“I’m sorry about all that,” Paul said ie afternoon.

  “That’s life,” Adam replied. “I didn’t expect them to be so antagonistic towards an Adventurer within the Guild. Is Deadwood part of South Aldnd too?”

  “No, but they are part of tral Aldnd, which distrust Elves just as much.”

  “Why is that?”

  “The capital is withiral Aldnd, and the King has the most influehin it, even in its most distant town of Deadwood.”

  “That is unfortunate.” Adam sighed.

  “I will send word to the tess about the matter,” Paul said, rubbing his forehead.

  “Send her word?” Aizaban asked. “How dare she look down on you! Should I go make a mess?”

  “No!” Paul snapped his head towards his wife. “I deal with this.”

  Aizaban smiled, reag up to brush his hair.

  “Oi, would you two stop flirting in front of me?”

  “We’re not flirting,” Paul replied, weakly.

  “I’ll flirt with my husband wherever I please,” Aizaban replied, simply.

  Adam rolled his eyes. “There’s o blow this out of proportion. If you want to send wo ahead, but make hat Adam and Fate’s Golden will not take requests for any Nobility within Deadwood. We do that much, right?”

  “It’s awkward to go against Nobility, but since her side started the fight, it shouldn’t matter. Plus, you’re still only an Iron Rank Adventurer.”

  “No I’m not,” Adam said. “I’m Copper Rank.”

  “What?” Paul said, staring at him. “You are?”

  “Yeah,” Adam said, motioning to his Copper Rank Tag.

  Paul bli it, before rubbing his forehead again. “ht. We should fix that as soon as possible. Would you like to get that fixed now?”

  “Nah, it’ll be fine.” Adam waved his hand casually. “It’s not like there’s a huge be to going up to Iron Rank, and the fees remain the same.”

  Paul sighed. He had meant to Rank Up both Adam and Jurot, but after hearing that Adam could ent, he had been pletely engulfed in his thoughts. ‘Enting. Alchemy. Magic. Martial.’ Paul sighed again.

  Aizaban rubbed his back gently. “Thinking too much is bad for you.”

  “I guess I should remain in this inn until we’re ready to head out,” Adam said, gng out his window to see a Guard staring at him. “I don’t think they’ll appreciate me leaving.”

  “It shouldn’t be quite so bad in Eagle Wing,” Paul said, though he was uain the moment the words slipped out of his lips.

  Adam spent the few days in the inn, rexing. Fate’s Golden would visit in the m and the evening, and they would bring Jurot some blocks of wood so he could carve into them. He created almost a dozen different figurines, all in silence.

  ‘Damn,’ Adam thought, noting just how much focus Jurot managed whilst carving into the wood.

  The wooden carvings were of various different animals, though some were of a more simple design, and others were more intricately carved.

  Omen: 8, 13

  “So we finally leave this horrid pce, eh?” Adam said once he met Sir Harvey, who looked slightly haggard.

  The Guards nearby threw him a gre, but with Aizaban and Lanban beside him, he felt further at ease.

  “You should be careful with your words, stranger,” came the dark voice of a woman. She was adorned in dark breastpte, and at her sides she wielded a pair of shortswords, each made of Deadwood. Along her shoulders was a long cape, made of bck.

  “It was quite horrid, being fined in an inn room,” Adam said. “You’ll have tive my words, I’m a little stir crazy from being trapped.”

  “You had the freedom to leave and walk as you pleased,” the woman said. “You could have felt the cool breeze on your skihe sights, spent your in our shops.”

  “And give you all an excuse to imprison me? Oh, be careful! That Elf walked a little too quickly! Oh, look at him, he reached for his sword to try and threaten the shopkeeper, let’s fet the fact that his pouch is at his side?” Adam rolled his eyes, but realised she couldn’t see them, so rolled his head instead. “I might be a fner, but I know how easy it is for you to make an excuse to do as you please. If I’m not wele, then my s areher.”

  “Speaking ill against a Knight is punishable by death,” the woman warned. “You should be careful.”

  “I only thank you for proving my point,” Adam said, as Sir Harvey stepped forward to break up the fight.

  ‘This Elf is trying to get himself killed.’ He cleared his throat. “After the war, the behaviour towards Elf has soured. It is your people’s fault.”

  “My people had nothing to do with it,” Adam said. “Just because I’m an Elf, doesn’t mean I know every other Elf in this nd. Last I recalled, Sir Royce, the previous Knight of Death, held a different opinion. I wonder if the King will bring him to justice, or if Sir Royce will be able to walk about freely as he pleases, with that giant maul at his back.”

  Sir Harvey gred at Adam. “This is Sir Enna, Darkknight of Deadwood. This is Adam, Copper Rank Adventurer.”

  “Nephew of the Rot family,” Adam said. “If yoing to introduce us, at least do so fairly, Sir Harvey. I wouldn’t introduce you as Sir Harvey, he who entraps you between Guards.” Adam shook his head. “Don’t you start as well.”

  “I merely was stating your Rank, as I had done Sir Enna’s,” Sir Harvey said.

  “Save your sophistry,” Adam said. “There’s o waste your breath on little ol’ me.”

  Jurot pced a hand on Adam’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, don’t worry about me. I’m just trying to py their little game with them, but it’s a little awkward when the peons begin to stand up for themselves.” Adam pat Jurot on his back. “Since I’m not sure which statements are uional, I o make sure they’re truthful on all ats.”

