“Is he really going to risk his life for someone he has known for only a few weeks?” the Shaman asked, gng towards Dargon.

  “Is that so surprising?” Dargon asked, marg forward alongside her. Adam was far ahead, out of earshot from their versation, though they spoke in their own tongue, so they doubted he could uand.

  “Yes.”

  “If Turot, the boy who shouted after us as we left, was killed by Red Oak, what would you do?” Dargon asked, casually.

  “I’d do what any Iyrman would do,” the Shaman replied, simply. She wondered why he even o ask such a ridiculous question.

  “It is the way of the Iyr,” Dargon said, nodding his head. “Just how much blood would we spill for the life of one of our children?”

  “They must never fet what happens if they dare to bare their fangs towards us,” the devilkin Shaman said, but she uood his point. The Iyr would do ridiculous things in the eyes of others.

  Dagon stared at Adam’s back. “Adam came to the Iyr for the sake of Sonarot and her newborn child.”

  The Shaman furrowed her brows. “He arrived before the girl’s birth.”

  Dargon nodded his head.

  "How did he know?”

  Dargon shrugged his shoulders. “His past life?” He thought about it, w if Adam’s nonsensical words were true. Tazwyn seemed to believe so. ‘This is a great ce for you to prove yourself to us, Adam.’

  “You don’t believe that, do you?”

  “I had to keep an eye on him on the way,” Dargon said. “Including Tazwyn, whose dising eyes are much better at this sort of thing. There was a moment where I thought his iions were impure, when we came across Balrog, but thanks to him, my story has only bee greater.” Dargon watched as Adam sed the trees around them. Then his eyes fell to Jurot. “And, of all the people, it was he who allowed Jurot to wash away the stain of his past.”

  The Shaman stared at the pair of young men ahead of them. She uood what it had meant for Jurot to be able to finally gain closure oter of the past. She bowed her head.

  Lykan stood ahead of the gates, waiting for the ten to approach. He had received news from the Main Iyr about the task at hand, and had already prepared the items the Iyrmen would need. Not just the Iyrmen, but also that youngster. He shook his head slowly. “It hasn’t been that long and you’ve already…”

  “Elder Lykan,” the orcish Iyrman, reeted the Elder, and paid his respects.

  “I have received word,” the Elder replied. “Please, e a. The equipment will be prepared and you may set out in the m.” Lykan gnced down towards Jurot and Adam. “I didn’t expeeet you both like this.”

  “It is my mother who is unwell,” Jurot said. “I will go and bring back the herb, as expected of me.”

  “I won’t let anything happen to her.” Adam said.

  “Is it a ce that she fell sice you had arrived?” Elder Lykan asked, the other Iyrman stariween the pair.

  “I don’t know,” Adam admitted. “She shouldn’t have fallen sick.”

  “You sound very fident.”

  “That’s because I saw it,” Adam said, simply. “She shouldn’t have fallen sick.”

  Lykan stared down into Adam’s eyes for a long while, before he turned ahe group forward to their lodgings.

  Adam and Jurot would have to bunk up together, which was expected of them. Adam dropped his pack to the side and then sat down on the bed, sighing. ‘We’re going to waste a day walking to Front Iyr…’

  “Adam,” called Okvar, who knocked on the door and waited.

  “Yes?”

  “e,” he said.

  Adam stepped out to see the Iyrman holding out a shirt made of dark scales. “A scale shirt, for prote,” Okvar said, handing it over.

  Adam took it from him, staring at it. It was well made, but that was to be expected. It was much lighter than his mail, by quite a rge amount, but it wouldn’t provide him as much prote.

  “This is for me?”

  “As long as you wear it, and don’t keep too many things on your person, you should be able to swim if you fall.”

  “Thank you,” Adam said, smiling. He only required two straps towards the waist.

  “You will be handed a helmet tomorrow m before we go as well.”

  “Oh, that’s very kind of you. Thank you.”

  “It is no matter.” The older Iyrman pced a hand on his shoulder. “e, we are to feast tonight. Wujyn wishes to speak of a tale.”

  With that, Adam and Jurot joihe other Iyrmen for dinner, which was a giant boar and assortment of fruit.

  “It appeared from the heavens,” Wujyn whispered, most way through her tale. “Its scales were as bck as death, and I could hear Baktu call my name.” She brought up her axes, revealing their beauty to the Iyrmen about. “The wyvern came upon me quickly, but not so quick that I could not reay ons. We fought, from the sed hill to the third, and the brats behind me fell against the trees.” The beautiful devilkin pulled up her shirt to reveal a most gruesome scar at her side. “It plus stinger deep into me, and the poison coursed through me. I brought one axe across its throat, and ao clip its arm wing! I did not fall that day!”

  “It would have been a good death,” Okvar said, nodding his head slowly at his patriot. Wujyn and he had not told Adam their ranks, but the half elf imagihey were Mithril Rank.

  “It would have, but fortune on me, and I did not die. It was only seds ter when the sed wyvern crashed against my party! I turned a into the fray, my battleaxes barely gripped within my hands!” She grinned wide, raising her ons. “I had never been so close to Baktu as I had on that day.” She sheathed her ons, sighing wistfully.

  Jurot had leaned in to hear the story, nodding his head stantly as she spoke. “I will die to a dragon,” he said, bluntly. “Like my uncle!”

  Adam hadn’t heard about the tale of his uncle, but thought about how he wao die. “I want to die peacefully, in my sleep, surrounded by my loved ones, who will have lived happier lives than me.” He smiled, thinking about his wish. “Or beside Jurot.” He chuckled lightly.

