“Adam,” Jaygak said, approaching the young half elf, assisting him into his armour. “You have to win.”

“I’ll try my best.”

“No, you have to win. If you don’t, I’m going to tell Jirot you did not win for her sake.”

“You wouldn’t…”

“My grandaunt wished to accept the girl as her own, but it was refused. If you do not win now, how will you face her?”

“Jaygak… are you still joking?”

Jaygak let out a little snort beside his ear, tickling it as she strapped his belts tightly. “If you win, you win, bringing back glory for your family. If you lose, the business loses four thousand gold.”

“If I win, you need to speak about how amazing I was to my kids, no tricks.”

“Okay,” Jaygak replied.

“Promise?”

“Do you believe me to be a devilkin or an Iyrman? Did I not say okay?”

“Right,” Adam replied, filling with awkwardness.

“Cousin Adam,” Laygak called, also approaching, beginning to assist Adam to don his armour. “You must win.”

“What are you offering?” Adam chuckled lightly.

“I will tell Taygak.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“…” Adam’s entire body began to tingle. “Okay.”

Dunes threw a look to Amira, the young devilkin crossing her arms, eyeing up the others around. Unlike Jaygak and Laygak, and Lucy and Mara, she was actually a devilkin, just like Lady Sara. The pair exchanged a glance together.

‘Even Iyrmen have such worries…’

“To think that our Executive Jaygak exploded in such a way…” Dunes threw a look to Hope Willow. “It seems things have become serious.”

“Are you going to ask Adam not to kill our First Hope?” Willow joked.

“No,” Dunes replied. “I will refuse.”

“Why?”

Dunes glanced down at his empty cup. “I have no right to.”

“…” Willow wasn’t sure what was unnerving. The look on the young priest’s face, which was full of a seriousness of a man who was still atoning, or the fact that he was suggesting Adam might win.

Hope Thomas stood somewhat awkwardly, his entire body beginning to throb with pain, especially his shoulder and his arms, which ached all the way up to his elbows. Adam had struck him with a ferocity he had never been hit with before, not even by the First Hope. Such a heavy blow had threatened to kill him. He wanted to step up to the First Hope, but the First Hope held his blade out, stretching out his arms, while he whispered his prayers to himself.

‘The First Hope is taking it seriously…’

“How could she speak such words within the Holy Temple of Our Great Mother?” a Ray whispered, shaking her head.

“We should have expected such, the omens were dark.”

“Why are you speaking so dourly when the temple will receive such gold?”

“Do you believe they will donate so much gold?”

“The Iyrmen speak true, it is said.”

“It is said, but what of what the Iyrwoman spoke?”

“I will consider it true until they give us a reason to refuse to see it that way.”

Cobra shuffled up beside Rick. “Is the Executive, uh, the Iyrman, always like that?”

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“No,” Rick admitted. “It’s more surprising than how Executive Adam’s fighting the First Hope.”

“Is she okay?”

“The Executive thinks she’s the weakest of the Executives,” Rick said. “It’s true, but even as the weakest of the Executives, she’s stronger than any of us.”

“Sometimes noble speak about how their chariots only cost a thousand gold,” John said, leaning back in his seat, closing his eyes. “A chariot that costs a couple of hundred gold is already so much, but the nobles live in another world. Just like how we helped in slaying a hydra, Iyrmen get annoyed they didn’t get to fight it alone.”

“Hydras, or giant pythons,” Remy said.

John smiled, nodding to the porter, chuckling lightly.

“The Seventh Hope, he’s strong,” Remy said. “You wouldn’t see Nobby falling that easy to Adam’s axe.”

Jeremy threw Remy a look, but his cousin, who looked more like a twin, shrugged his shoulders. “You can’t say it, even if it’s true.”

“I’m not lying in the temple to Mother Soza.”

“…” Jeremy slowly bowed his head.

“Mister Adam’s fighting the First Hope?”

“That Iyrman, she’s so angry.”

“She’s so scary.”

“Hey now,” Julia said. “She was helping protect us, remember?”

“Yeah but…”

“Come on, now. Mister Adam’s helped us so much. Look, he brought us here, didn’t here? He let us have so many baths on the way, and it was every day! He used his magic to clean our clothes, and he fed us so much. He’s going to look after us, so we’ve got to cheer him on, okay?”