  “It is a very dangerous game,” Jurot said. “Even if you speak the truth, the Nobility in this nd will not appreciate it.”

  Adam threw a look to Jurot, noting his warning. ‘Right, I’m not in the Iyr. I should be more careful…’ Adam sighed.

  They tinued along their way, following the road. The group carried extra supplies for the jourhough the Iyrmen proved far more useful with their ability to gather food and find fresh water for them to drink, evehey were away from a stream. The hills to their right quickly gave way as they circled around the forest to their left, heading generally northward. They travelled along the road, with Sir Harvey tinuing to find various pnts whehey took their frequent breaks on his behest.

  “We will rest the night here,” Sir Harvey said at the end of their sed day on the road. They had veered away towards a small area which was only used by Adventurers, as they had done so thus far.

  Adam found a pce away from Sir Merrid Sir Enna, with Lanban iween Fate’s Golden and the Sirs, and Paul and Aizaban to the other side of the younger party, keeping their fnk secure.

  Perception Check D20 + 3 = 20 (17)

  As Adam pulled out his b, he noted something dug in the earth. He squi it, before he brought one of his axes out and dug into the earth slightly with his bde, before the gem popped right out.

  He reached for the gem and picked it up, noting it was caked in something dry and dark. Before he could ask Jurot for his thoughts, he felt something within the gem pulse.

  ‘What?’ Adam thought.

  He remained holding it for a long while, staring at it.

  The other members of Fate’s Golden gnced his way, w what was in his hands.

  “Is that a gem?” Jurot asked.

  “I think so,” Adam replied, holding it up. “It feels like a gem, but…”

  “But what?” Jurot asked, keeping an eye on the gem. It wasn’t like a gem he had seen in the Iyr, and he had seen many gems.

  “It,” Adam said, feeling the pulse again, “is pulsing. Roughly once a minute or so.”

  “A pulsing gem?” Kitool asked, staring at it.

  “Do you know anything about it?” Adam asked, holding it up to them.

  The trio leaned in to stare at the gem long and hard, before it pulsed again.

  “Blood,” Jurot said.

  “What?”

  “There is blood on the gem.” He motioned with a thick fiowards the dried darkness. “That is blood.”

  “Blood, eh? Adam said, staring at the gem. “That’s foreboding.”

  “Do you feel any different?” Kitool asked.

  “No.”

  “Then perhaps it isn’t dangerous?”

  “It’s definitely dangerous,” Kitool said, gng at Jaygak.

  Jaygak rolled her eyes. “Well, sure, but we could hope…”

  “You should be careful with that gem,” Kitool said.

  “I’ll be as careful as I be.” Adam pced it inside some cloth, before pg it into the bottom of his backpack, under his spellbook. ‘I hope it doesn’t end up being something creepy.’

  Omen: 2, 3

  There he stood. It was a man who stood taller than any other man Adam had ever seen. He came like a mountain, adorned in heavy pte mail from head to toe, with a sword as big as he strapped to his back.

  “Whoa,” Adam whispered, staring at the huge fellow.

  “Sir Robert, the Mountain,” Paul said, nodding his head slowly.

  Sir Robert remained silent.

  ‘Sir Robert? The Mountain?’ Adam almost chuckled, but he could feel the pressure in the air.

  “Have you seen him?” Sir Robert asked, his voice deep, like uhed gravel.

  “Who?” Paul replied.

  “The Knight of Death.”

  “The previous Knight of Death,” Paul corrected, “but yes. He was heading down south, to Ever Green.”

  Sir Rrunted, shambling forast the group. Paul remaiehe eime, not rexing even as they walked past one another.

  Sir Robert’s steps stopped. “What’s an Elf like you doing so far north?”

  Adam stopped, Paul quickly steppiween the pair. Lanban and Aizaban remained close by too, with Aizaban whispering, half praying for a fight against the one known as the Mountain.

  “I’m only half an Elf,” Adam said. “I’m free to move as I please, as long as I don’t bother anyone.”

  Sir Robert had half turned back to look at the Half Elf in puthral pte mail. The three warriors, including the Vice Master of the Guild, were definitely proteg him. It would be a difficult fight, one he wouldn’t win, but would he be able to sy Adam during the fray? His eyes sed the pair of Iyrmen, as well as the Silver Rank Adventurer. ‘No.’

  “Whatever qualms you have with Elves, don't take it up with me. I’m an i little Elf, trying to make my way in the world."

  "You should be careful with your words," Sir Robert replied. “Lying to a Knight get you killed.”

  “I’ve said no lie,” Adam said. “If you don’t wish to hear what I have to say, don’t ask questions.”

  Sir Rred at Adam though his helmet. "There will e a time when you won't have so many warriors beside you."

  "There will e a time when I won't hem," Adam replied, resting his arm against the magical bde at his side.

  Sir Robert turned a, his heavy boots thunking onto the ground, before they faded in the distance.

  “What was his problem?" Adam asked.

  "He's Sir Robert the Mountain," Paul said.

  "Sir Rockhill," Aizaban said.

  "Rockhill?” Adam asked. “No wonder he doesn’t like Elves…”

  Adam stared at the huge figure’s back.

  'Hey, Bell? How strong was he?'

  [Strohan Paul.]

  'Strohan Silver Rank, huh? Looks like I've been spending too much experien ons and not enough on my Level.'

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  Adam randomly finding people who want to kill him.