Sir Vonda of Life’s Rose allowed for smooth sailing into South Port. South Port’s main road was noisy, as one might expect, with the group passing thousands, if not tens of thousands, of citizens. The various carts making their way through the city, the thousands of labourers carrying all manner of materials, the many pedlars and merchants selling their wares, the smell of fried foods wafting through the air which thankfully overpowered the other, less savoury smells.

‘I forgot how massive this place was…’

Adam remained silent as they approached the guild, travelling through the city for at least an hour. The guild was more like an estate complex, rather than the typical guild buildings he was used to in the other towns. The guild, overlooking the ocean to one side, was set up similarly to that within Red Oak, except it was much longer and wider. instead of a pair of fields, there were several large fields nearby for the adventurers, as well as several other buildings set within its grounds, providing gear an adventurer might need from weapons to armour.

Their group gathered some eyes, for very few groups held so many dire wolves, and as some people had surmised, awakened wolves, while almost no group possessed so many Iyrmen. The younger Iyrmen stabled the beasts elsewhere, dealing with the guild worker, while Kitool went to speak with the guild clerk.

Adam noted how many dozens of groups relaxed within the guild, but the guild still felt empty. He spotted the large wall of quests to one side, which was far larger than the wall in Red Oak, containing at least ten times the number of quests. He settled in the corner as Kitool sorted out their stay.

‘Damn it,’ Adam thought, watching as a pair of Iyrmen approached the group.

“Yarkez,” the older Iyrman said, clasping Jurot’s arm. The older Iyrman had dark hair and dark eyes, and he wore a goatee as well as he wore his bow. Between the layers of fur, he wore a dagger belt strapped around his side and shoulder, connected to the belt at his side which carried a shortsword. A steel token hung around his neck.

“Warkez, son of Yarkez,” the younger Iyrman said, shaking Jurot’s forearm. He was in his late teens, and wore similar attire to his father. The token which hung around his neck was copper, though it was stamped a few times.

“Jurot,” Jurot replied, nodding his head to each of them.

Yarkez eyed up the party around. “Do you lead the group?”

“My brother leads the group,” Jurot said, motioning his head to Adam.

Yarkez eyed up Adam, who wore puthral armour but no tattoos across his forehead. “You are Unrivalled?”

Adam winced visibly, noting the smirks from his companions, before he stood and held out his forearm. “I’m Adam, Nephew of the Rot family.”

“Yarkez,” the older man replied, bowing his head as he clasped Adam’s forearm.

“Warkez,” the younger Iyrman repeated, shaking Adam’s forearm. “I have heard your tales, Unrivalled. Your-,”

“Warkez,” his father called, patting his son against his back. “Let us return.”

The young Iyrman frowned, but he bowed his head, following after his father.

“What was that about?” Adam whispered.

Jurot kept the paper pinned to his palm. “It is good to introduce ourselves.”

Adam, unsure if there was more to it, decided to leave it be. The food arrived a short while later, with Adam feasting on the eggs and potatoes, thinking deeply about important matters. Jaygak returned later, her own meal kept warm by Adam’s magic, the young woman digging into the steak. Her eyes met Jurot’s for a moment, and he replied with a bow of his head.

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While Adam went to bathe, Jurot left the guild, making his way down a particular alley, to find a particular tavern, to meet with a particular Iyrman.

Omen: 5, 10

“I will find passage on a ship heading towards East Port for tomorrow morning,” Jurot said over breakfast.

Lucy inhaled deeply, her eyes narrowing towards Jurot. She quickly let out an exhale, not liking the serious look within Jurot’s eyes. ‘It must be bad…’

“Sure,” Adam replied, not stupid enough to pry into Jurot’s words. “I’ll go and spend some coin today then. Sir Vonda, would you mind accompanying me?”

“It is my pleasure, as always, Adam,” Vonda replied, smiling from behind her scarf.

Adam’s eyes fell to Dunes, who merely replied with a bow of his head. Dunes left soon after, and Adam did the same, the pair going off to buy the gifts they needed. As Adam explored the markets, he noted a ringing bell before a bard went into song about the great victories of the King, and by the time Adam was done with his shopping, he heard about the gifts from the King and how to redeem such gifts.

