Rose and the rest of the Red River Squad blinked, staring at the pair before them.

  “You did not use Wraith?” Jurot asked casually, sheathing Phantom.

  Adam did the same with Wraith, smirking at the question. “I didn’t feel the o. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you use Mighty Roar before.”

  “I would not have defeated it so easily without it,” Jurot said. He had never felt the o use Mighty Roar, but sidering there were six others who were with them, and Adam wahem not to die, he had decided to use his shield’s charges.

  “You killed three urkas?” Rose asked, her voice trembling. She could see the Iyrman was wounded, his body battered by the earth, but he stood tall, as though he could fight another urka. Adam, oher hand, was fihough his shield had been battered by the foe. It had somehow not mao even nd a gng blow on Adam’s puthral pte mail.

  “No,” Adam replied, motioning to them all. “We killed three urkas.”

  ‘We?’ Rose thought, looking to her panions, who were still unsure of what had happened.

  “Ertas,” Jurot said, gng betweehree. In the back of his mind, he wondered how they had mao defeat them so easily, but the aood beside him. “They are creatures whi for many reasons.”

  The Iyrman began to walk around the area, his eyes gng betweehree creatures, trying to recall where they had formed. He began to dig with his hands, shifting through the loose earth, befrabbing something, pulling it out of the earth slowly. He revealed the item to everyone.

  Adam could only spot earth, which looked like any other, but this earth g together, and moved almost like jelly. “What is that?”

  “Livih,” Jurot replied. “The ertas came to life to protect it. It would grow over weeks, months, and years. It was good that we were able to defeat them, or else the forest would prove too dangerous for the adventurers.”

  “How strong are these ertas?”

  “I was unsure if I would be able to defeat them, even with Phantom,” Jurot admitted.

  “They’re that strong?” Adam replied, his brows raised in shobsp;

  “Yes.”

  “Oh. Why did we fight them then?”

  “You wao.”

  “Oh,” Adam replied, quietly. “Right. We really o find a way to unicate that sort of thing. I don’t want to fight anything that’s strong enough to give you pause.” Adam felt his spell fade, the magiable to find something to tto for too long.

  “Okay.”

  Rose blinked. He didn’t know they were that strong? Yet, he still somehow beat them with retive ease. The Half Elf had mao defeat the creatures with an easier time thahe Iyrman. ‘What are you?’

  Jurot picked up the shinier pieces of rock from around the area. There were three, one for each erta. He held the Livih in one hand, and the three cores iher. “Three cores and Livih.”

  “Livih, eh? What is that exactly?”

  “A material which be used fical items,” Jurot said, giving nothing up. “It is worth a great amount.”

  “How much?”

  Jurot stared down at the Livih, which was about the size of the three cores together. “Less thahousand, but more if it was aued.”

  Adam whistled. “The cores?”

  “A few hundred each, but more thahousand if they were aued,” Jurot admitted.

  “Good to know.” Adam looked to the roup. They stood stiffly, awkwardly staring at the pair who had shocked them. They were certain they had heard the Iyrman state that Adam had held back too.

  “We’ll talk about how to split this at the guild,” Adam said, fshing a smile. “Jurot, hand the stuff to Rose.”

  “To me?” Rose asked, more shocked by this than the fact Adam and Jurot had defeated two urkas almost by themselves.

  “I think you’d feel more fortable if you held them, right?”

  Rose remained silent. She, like her panions, had been wary when the Iyrman had collected everything. However, seeing the Iyrman hold out the items to her, she wasn’t sure if she should be walking around with items worth thousands of gold.

  “You hold onto them, Iyrman,” Rose eventually said.

  Jurot looked to Adam, who nodded, and he pced the items within his robes, where the letter remained. As they left the se, Jurot cut into the trees, leaving a trail for them to follow.

  The town walls of Red Oak greeted them a few hours ter, the guards noting the appearance of the eight.

  “Rough day?” a guard asked.

  “Not bad,” Adam replied, before holding out a gem worth ten gold. “We’ve got dire news for the Adventurer’s Guild, so we ’t stay and chat.”

  “Found danger in the Cherry Wood?” the guard asked.

  “Three ertas,” Jurot said.

  “Three?” the raised up his visor, revealing his shocked eyes. “In our Cherry Wood?”

  “Yes.”

  The guard accepted the gem ahem go along their way. “Three ertas.”

  “Ertas?” the uard asked. “The Elementals?”

  “Aye. Pau! Send word to the tess’ estate. Three ertas spotted in the Cherry Wood.”

  “Three ertas spotted in the Cherry Wood?” Pau shouted back from atop the gate.

  “Aye!”

  “Auroch shit,” Pau muttered under her breath before she hopped down, going to requisition a horse.

  Adam and his group reached the guild quickly, making their way right to the front desk, where Tom was currently writing notes.

  “Oh, it’s good to see you again,” Adam said, having not seen Tom sihey had arrived. ‘Now that I think about it, Emma was taking pretty long shifts.”

  “It’s good to see you too, Adam,” Tom replied, folding the piece of paper. “How may I assist you?”

  “We killed three ertas in the Cherry Wood.”

  “You killed three ertas in the Cherry Wood?” Tom asked, his eyes falling to Jurot.

  “Yes.” The Iyrman pced dowhree cores, whi eyed up for a moment.

