“I don’t like the fact the journey has been so…” Adam began, only to realise he was tempting the Divine. “Let’s keep our wits about us.”
“We will reach Deadwood by dusk,” Jurot said, his eyes focused on the area around them. “Our journey is safer with all these warriors at our side. Beasts will not attack us with so many, and others will think twice.”
“So the things that will attack us will be things we really have to worry about?” Adam mused, stepping over a fallen log.
“Yes.”
Adam still didn’t like the quietness of the forest, hearing only sparse cries and calls of critters in the distance. Jurot stopped. He pced a hand against a thiaking a moment to feel it.
“Is that some nice wood?” Adam joked.
“No,” Jurot replied, before he donned his shield, and bolted forward.
Adam grabbed his shield and followed him, though Kitool rushed past him with ease, kig off trees to ave bushes in her way, while Adam barrelled through them, followed closely by Jaygak.
Terrible screeches echoed through the forest, the sound boung across trees, eg within Adam’s helmet.
“Kitool,” Jurot called from ahead, causing the Iyrman to veer off to one side, as the roar of a womaed them.
Adam exploded out of the bush, bits of wood flying all around, to see Kitool in mid air, her Tigerstaff crashing against the side of a bck bear triple her size. It cried out in pain before its body twisted and froze, allowing the Iyrman to kick its head before she dropped, the bck bear dropping behind her. In front of the Iyrman, a heavily armoured woman, crouched, panting with effort. She wielded a bde made of a dark wood, which was almost as tall as her.
Jurot’s axe cut through another bck bear, splitting its skull in half with a single blow. He kicked the rge bck bear off of his axe, before a third giant bear crashed against him, cw meeting flesh, only to find the flesh was more like steel. Jurot turned his head to meet its gaze, unbloodied by its cws.
Battle OrderD20 + 1 = 6 (5)
Mana: 18 -> 17Spell: Thunderous Smite
Attack - Wraith (Fnking)D20 + 10 = 18 (8)Hit!Mana: 17 -> 16Ability: Divine Smite2D6 + 2D6 + 2D6 + 7 = 36 (2, 4)(6, 6)(5, 6)36 damage!
Attack - Wraith (Fnking)D20 + 10 = 13 (3)Miss!
Onward Soar: 1 -> 0
Fighting Spirit: 3 -> 2Attack - Wraith (Fnking)D20 + 10 = 17 (7)D20 + 10 = 19 (9)Hit!Mana: 16 -> 15Ability: Divine Smite2D6 + 2D6 + 7 = 21 (3, 4)(1, 6)21 damage!
Attack - Wraith (Fnking)D20 + 10 = 11 (1)D20 + 10 = 28 (18)Hit!Mana: 15 -> 14Ability: Divine Smite2D6 + 2D6 + 7 = 26 (3, 5)(5, 6)26 damage!
“Thunder!” Adam ted loudly, charging forward with Wraith in hand, followed by Jaygak, whose bde crackled with lightning. His axe vibrated with great power as he sshed at the creature, an explosion of thunder eg through the air, his axe fshing white hot with holy magibsp;
Jurot’s axe struck across its neck, Kitool’s staff smmed down against its head, and Jaygak’s bde also pierced through its back. They tio assault the creature until it had fallen, requiring the might of all fures to drop it.
The woman watched as the four assaulted the creature. It made sense for a big bck to fall uhe force of four Adventurers, though it was surprising that they only wore broags, deheir rank. It wasn’t strange for the Iyrman to have sin the bear she had been fightiher, for she had wou greatly.
It was pletely strahat the Iyrman with the axe, who had leapt into the fray against a single big bck, had mao cut it down in a single blow. ‘Lord Sozain, have you taken me already?’
The remaining big bck fell before the four, its cws, which had aimed for Jurot, had fallen before it could even pierce the Iyrman’s flesh.
Victory!Big BcksXP Gained: +600XP: 10 400 -> 11 000
“You did not use Wraith?” Jurot asked.
“Didn’t feel the o,” Adam replied, sheathing Wraith to his side, before drawing it again, realising they may not yet be out of danger.
“Thank you, Iyrmen,” the woman said, still holding her bde, though it oiowards the ground. “I am Sir Kanna, Darkknight.”
“I am Jurot, son of Sonarot,” the Iyrman said, bowing his head.
“Darkknight?” Adam whispered.
“You have met Sir Enna, the Darkknight who apanied us before you slew Vandra,” Jurot remihe Half Elf.
“Oh yeah,” Adam said, nodding his head. “I don’t think I liked her?”
“You did not dislike her either,” Jurot said.
“Did she know the tale of the Iyrmen?”
“She did.”
“Sounds like I liked her then,” Adam said.
“You met with Sir Enna?” Sir Kanna asked.
“We did. We adventured a couple of years ago. She was esc Sir Harvey.”
“The High Alchemist. I recall this, yes. Are you Adam?”
“So you’ve heard of me,” Adam said, joy in his voice, though his lips formed a frown. “What did you hear of me?”
“That you spoke too much,” Sir Kanna said, as politely as she could manage.
“Yeah, that sounds abht,” Adam said, slowly nodding his head. “Anything else?”
“You dared to snder a noble.”
“I’d respond with the fact I spoke no lies, but, st I recalled, Vice Master Paul sorted that out. We’re not going to have an issue, are we, Darkknight?”