“Okay…”

Mother Priest watched over the pair as they prepared themselves to fight. First Hope Robert was powerful. Not just powerful, he was the First Hope. He was the strongest. His name commanded respect, not just in East Aldland, but across all of Aldland, and even to the lands beyond Aldland to the north and south.

“Sister Vonda, who do you believe will win?”

“Adam has lost three times. The first was to Jurot’s grandfather. The second was to a being similar to Lord Asa. The third was to the combined forces of Jurot, Kitool, and Jaygak. When Adam lost to Jurot’s grandfather, he was not even half as powerful as he was now, and he certainly did not hold such a great weapon.”

“…”

“I have learnt so much travelling with Adam and his companions. If you must, at the very least, do not bet against Adam.”

“You grew up seeing First Hope Robert.”

“I would bet on Adam.”

“…” Mother Priest glanced towards the young woman, whose eyes were glued to the young half elf, before she turned to face the pair once more.

“Thanks,” Adam said, nodding his head to the pair of Gaks.

“Do not forget, Adam,” Jaygak said, her lips forming a wide smirk.

Adam raised his brows, and motioned his head for her to sit down and watch. His attention then turned to the First Hope. ‘He’s got to be one of the strongest people I’ve faced.’

“I hope that this duel will wash away any darkness which remains between us all,” Mother Priest said. “I also hope that you take into consideration where we stand, and which Goddess this temple honours.”

“I assure you, young man, I will not kill you,” Robert said, opening his eyes, the boy within his sights.

“You know, First Hope…” Adam began, staring into Robert’s eyes as he put on his helmet, not yet pulling down his visor. “There is something worse than death.”

“What is that?”

“Living with the fact you didn’t die.” Adam glared at the First Hope, letting him see the rage within Adam’s eyes, before he dropped his visor. ‘I can’t lose. Baktu, do you hear me? I can’t lose.’

“Indeed, it does sound like a fate worse than death,” Robert replied, placing on his helmet, his small smile disappearing under his helmet.

Silence filled the air.

‘I can’t lose.’

‘I will teach you respect, boy.’

“Begin,” Mother Priest said.

Battle Order

D20 + 1 = 20 (19)

Adam’s entire body bolted forward. The young man moved as though he was the explosion of a fireball, his entire body flinging forward. He had no need to aim, he concentrated on being the first one to strike. Robert’s blade swung downwards to meet him, while Adam darted almost like a crossbow bolt let loose.

114 damage.

It was the damage which had floored the Seventh Hope, but the Seventh Hope was not the same as the First Hope.

While Jaygak and Laygak had assisted him in his armour, Adam had racked his brain.

Was there a way to defeat the First Hope in a single blow?

Thunderous Smite dealt 2D6 damage, but it couldn’t be cast using more Mana to deal more damage.

His smite, however, was able to deal greater damage, though he hadn’t wanted to reveal that just yet.

If only there was a smite which could be cast with more damage.

He had checked his spell list, which had ten spells he could use, though most of them had been for making his way to Life River, rather than to fight, trusting in the Order of Life’s Rose, or rather, trusting in Vonda’s faith in the First Hope.

The ten spells were fine, but he couldn’t use Fireball here.

What of Hex? Hex was fine, but if it was a single blow, it was worse than Thunderous Smite.

So he checked his spells, again and again.

Then he remembered.

He may have worshipped Lord Sozain, but he wasn’t a Priest of Death.

Forge’s Magic

Gain access to the prepared Forge Priest spells.

‘Does he believe he can hit me without looking?’ Hope Robert thought, while his sword continued to swing downwards, threatening to strike Adam’s shoulder. Though Hope Thomas was one of the most defensive amongst his peers, First Hope Robert was similar, priding himself in his defence.

What did this boy know of fighting? He knew less about combat than he knew about respect, the boy barely off from suckling the teet of his mother.

“Mother Soza’s fury,” came the chant to a Fourth Gate spell from the guardian.

“Lord Sozain’s fury,” came the chant of a spell from the fool. Adam’s voice trembled full of excitement and desperation, before the flames of the rising rage began to float towards his axe, accompanying the chill of the death known as Wraith.

Adam continued to charge forward, still not looking at Robert, his axe beginning to swing, both from his shoulder and his elbow.

Adam did not need to look at his enemy in order to beat him, he just needed to act first. He had rolled well, though his Dexterity was fairly low. Even so, it meant that he was probably going first, but there was a chance the First Hope still managed to roll better.

‘Even if I get hit, I’m going to make sure I beat you good!’

Adam plucked a Thread of Fate.