Attack - WraithD20 + 10 = 18 (8)Omen: 12, 19 -> 1219 + 10 = 29Critical hit!Mana: 20 -> 17Ability: Divine SmiteWraith: 3 -> 04D6 + 4D6 + 8D6 + 12D6 + 9 = 113 (1, 4, 5, 5)(2, 3, 5, 6)(1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5)(1, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6)113 damage!
Sir Roseia blinked. She watched as the red threads of her cape floated all around her. She turned slowly to stare at the Half Elf who had walked past her casually.
Adam tio walk away from her, sheathing Wraith as he reached for his helmet. He paused for a moment, w how she was still standing up, but then removed it.
“I,” the Half Elf began, his entire face tense, his jaw twitg as he ched it, “surrender.”
An eery silence filled the arena. The crowd was shocked by what they had seen, but even they didn’t truly uand what they had witnessed.
The Duchess pced her cup of tea down onto the table before her. Even her guest, the typically boisterous Kira, o take a moment to gather herself. She already uood why the arena had refused her bet, sihey wouldn’t dare to take from anyone from the sed floor, or the inner octagon if they had suggested who should win.
However, this…
Blood Cape.
It was a magical item which was hao only the wealthiest, and greatest, of families. The cape was no doubt gifted to Sir Roseia by her family in order to make sure she had a greater ce of winning. It was ohing for them to equip her with not only a Greater Enhanced greatsword and a Greater pte mail, but the Blood Cape?
If she had been brought down to h, then she would remain standing at a single Health. It was the same ability that the Jin family possessed, and had revealed during the tour, something which every figure envied.
Adam, who casually struck Sir Roseia with a single blow of his axe, and walked past her, had mao deal enough damage to almost ht kill the young woman. It was something one could only expect from the likes of the Grand Master of the Order of the Thousand Hunts, not some rising star from the sed rahiour.
Adam bowed to the audien each side, still ahat he had lost, but he felt cold that he had to lie like this. ‘Damn it.’
As he walked out towards the main gate, the audience jeered, expeg a greater fight than what they had seen. None had truly uood what they had witnessed.
However, those on the first and sed floors, as well as the octagon, knew what Adam’s surrender meant, and the meaning behind the crumbling cape.
“That,” Jurot said, lifting up his mug of ale, “is my brother.”
Those who sat nearby ghe Iyrman’s way.
“What a shame he had to lose,” said a familiar face behind the young Iyrman. “May I sit with you?”
“Yes,” Jurot replied.
Fisher Bck rested his stony bde against the wall beside them. “That young man, he’s your brother?”
“Yes.”
“He’s no Iyrman.”
“Yes.”
“He is?”
“No.”
“Ah,” Stone Sword said, uanding how the Iyrman responded. “There were those from the ground floor who bet on Adam, I’m sure. No one in this room was foolish enough to bet on him, knowing who he was against, and who the good sir onsored by.”
Stone Sword’s words strue of the meraries nearby, who had decided to bet big on the off ce Adam did actually have permission to fight her.
“Did they ask you to step down?” Stone Sword asked, asking Jurot the most important question. It wasn’t just a question for Jurot, but for Kitool and Amokan too.
“The Grand Master spoke with us,” Jurot admitted.
“The Grand Master?” Stone Sword sighed, recalling, as they all did, the hat he had bee a Paragon. “What a shame.”
Jurot began to stack up gold s onto the table, the gentle king sounds eg nearby, only drowned out by distant whispers. Jurot then pushed the gold s towards the edge, and motioned with a hand to order drinks for everyone.
“An Iyrman will take first pce,” the young Iyrman stated, his voice firm and clear, carrying towards the whispers.
“You sure you should be annoying the order?”
“The Iyr and the order have both closed its gates.”
“The Grand Master isn’t ihe order.”
“And we are not in the Iyr.” The shadow of a smile appeared on the Iyrman’s face.
“You think you’re that strong?”
“No,” Jurot began, “I know we are.”
‘What a bunch of crazy bastards,’ Stone Sword couldn’t help but think.
“While you Aldishmen were littering the south with the bodies of your soldiers against the Aswadians, we Iyrmen were busy killing demigods,” Amokan said, a wild grin appearing on his face. “A Grand Master of an order? Even if it is the Order of the Thousand Hunts, we Iyrmen do not stop at just ohousand hunts.”
“Amokan, are you pig fights with Aldishmen?” Adam asked, approag the group, which had gained a famous figure. “How you bully me like this? I’m the idiot whose meant to be doing that.”
“I heard that you wished to stop,” Amokaed.
“Why would I stop now?”
“Because,” Amokan said, switg to their tongue, “you are, now, a father.”