  “An iing pair of options.” Dargon smiled. “I will die in a storm of my foe’s blood.”

  “And I, for the Iyr,” Wujyn said, smiling wide.

  “You know, maybe we shouldn’t talk about our deaths,” Adam said, narrowing his eyes. “Not until we return to aunt with her herb.” Adam g them all. “A good death wait.”

  Wujyn chuckled. “You need have no worry.” She reached over and pat his back. “We will return with the herb.”

  The other Iyrmen began with their own tales. Rokat, who was the Shaman’s twin sister, spoke of her tale, where she had goh Sikvar to the Order of the Thousand Hunts, which would hunt down powerful monsters, to sy the three manticores of the region.

  Ohe tales were told, they returo their beds. Jurot sat on his bed, and Adam y against it, ying on his back, rubbing his stomach.

  “Hey, Jurot?”

  “Yes?”

  “Why are all the devilkin women around us so beautiful?” Adam thought about the three women. Lokat, the Shaman, and Rokat, her twin sister, were utterly geous. Wujyn, who was ie fifties or so, was also beautiful.

  “It is their good fortune.”

  “And ours.” Adam chuckled.

  “You are too weak to hahem.”

  Adam g Jurot, who had raised his brow at the half elf. “You’re n about that.” Adam chuckled again.

  Jurot shook his head and brought out a piece of wood. He began to work on it with his dagger, carving out the rough shape.

  "What are you carving?"

  "An owl," Jurot said. "It will watch over mother."

  “Oh, cool.” Adam rexed in his bed. ‘An owl?’ He sat up. “Does the Front Iyr have pos for spells?”

  "It does, but did you n yems?”

  "I use gems instead?"

  Jurot nodded his head. “Gem dust works.”

  “Oh.” Adam nodded his head. “The gems I have are worth a little more than what I hough.”

  “You may ask Elder Lykan,” Jurot offered.

  Adam frowhinking about the Elder’s rea. “I don’t think he likes me.”

  “I do not believe he dislikes you. Elder Lykan is responsible for allowing you through, so if you do something, it will reflect poorly on him.”

  “Do you think I did something to your mother?”

  “No,” Jurot said. “I do not believe you are so stupid.”

  Adam smiled. “Alright, I guess I should go speak with him.” Adam hopped out of bed and made his way to find Elder Lykan.

  He found the Elder sitting around the fire, talking with a few of the children, who had turheir attention to the half elf who had approached.

  “Good evening, Elder Lykan, I apologise for b you. I was just w if perhaps I could trade for some gem dust to be used in my spells?”

  “What do you for?” Elder Lykan asked, staring at the half elf with a cold look.

  Adam shuddered. The man had Amokan’s eyes, who had looked at him quite fondly in the Iyr. “I for a spell of mine.”

  “Which spell?”

  “Find Familiar.”

  “You would dare summon a familiar in the Iyr?” Lykan raised his brows, amused by what he was hearing.

  “No, I’m not that stupid, like how I’m not stupid enough to do anything to my aunt.” Adam’s eyes gzed over with a gre.

  Elder Lykan stared at him, noting the look in the half elf’s eyes. “Very well.” He stood. “I will finish the tale aime.”

  “Aw,” the children grumbled.

  The Elder took the half elf to his own abode. “How much do you need?”

  Currency: (2) Tiger Eye -> (1) Tiger Eye

  “That’s a lot of familiars.”

  “I have no doubt he’s going to get killed a few times.”

  ‘He?’ Lykan just nodded. He disappeared into his home aurned not even a mier. The Elder handed him the gem’s worth in gem dust, which would allow him to summon his familiar five times, as long as he had the other pos to the spell.

  “Thank you,” Adam said, nodding his head, before turning on his heel and swiftly marg away.

  Omen: 13, 14

  Adam awoke in the m to eat a light meal, though the Iyrmen were ravenous. He hat Wujyn and Rokat both had acquired a simir armour to him, a shirt made of dark scales.

  “I wish you the best of luck,” Lykan said, shaking each of their forearms, including Adam’s.

  “e home safely!” the children shouted, watg as they made their way out towards the death trap.

  The group made their way to the river beyond the wall, where it raged. The Shaman then reached into her cloak and pulled out a small toy boat. She whispered a few words and it expanded into the river, though it was somehow still within the raging water.

  Adam stared at the river boat ahead of him, which was etched with all kinds of runes. I within the sides of the boat were at least a dozen gems, each worth at least a hundred gold pieces, with ane set of gems set within figurehead of the boat, which was carved like a dragon. There was a small sail too.

  “Nice boat,” Adam said.

  “I will use my magic to power the boat, but there may be times where you will be required to row,” Lokat said.

  “Would I be able to power it with my magic?” Adam asked.

  “Perhaps,” she said. “How many spells you cast?”

  “Three, though only those at the level of Find Familiar.”

  “You may power it twice at the beginning of the day, and I will power it beyond.”

  Adam nodded, hopping onto the boat with the others. They put away their packs below deck, though the Iyrmen each kept their ons nearby.

  Lokat grabbed Adam’s hand, which made him freeze for a moment, before she brought it to the figurehead. “Expend yic,” she said.

  “Right,” he said.

  Mana: 3 -> 2

  The gems fshed for a moment as the sails unfurled above him and the boat bsted forward, much quicker than he expected.

  “Woo!” Adam excimed like a little boy.

  stitution SaveD20 + 4 = 24 (20)

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  Will he leave safely?