“No,” Sir Kanna replied. “We will not.”
Adam sheathed Wraith. “Big bcks, eh? How strong are they?”
“They are strohan typical bears,” Jurot replied. “Between bears aas.”
“Strohan me,” Jaygak said, eyeing them up.
“No,” Jurot corrected.
“Without Stormdrake.”
“No.”
Jaygak let out a soft sigh, but smiled from under her helmet. If Jurot said so, it must be true. She tio eye up the bears, which could cart the average person in half. She spotted the mark against Jurot’s side, his clothing having torn, a his skin, though red, was unbroken.
“Anyway, are you alright, Sir Kanna?” Adam asked.
“Yes. Thank you for your assistance. I will inform the guild once I return to Deadwood. Are you on your way?” she asked, before she raised her bde, her attention towards the new group of adventurers who had arrived.
“Oh, hey guys,” Adam said, nodding his head to Jonn and Rose, who had led the party forward. “Meet Sir Kanna, a Darkknight. Sir Kanna, this is the rest of our adventuring party.”
The knight rexed, though eyed the group up. “Aswadians?”
“Yeah. We formed a group to go around sying creatures, and dealing with whatever magics are permeating the nds after a Great Twilight.”
“There has been a strangeness in the forest,” Sir Kanna firmed.
The sounds of jangling mail sang from nearby as heavily armuards appeared, each carrying a spear. The half a dozen guards quickly stood beside the knight, holding their spears at the ready, but they did not make to attack.
“Good afternoon,” Adam said towards the guards, nodding his head.
“Let us return to Deadwood,” Sir Kanna said. “We will cim the bodies of the big bcks for the guards, but you may take the credit from the guild, which will pay you accly.”
“Would you mind if ieces of the creatures?” Adam asked. “Pieces of its fur, skih, that sort of thing?” Adam motioned his head to the Iyrmen. “Iyrmen do enjoy g parts of their kills.”
Sir Kanna bowed her head. “I will surrender a body to yroup, but we require the two bodies.”
“Thank you kindly.”
Sir Kanna stepped away, heading out towards a cluster of trees which had been struck aside, and she pushed the logs away, revealing the dead form of her trusted steed. She dropped to a knee, rubbing her hand along the creature’s side tenderly. ‘Rest easy, my boy.’
“We should butcher the beasts here,” she said after her moment of m.
“We will assist,” Jurot said, removing his top, before assisting Kitool in butchering the beasts.
“Keep a,” Adam said, motioning a hand to his party, while Hades circled the sky.
The guards remaiehough they assisted in butchering and taking watch, some of them keeping an eye on the adventurers. Jaygak stared at the creatures which were being butchered, gng between Kitool and Jurot. Even if she had not drawn her bde, the creature would have died to their assault. She sighed, before pag around the area, her eyes half focused on keeping watch, her mind wandering.
“You’re strong,” Sir Kanna said to Jurot, w on her horse. “Why are you w under him?”
“He is my brother.”
“Your brother?” she asked, looking back to the young man in puthral pte mail. He had yet to remove his helmet, revealing the fact he wasn’t an Iyrman. Even the Devilkin had removed her helmet, revealing her family tattoo to them all, g the glory for them. “He’s no Iyrman.”
“No,” Jurot replied. “He is not.”
“You call an outsider a brother? You Iyrmen have always been queer.”
“It is not we who are queer,” Jurot replied simply, taking no offeo her words.
Sir Kanna smiled, w her dagger through her trusted steed. “To the world, you are.”
“Yes.”
They tio butcher in silence for a few moment, but Sir Kanna’s thoughts were clouded by what she saw.
“How did you mao sy the big b a single blow?”
“My axe holds great magic.”
“Is it for sale?”
“No.”
“Where did you get it?” Sir Kanna replied, smiling at her joke. She had no doubt the Iyrman wasn’t going to sell it.
“An enter made it and gave it to my family,” Jurot replied, not lying, but not telling the whole truth.
“They gave it?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“The Enter made the on to be used in bat,” Jurot said, trying not to lie. “My mother is the President of the business, and the Enter has a special retionship with the Rot family.”
“Was this was a ret matter?”
“Yes.”
“Your mother is the President of the business?” Sir Kanna asked.
“Yes.”
“Is it an enting business?” Sir Kanna thought of Red Oak and the Iyr. The Iyr had brought ons to be aued off withiown.
“Yes.”
“I heard there was a sword which held certain entments of fire which was aued in Red Oak retly,” Sir Kanna said.
“Yes.”
“Was that from your Enter?”
“It was from our business, yes,” Jurot firmed.
Sir Kanna realised that the Iyrman eaking truthfully, but in a very specific way. “You are fortunate.”
“Yes,” Jurot replied. In truth, it wasn’t his fortuhat the axe came to his position, but Adam’s misfortune.
“Whitments are imbued within your axe?” Sir Kanna asked.
“It strike a creature’s mind, and holds an ability simir to a Guardian’s smite,” Jurot replied.
“A Basihanced axe with the ability to smite? It is a wonderful axe,” Sir Kanna said.
“It is a wonderful axe,” Jurot firmed, “but it does not hold a Basitment.”
“…” Kanna remained silent for a moment. “Is it a Greater Enhanced axe?”
“Yes.”
‘What?’
Poor Jaygak. She's actually quite strong, but she's surrounded by monsters.
