“Whoa,” Adam whispered, staring at Deadwood.

  The town was huge, surrounded by rge bck trees, which stood like statues, each spaced twenty metres apart. They were a sed wall in front of the stone wall which surrouhe towhe side of the town, towards where it met the hills, was a rge tree, one which could be seen even from where they stood.

  “Those are the Deadwood,” Paul said. “Wheown is threatehey be called to defend it.”

  “That’s even cooler than I thought. I thought it would be like Red Oak, but to think that the Deadwood be awakened…” Adam whistled.

  “They do possess wood from the Deadwood, but it is extremely rare,” Jurot said. “Red Oak be grown well over the geions, but there is only a single Deadwood tree, which is uhose guardians. When the branches and twigs fall, they are able to procure the wood. If someoo forcible remove a branch, it would never grow again.”

  ‘This fantasy world is so cool,’ Adam thought. “This world is way cooler than st time. Now that I think about it, was there Deadwood st time?” Adam squihinking deeply. ‘No, hold on, the entire world is different.’

  The others had tuned him out, unsure of whether he was crazy, sick, or both.

  The Iyrmen, oher hand, paid closer attention to him, especially Aizaban and Lanban, purely because Jurot seemed to believe his words. Jurot wasn’t known for his intelligence, but he was still an Iyrman, and it would have been difficult for Adam to vince him of such madness. There was also the fact that Adam had been weled as a Nephew of the family, which meant there was a level of trust between he and the family.

  As they approached the gates, the Guards held out a hand for them to stop. They wore mail, with bck tabards over their over their armour. The sigil of Deadwood, a long, thin tree with no leaves, rinted into the cloth. They wielded spears in hand, and there was a shield which was half tied to their side.

  “Halt,” a Guard said, their eyes sing the group, before they noted a peculiar form. It was a man who wore breast pte, stamped with the sigil of Red Oak, their a rivals.

  Sir Merrioting that they had noticed his sigil, raised his voice. “Sir Merrick Crimsonwood, Seventh Branch of the Oakguard!” he decred. “Apanying Sir Harvey, High Alchemist of Red Oak!”

  The pair of Guard gnced between one another, uanding that this situation was above their pay grade. “Do you have your papers?”

  Sir Merrick stepped forward, produg the papers, and revealed two identity ptes too, which the Guards took around back to double chebsp;

  “They’re quite thh,” Adam said. He had recalled the time when they had to go past South Fort, and it was about as thh as this.

  “They’re g to be an Oakguard and a High Alchemist so they must show proof,” Paul said.

  “What about you?” Adam asked. “Aren’t you the Vice Master?”

  “Yes, and I’m sure they’ve reised me, but I am not here as Vice Master Paul, but Paul, the Silver Rank Adventurer.”

  “Thank you for waiting, good Sirs,” the Guards said as they returned, bringing with them four more of their panions. “An escort to guide you to the manor in which you’ll be staying.”

  Sir Merriodded.

  The fuards he pair of Iyrmen, and remained on full alert as they marched through the main road of the town. Many of the buildings were made of wood, most of them small shacks stacked two or three high, though Adam noted a few buildings which were stacked four or five high, though they were sprihrough the town.

  The bustling streets very quickly gave way to the Guards and the group which had arrived, causing all sorts to point and gossip between one another, whereas young urs slipped away into the shadows, going to inform their various masters of the newers.

  They slipped away from the main road, and were led to a different district, where there was an inner wall separating it away from the riff raff. The Guards quickly chatted, before the group were led into a district where the buildings were built sparsely apart, with their own walls, f estates.

  The Guards walked up to ae with its own pair of Guards, each who wore a single breast pte, and carried with them a spear, and a bde at their side.

  “Sir Harvey, High Alchemist of Red Oak,” a Guard stated, introdug their charge.

  The estate Guards stamped their boots and raised their spears, before smming their spears down. With that, the fuards led them into the estate, whicluded a small yard upfront, and a single buildings, which hid the buildings where the help lived behind it.

  The building was built three stories high, and easily held fifty or sixty of the shacks he had seen previously. As they entered, a Manservant approached them, quickly taking the cloak from the High Alchemist, before leading him away. Another dozen Servants appeared, each ready to assist their new guests.

  “We get to stay here?” Adam asked, gng all around the building. The room they were in had a rge staircase ahead of them, and acious enough for at least fifty people to rex in quite fortably.

  “The High Alchemist of Red Oak is always wele in Deadwood,” a Servant said.

  Adam whistled as the Servant tried to assist him, but he pced a hand up. “I like my stuff with me,” he said. “If I was an Alchemist, would I be treated just as well if I came to this town?”

