information from no Iyrman.”

“Okay,” Kitool replied, before she continued with her tale without missing a beat, informing the devilkin with the information of the past month.

Having seen that Kitool had passed the several safeguards put into place, the devilkin woman began to write down all the information Kitool stated, along with the support of another. Once it was done, Kitool placed three gold coins onto the corner of the desk, before heading out.

Kitool made her way through one of the various exits, before returning back to the guild, finding Adam slowly chewing his potato, while deep in thought. His eyes turned slightly, as though reading something in the air, before the half elf froze.

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‘I do.’

Kitool could see the face Adam made, which was the same face the young half elf made when he realised he was in grave trouble.

Once the group retreated into their rooms, Adam knocked on Jurot’s door. Jurot allowed Adam to slip inside.

“Jurot,” Adam whispered, before switching into their tongue. “The Iyr is going to kill me.”

“…”

Adam sat down onto the bed and brought his hands up onto his face. Jurot wasn’t sure what Adam had done to deserve death from the Iyr, especially considering what he had done thus far. He was fairly certain it would be hard for the Iyr to kill Adam, even though it had quite enough reason to do so.

“Jurot, I…”

Jurot listened to Adam’s worries, the soft whispers in their tongue. He placed a hand onto Adam’s shoulder, bowing his head, assuring Adam it was going to be okay, before the half elf left. Once Jurot was in bed, staring at the ceiling, he thought about what Adam had told him. It didn’t surprise Jurot one bit that Adam knew such a spell, there were a few who had such abilities across the entire land. Adam’s ability to create so many enchanted weapons was something even more terrifying.

It was as Jurot was slowly embracing the cool slumber when his brows furrowed.

‘The Iyr may wish to kill Adam.’

Omen: 4, 18

Adam stared at the mass of people within the temple, inhaling deeply as he tried to calm himself, before letting out a soft exhale. He was glad Vonda had decided to come with him, the half elf following the young woman forward. Vonda approached an acolyte of Mother Soza, who assisted in escorting the young woman and half elf through the temple.

They made their way to Mother Soza’s temple first, Adam noting the large state of a woman sitting, holding within her arms several pieces of fruit. However, within the pile of fruit, there was one which was noticeably missing.

Perception Check

D20 + 4 = 23 (19)

Adam also noted the creases over the woman’s shoulder, which implied an unseen hand pressing against her shoulder. Adam narrowed his eyes slightly, eyeing the statue up. Though the statue was extremely detailed in many places, the face was entirely blank.

“The fruit represent her children,” Vonda said. “They make up most of the Divine, from the God of Death to the Goddess of Twilight. Ten pieces total. Lady Arya, Lord Musa, and Lord Zaladhin are not considered her children, and therefore are not represented in the fruit.”

“There’s a fruit missing near the top,” Adam said, noting towards the missing piece right below the topmost one.

“The fruit atop represents Lord Sozain,” Vonda said. “The missing fruit beneath represents the place where we mortals should sit, for who but the Good Mother, loves us most?”

Adam narrowed his eyes as he stared at the fruit. “No,” he whispered.

Vonda’s ears twitched and she tilted her head slightly, a gentle, nervous, smile encroaching her lips. “No?”

“Nothing,” Adam replied, clearing his throat. He dropped down upon a knee before the statue of the woman, bringing his hands up together ahead of him. ‘Don’t worry, Mother Soza. I haven’t forgotten about Bandlor, even if the world has. The rest of your children should recall his name, too.’

Adam felt nothing from the statue, half expecting it to react to his thoughts, but he still placed a gem worth fifty gold within the donation box. The acolyte beside him raised her brows, the young woman’s eyes wide, certain she had seen the young half elf place a tiger eye within the box. Adam stepped back, crossing his arms in front of him casually, waiting for Vonda to finish her prayers. She placed a gold, a silver, and a copper coin.

“Shall we pray to Lord Sozain next?” Vonda asked.

“It should start with life and end with death,” Adam replied, staring up at the statue of the Good Mother. “Let’s head to one of the other gods.”

Adam and Vonda prayed at each and every temple. Though Adam noted each feature of the temple and statues, comparing them with the other temples and statues, he spent little time or effort speaking with many of the gods, save for four.

The Divine, as Adam learnt, was made up of those considered to be the Greater Gods of the region.

Soza, the Goddess of Life.

Sozain, the God of Death.

Elaveil, the Goddess of Balance.

Gale, the Goddess of Nature.

Noor, the God of Light.

Arya, the Goddess of War.

Poli, the Goddess of Peace.

Magi, the Goddess of Arcana.

Erudite, the Goddess of Knowledge.

Tempest, the Goddess of Storms.

Klaus, the God of Trickery.

Fae, the Goddess of Twilight.

Musa, The God of Wealth.

Zaladhin, the God of Souls.

Then there were the Two Lords, the Lord of Order and the Lord of Chaos, who took place of the other forgotten god, that of Belle, the God of Order and Chaos, and the father of most of the pantheon.

Adam slipped in gems worth ten gold coins to each of the Divine, save for two Goddesses he was most familiar with, slipping them fifty gold gems. When it came time to pray in front of the Lord of Order, Adam remained behind, allowing Vonda to pray before his statue, which was that of a knight. The statue opposite his was the Lord of Chaos, which Adam knelt before.

‘Don’t go causing too much of a mess,’ Adam thought to the Lord of Chaos, slipping a gem worth ten gold, before continuing on.

The acolyte’s eyes grew wide as Adam stubbed the Lord of Order, but prayed towards the Lord of Chaos. Her eyes darted to Vonda, who merely smiled politely once she returned.

‘How can he do such a thing?'