‘Oh wow,’ Adam thought. ‘So King Merryweather’s handing out grain too? King Blackwater must be pissed.’

It was late in the evening, after Jurot had confirmed he had completed his task, that the whispers began to spread through the guild.

“The army is marching?” Adam whispered.

Jurot nodded.

“What does that mean?”

“The army marches on the orders,” Jurot said. “Their fate has been sealed.”

“Which is…”

“Exile, or death.”

“Well, good luck to them all, I suppose,” Adam said. “Let’s pray there isn’t much death.” He shared a look with Sir Vonda, who smiled at the sentiment. ‘Is that why we’re heading out?’

Omen: 1, 14

“No,” Adam whispered. “How can you do this to me, Jurot?”

Jurot remained silent, his arms crossed as she stood before his brother.

“If I had known, I would have gone the other way.” Adam placed a hand on his cart.

“It is expensive to take.”

“How expensive?” Adam asked. “The business is paying for it, we can afford it.”

“A hundred gold.”

“Done.”

“…” Jurot left to speak with the captain of the ship, a difficult task an hour before they were to leave, but as a steel rank adventurer, and an Iyrman at that, it was not quite so difficult.

With the cart settled within the ship, and the business’ purse lightened, the group stepped onto the ship. Dunes was glad to see the cart, which hid his gifts, and for once, was glad Adam was a fool about his cart.

Adam’s eyes glanced across the other passengers within the ship, most of whom were Iyrmen. ‘Don’t ask, Adam.’

Lucy inhaled the salty air and smiled. She glanced around the number of Iyrmen, some of whom were young, wearing copper tags, but many were within their twenties, thirties, and forties, holding higher ranks.

“I don’t like it,” a sailor whispered to another. “Too many Iyrmen.”

“You’ll be happy when the mermen attack us,” another replied.

“Don’t think Iyrmen are good in the water.”

“Better than us.”

“Doubt it. What are they going to do? Swim after the mermen?”

“Shut up, Jim.”

Adam greeted the other Iyrmen one by one with Jurot, before the Iyrmen gathered together to speak of their families tales.

‘I don’t like it,’ Adam thought. ‘If the Iyrmen are leaving South Port, it must mean something big is going to go down. Is it because of the orders?’

The travel across the sea was uneventful, no mermen or sea creatures to fill their tales, and no vicious storms, or portals to other realms.

“The sea’s so big,” Fred said, keeping to the centre of the ship, not wanting to get too close to the edge. He had been told not to wear his armour while on deck, same as the others, but without his chain, he felt naked, powerless.

Bark Port was a large town, one which they managed to arrive at when night fell across the sky, but Adam spent little time admiring it. The captain docked his ship, allowing the group to sleep within one of the inns, and Adam found himself a nice bath.

Omen: 10, 11

When morning came, the ship was gone, replacing its passengers with others, while Adam stared at a similar ship, but with an entirely new crew, and an entirely new set of passengers.

“Say that to my face,” the drakken growled to an unscrupulous adventurer.

“I didn’t mean no offence by it,” the adventurer replied, an older man, with thick white hair and a thick moustache across his lip. “I just thought your scales would make for some nice armour.”

“Why don’t we take this off the ship and we’ll see whose hide makes better armour?”

“You savages, always so eager to resort to violence.” The adventurer smirked wide, his eyes staring down at the drakken woman with an expectant gaze.

The captain watched as the pair made to fight, unable to stop either of them. The infamous pair, the older adventurer, and the drakken mercenary, were not people he could handle.

“I knew she’d be trouble,” Adam said, standing beside the captain. “Always is.”

“Keep your mouth shut, brat, I don’t want to drown beside you.”

“As if she could drown me,” Adam said, before stepping forward, feeling the captain’s hand at his shoulder. “Relax, relax. My brother and I will defuse the situation.”

“Okay,” Jurot said, cracking his neck, ready for a fight.

‘Mother Tempest help me…’