The group left the fort as it was, just in case they o retreat to it for any reason, and to allow anyone who came across it some needed fort.

  Adam made sure to bathe st that day, before donning his nightval bear leather and his pte mail. The noonval heat was beginning to wear him down, though Jaygak was quietly humming a tune.

  “We got everything?” Adam asked, double cheg the entire area, having dismahe inner ws of the camp.

  “We have everything which we take,” Kitool assured him.

  Adam threw a longing look at the walls, before tapping the earth. “You did us well, old friend. I wish you the best of fortunes.”

  Shamia looked to Jurot, who bowed his head.

  “He is queer,” Jurot expined.

  Shamia bowed her head.

  The parties met together, f roup once more, taking the same positions they had previously.

  “A sed elk?” Oliver asked.

  “Yes,” Adam said, eborating no further.

  “I’m gd to see it,” the adventurer admitted.

  “Don’t you have a Guardian too?” Adam threw a look to Matilda.

  “Yes,” Oliver said, before furrowing his brows. He turo look at Matilda, who avoided their gaze. There had been a reason as to why Matilda didn’t summoeed, but it was not something applicable to this situation.

  The group made their way, following the path they had taken. Soon they were away from the hills, and the porters were thankful for it.

  The journey back was not unpleasant, as the two Iron Rank parties, which loved to cause issues, remained silent most of the time. They were too tired to pick fights with the Half Elf.

  Adam smiled, enjoying the pead quiet.

  Omen: 7, 15

  “Going to spend that gold in the library?” Adam asked over dinner.

  Riodded. “I will.”

  Adam sighed. “I ’t wait to get back to the Iyr. I’m going to quit adventuring for at least a month.”

  Rick wasn’t sure that was what quitti, but he wasn’t as learned as Adam. “We’d have made a pretty penny.”

  “I’m going to buy some paint,” John, the farmer, stated.

  “Going to buy some for little Rian too?” Adam asked.

  “Suppose I should.”

  “Do you have any dye left?” Adam asked, looking to Charley.

  “Enough for the way back,” Charley replied, sipping her soup, tapping the bowl with her pinky.

  Adam looked t and Ivy, who were quite the quiet pair. He left them be, letting them sit in their peabsp;

  Lucy yawned. “It’s a shame the Outbreaks done. I hear there are Outbreaks with all kinds of monsters. We could have killed so many differeies.”

  “Don’t jinx us,” Adam grumbled. “We’re not out of the woods yet.”

  “We’re out of the hills at least,” Lucy said.

  “Right.”

  Omen: 9, 13

  The past two days had beeful, and Adam was gd for it. They could see the walls of Red Oak in the distance, and it filled Adam with great relief.

  ‘Finally!’ He sighed. ‘We did it. We mao get ba one piece.’

  “Are you going to disappear to bathe?” Jaygak asked.

  “Of course,” Adam replied, simply. “What else am I to do?”

  “Bread?” Jaygak asked, her eyes falling across Jurot.

  “That e after.”

  “Thank you again, Adam,” Shamia called from the side.

  “Any time, Lady Shamia. It’s only a det thing to do, to help another.”

  “Not all people are det.”

  “Yes, well, I do try.” Adam chuckled.

  Shamia was gd to have met Jurot again, as well as the Iyrman’s brother. She was sure that Fate had brought them together. Back then, she had almost falleo the gem troll, but sihen they had gained much greater powers, and they had gained new allies in shape of the two Tribesfolk.

  “Will you be fine heading into the town?” Shamia whispered towards Ironbde.

  “Fine,” Ironbde replied. “They will not cause trouble with the Iyrmen.”

  Shamia bowed her head. The Iyrmen allowed them great bes, and being a Noble from another try also helped. Hakor, the federa general, had very little hostility with Aldnd. There had been some skirmishes in the past, but due to hoart they were, with a mutual foe between, they were closer to allies than enemies.

  Hades swooped down, nding on Adam’s head. Adam stopped, pig up the bird from his head. He stared down into its eyes. ‘What did that mean again?’

  He turned.

  Perception CheckD20 + 3 = 14 (11)

  Adam stared at the pathway behind, before tossing Hades up, causing the owl to fly upwards. Once he was far enough, Adam trated, closing his eyes as his body shuddered, before he felt his wings beat, and he could see from the skies.

  Using Hades’ senses, he could see something in the distance. A rge swath of darkness, which eeding towards them. He snapped out of the bird, and quickly turned on his heel.