  “If you were a High Alchemist,” the Servant said, stepping back a respectful distaaring at the man in puthral armour.

  “Well, I’m only a blunt away,” Adam said.

  The Servant bli him. “We don’t alls withiate.”

  “How else is a Half Elf meant to have fun?” Adam asked, removing his helmet, revealing his pointed ears to the Servants.

  Most of them avoided looking at him, and even the Servant who had been so eager to assist, gnced away.

  ‘I’m not that ugly, am I?’

  Adam and the rest of Fate’s Golden were led to their own rooms, some way away from Sir Merrid the High Alchemist. Once he was in his room, he slipped out of his armour, before partaking in the ohiruly wished to do when he had arrived into town.

  He sighed, feeling the hot water all over his body as he slipped into the bath. “Oh yeah,” he said, grabbing some soap from the Servant beside him, before rubbing his chest. He jerked, the water spshing all about as he stared at the Servant who had followed him in. “What are you doing?” Adam cried.

  “I am here to assist you with your bath,” the Servant said.

  “No! No thank you!” Adam stared up at the Servant, full of shock. He hadn’t noticed the Servant, as though they did. “Out!”

  The Servant bowed his head and quickly slipped away, leaving the towel and a fresh pair of clothing for him he bath on a et.

  ‘Was he there the eime?’ Adam wondered. He sunk into the bath. ‘My innoce!’

  Once he was done, with the fatigue of travel havi his muscles, he made his way into his room, wearing his new set of clothing. He kept a close eye on the Servant. “Hey, I don’t need you around, so you just leave.”

  “I am here to assist you with whatever you need,” the Servant said.

  “I need you to get the fuck outta my room,” Adam said, staring at the Servant, who bowed his head, a. It was weird for someoo attend to him, especially someone who robably gleaning information about him to send to his master.

  Eventually, dinner was served, with Sir Merrid Sir Harvey eating with the oners. The Servants had prepared eborate meals for the pair of Nobles, as well as Duhough the meals for the oners wasn’t so bad.

  ‘Traitor,’ Adam thought, looking at how well Dunes was being treated. ‘I should have expected the Priest to be one of them.’

  Adam ate his food slowly, tasting each different fvour of the various fruits aables, as well as the meat. He also noticed how Paul had cut part of the meat served to him and had pced it at the far edge of his pte, which Aizaban quickly swiped to eat. ‘Look at those two, flirting in publi utter disgrace.’

  “We will remain here for three days,” Sir Harvey said, once most of the food had beeen. “I will be assisting the tess with some matters.”

  “As long as we get paid,” Adam said, smirking up at him as the Servants began to repce the dishes with dessert. “What do you guys think? It’s not so bad, is it?” He smirked to the rest of his party.

  “You were going to go without us to a pce like this?” Dunes asked, dabbing his lips with a fresh handkerchief. “You pretend to care about us just so you have fun.”

  “You say that after the greatest Knight in the North attacks you,” Adam asid.

  “Ah, right,” Dunes replied, trying to not break a smile.

  “Since we have two Iyrmen from the Ban family, I’m not worried,” Adam said. “Though the dragon might pose an issue.” Adam he Servants nearby, who were pretending to not listen to their versation.

  “How do you know there will be a dragon?” Dunes asked, taking a sip of his wine.

  “I don’t know if there will be a dragon,” Adam admitted. “That’s not up to me, really.”

  “Why do you think there will be a dragon?” Dunes asked.

  Adam smiled, w how he should respond. “Well, why wouldn’t there be a dragon?”

  “Dragons don’t appear randomly, Adam,” Dunes said. “How many dragons have you e across so far that it’s a on occurrence for you?”

  Adam threw a look to Jurot, trying to hide his smile. “Well, let’s say I have met more than zerons in my time.”

  Dunes bli Adam, uo sip any more of his wine. “You’ve met a dragon?”

  “At least one,” Adam said, winking at the Priest.

  Dunes looked to Jurot, then back to Adam. “Who was it?”

  “Are dragons so on that you know them by name?” Adam asked.

  “There are many dragons who are active around this region. There are a few within Aswadasad, and I know that Queen Silvari rules the Drakken Kingdom to the north of Aldnd.”

  “Well, I’m not sure I should be giving out names of the dragons I know so willy nilly, but let’s say I’ve met at least one.”

  “It’s very ve for you to say that. I could say that I have met a dragon and not mention their name.”

  “If you don’t believe me, ask Jurot,” Adam said.

  Dunes looked to Jurot again, who nodded. ‘Do I have to get used to this too?’ He cleared his throat. “So why do you know that a dragon might show up?”

  “Fate,” Adam replied.

  Duared at Adam for a long moment. “I need some more wine.”

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