  The guild worker pulled out a sheet of paper, quickly scribbling something down. He refreshed his memory about what he knew of Adam, which expihe situation well enough. “Did you spot any more?”

  “No,” Jurot replied.

  “We will pce up a notice, and reciate your work,” Tom said, before sealing the letter, pg it to one side. “I will sort your reward soon. What do you wish to do with the three cores?”

  “We were going to discuss that between one another,” Adam said, motioning his head to the Red River Squad.

  “I shall prepare a room,” Tom said, writing up a notice, before pg it on the board behind him. It was written in red, and would be one of the first thing any adventurer would see the moment they stepped in the guild. He led the group up from the ground floor, to the first floor, and then to the sed floor. They walked past the library, to a private room the guild prepared to allow adveo speak discreetly.

  The room was fortable, with an assortment of snacks and drinks. Adam washed his hands in the basin nearby, before preparing some tea for the group. Tom bowed his head ahem, allow them to discuss amongst one another.

  “So,” Adam said, reag for a snack. “There are four items, a of us. Three items for you, oem to us.”

  “What will you cim?” Rose asked, her tone cautious.

  Adam looked to Jurot, who pced the cores onto the table. “We will cim the Livih.”

  “Is that agreeable?” Rose asked, staring at the Half Elf.

  “Yeah,” Adam replied, motioning with a hand to the cores. “We get the Livih, you get the three cores.”

  Rose paused, waiting for them to speak up. There was definitely something more they were looking for.

  “What will you do with the cores?” Adam asked.

  “Is that your business?”

  “Just a question from someone who did most of the work,” Adam replied, before elbowing Jurot gently, almost cag. “I mean, if you were going to sell it, we might want to offer you something.”

  “What do you need of these cores?”

  “Well, that’s our business,” Adam replied. After a moment, he smiled. “No, really. It’s our business. We work for an enter, Jurot and I. They make det enough ons.” He tapped Wraith.

  “You work for an enter?” Rose asked, looking to Jurot, who nodded. “I uand why you want these cores.”

  “So, would you be willing to sell them?”

  Rose gnced between her five panions. “For the right price.”

  “rice would that be?”

  “How much are you willing to offer?”

  “Well, I could offer you a…” Adam thought about the fme swords which had bee in the Iyr. They were going to be sold o a time, but the Iyr had its gates closed, so it robably quite difficult to offer them. They were meant to be aued off for funds, funds which he would use to help with the business. The three cores were worth it, though, but he wasn’t sure how he felt the ons, portions of which beloo the Iyr. ‘Damn.’ He could have asked his Aunt, but he didn’t have the spell.

  “How about this? We will pce the Livih, and the three cores, to one side. We’ll pay you…” Adam thought about how much was in the party funds, and then the magical ons they had found iemple. ‘Could I offer the magical bde? I suppose I could, though I’m not sure if any of them use shortswords.’

  Rose allowed Adam to think, while thinking about the Half Elf herself. This guy was definitely crazy. Everything about him was dangerous, from the way he talked, to the way he fought, and even all the people he surrounded himself with. Kadija and Mawan, their divine warriors, had firmed that two of those he travelled with were Demons. Not Devilkin, specifically Demons.

  “We will pay a hundred gold for deying the full payment,” Adam said. “The full payment be a magical on, one which the Enter will ent in the year. If they do not hand over a magical on by the end of the first month year, you keep the cores, and we’ll get the Livih, and you keep the one hundred gold.”

  “What kind of magical on?” Rose asked.

  “What were you thinking?”

  “A Basihanced magical on?” Rose asked.

  Adam looked to Jurot, w if that table. Jurot khat the prices of the ons had increased due to the war, but there was also the matter of the cores. If they really wao, they could probably trade the cores for a Basihanced on. It would have taken them some time, but it was not that difficult. He nodded.

  “Alright,” Adam said. “Which on? What entment?”

  “A greatsword,” Rose said. Equipping Mawan with a greatsword would have helped them greatly, though Antony and Rai could also use it if it was needed. “For the entment, it is up to the enter’s ability.”

  “A fming sword?” Adam offered.

  “We would prefer something that is not fiery, since Aswadasad is home to many great creatures of fire,” Zishan said.

  “We would like something akin to what your brother has,” Mawan said. “I did not see particurly well, but I’m certain his axe holds the ability to expend a charge to discharge eveer wounds onto the enemy.”

  “Something like that,” Adam firmed. “Alright. If it’s not fire, is anything else fine?”

  Mawan thought about it, before looking to Antony, who nodded. “Yes. If the enter is able to ent holy magito the bde, that would be preferred.”

  “I’ll be sure to pass on the information,” Adam assured. “We keep the items in the hands of the Adventurer’s Guild. We’ll pay one hundred gold to the Red River Squad, and will hand over a magical greatsword that is at least Basihanced, preferably with the ability to deal holy damage. If we do not hand over such a on by the end of the first month of the year, the items will be released, the Livih to Fate’s Golden, and the three cores to the Red River Squad.” Adam held out his hand.

  “You do not o pay us the one hundred gold,” Rose said, bringing her hand up, though did not make to shake his forearm yet.

  “Okay,” Adam replied, and the pair shook forearms.

  Adam being a det businessman?

  What is going on?