  “Run!” Adam shouted. “Go! Go go!”

  The group sped up under Adam’s insistence.

  “What’s wrong?” Oliver asked.

  “Outbreak,” Adam said. “Behind us.”

  Oliver nodded, and soon the whistles were blown, and the group sped towards the walls of Red Oak.

  “Kitool!” Adam shouted, nodding his head.

  Kitool darted away, and Azar joined her. “You must tell them of the Outbreak,” Kitool said, knowing that Azar was holding back. At her word, the Aswadian quickly rushed away.

  Jurot and Lucy remained he back, though they could have easily left the group.

  “How many are there?” Jurot asked.

  “Too many,” Adam said. “At least a hundred, probably more.”

  It would have been awkward to fight, sihe creatures outnumbered them at least five to one, and they did not have the walls of the outpost.

  However, the creatures were far quicker than the group, and they were swiftly catg up. Adam gnced back over his shoulders, seeing the myriad of creatures which were charging towards them.

  ‘We might not make it,’ Adam thought, before his eyes so Brittany and Nobby. Brittany could also move swiftly, and perhaps was the swiftest out of them all, but she remained with Nobby. Then his eyes fell to the identical looking cousins, who were carrying rge packs full of hides.

  “Toss the hides on the cart,” Adam said.

  “Careful!” came shouts from ahead, and as the group looked ahead, they watched as Oliver cut through one of the mules, causing it to stagger and drop. Luckily, Matilda’s elk was already pulling the cart along so they didn’t o give up anything.

  Vonda inhaled sharply, not liking the fact they had to give up a life, but it was better that it was the mule and not them. ‘Mother Soza, five us.’

  The seule cried, and it staggered, its hind leg wounded, causing it to slow. The group passed it by, and Adam pat it against its babsp;

  “Sorry, ol’ girl,” he said, before rushing forward.

  However, it did not stop the Outbreak for long, and most of it tio charge forward. It was made up of all kinds of creatures, from bears, to wolves, to bearwolves. Adam was too worried to think about the ck inality of the creatures this time.

  Hades flew up ahead, and Adam he ck of flying creatures.

  “Jurot,” Adam said.

  “Yes?”

  “I’ll be back.”

  Mana: 18 -> 15Spell: Fly

  Adam stopped, pressing a hand to his breastpte as he ted the words to his spell, motioning with his other hand. “Flight, please.” He wasn’t sure what else to t as his Mana rushed through his body, and he leapt into the air, before flying towards the mass of creatures.

  Mana: 15 -> 12Spell: Fireball8D6 = 36 (2, 3, 3, 4, 6, 6, 6, 6)36 damage!

  Mana: 12 -> 9Spell: Fireball8D6 = 34 (3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5)34 damage!

  Mana: 9 -> 6Spell: Fireball8D6 = 28 (2, 2, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 5)28 damage!

  Mana: 6 -> 3Spell: Fireball8D6 = 31 (1, 2, 2, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6)31 damage!

  Mana: 3 -> 0Spell: Fireball8D6 = 37 (1, 4, 4, 4, 6, 6, 6, 6)37 damage!

  Adam rained Fireballs from the sky towards the rge group of creatures, killing a rge portion of the creatures, and heavily wounding many others. However, about two thirds of the Outbreak was still fresh, and so Adam shot out his Fme Bolts trick, which did not require much Mana.

  He killed as many as he could with his Fme Bolts, thinning the herd as best as he could, flying away from them as he did. He tried his best to stay far enough away from them, pulling away every few bolts so that they couldn’t poun him as he slowed to a near halt to cast his Fme Bolts.

  “We won’t make it!” Mikay gasped, being pulled along by her panions, before one of the Aldishmen grabbed her, tossing her over his shoulder. She screamed for a moment, before Twobone growled at her to shut up.

  The young Wizard woman looked up at the flying Adam. “He’s flying for now, but if we hit him, he’ll fall. It would give us more time.”

  “You’d be cut down before the spell flew from your hands,” Jurot warned her. Adam had pulled back to deal with the Outbreak to slow it down and to give them a greater ce, ahe Scribe Mage woman still wanted more from him?

  For a moment, just a moment, the thought of grabbing her and tossio the Outbreak passed through Jurot’s mind, but it disappeared as quickly as it had e into his mind.

  He was not Aldish.

  The group approached the two figures they had sent ahead, and in front of them were the town gates.

  They were close.

  They were closed.

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