Adam wondered why he said it so awkwardly, but he uood the point, and so sat down beside his brother without causing more bother. “It’s good to see you again, Stone Sword.”
Stone Sword nodded. “I watched yht.”
“What did you think?”
“It’s a shame you weren’t sponsored by someone greater.”
Adam smiled. “Well, Sir Landon isn’t so bad.”
“Their reach is so… little.”
Adam stifled his chuckle. “I hear you’re iop four too.”
“Too?” Stone Sword asked. “Are y to pce us in the same ranking.”
“As if,” Adam replied. “It’s not like I’ve faced anyone of your calibre.”
Stone Sword he look Adam shared with Jurot, w what that was about. “I’m hoping to find some luck during the fights.”
“I’ll pray for you,” Adam said, brushing his amulet.
“If I die, I hope he’ll take my soul quickly,” Stone Sword quipped, before tapping his heart gently and muttering a quick prayer to Lord Sozain.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure Mother Soza will watch over you and your oppo,” Adam said, winking to Vonda. “Anyway, whose fighting today that I bet on?”
“It will be Kitool against Gordan,” Jurot said.
“So you’re fag Amokan?”
“Yes.”
‘What a weird bination,’ Adam thought. He wondered why he fought Sir Roseia first, rather than Sir Karra. ‘Is it because they wahe finals to be Sir Roseia against Sir Karra? Then I guess it was a flip?’
“Nobby is fag Bavin, and Naqokan is fag Faool,” Jurot said. “Their fights should end soon.”
Adam wasn’t a fan of the fact they could only see o of fights, but he supposed that was just how it was in this kind of arena. The arena retty rge, so it was more like four arenas joiogether.
“You think Bavin will mao pull out the win against Nobby?”
“He is the grandson of Bovin,” Jurot said.
“Who is Bovin?” Stone Sword asked, noting the importance Jurot had pced on the word.
“The previous Elder Wrath.”
“Elder Wrath?” Stone Sword asked. “I heard there was an Elder Wrath who fought in the south, Aswadia.”
“Yes,” Jurot said. “Bavin’s grandfather.”
“Isn’t he a big shot in the Iyr?”
“The Elder Wrath has ged,” Jurot expined. “The families of the Great Elders do not hold more important than others.”
“You Iyrmen have such a queer system.” Stone Sword shook his head. “I’ve never been able to my head around it. It’s a system where everyone chooses who is the leader? Something about each family having two… votes?”
“Yes.”
“So your farmers and your warriors all get to choose who bees the leader?”
“Every Iyrman is a warrior first,” Jurot corrected, “and we allow our family’s leaders to choose on our behalf.”
“You’re all warriors first?”
“Yes.”
“Even your farmers?”
“Yes. Every Iyrman will reach the rank of Expert in their lifetime.”
“Every Iyrman?”
“All Iyrmen of able body and mind reach the rank of Expert before the age of forty. It is our duty.”
The look in Jurot’s eyes almost uled Stone Sword. It was as though he was within the Iyrman’s sights. “So, you’ve got a new Great Elder?”
“Yes.”
“Is he anyone special?”
“The Aswadian who defeated the previous Great Elder joined his family,” Jurot said. “His family is on the rise.”
“The Lion King?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve heard of Ashmir?” Adam asked.
“Who in Aldnd hasn’t?” Stone Sword replied. “He’s been dominating the arena in Aswadasad for almost two geions. They say he was born in the arena, and has lived his entire life there. They also say he’s a Paragon.”
“He is,” Jurot firmed.
“He joihe Iyr?”
“Yes.”
“ I join the Iyr?” Stone Sword asked.
“You wish to join the Iyr?” Jurot asked as the Iyrmen around suddenly leaned in towards Stone Sword.
“No, no, I’m just askin’ is all.” Stone Sword raised up his hands ily.
“If you wish to join the Iyr, it is a simple matter,” Jurot said. “You may be adopted by any family which uses a shield and sword, or another if you wish.”
“Do you want to join the Gak family?” Adam asked, motioning his head to Jaygak.
“He has no horns!” Jaygak sowards the Half Elf. “He should join the Gek family.”
“The Gek family?” Adam asked. “Oh, Uonagek?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, well, I’ll think about it.” Stone Sword smiled awkwardly towards the group. “I should be heading out to prepare for my fight.”
“Good luck,” Adam said. “I’ll bet on you.”
Stone Sword smiled, bowing his head towards the Half Elf and the Iyrmen, as he made to leave.
“We should go too,” Jurot said.
“Yes,” Amokan replied, following Jurot out.
“Good luck, Kitool,” Adam said, holding out his fist for her to bump it.
Kitool did so, gently, before leaving.
“Finally, those crazy monsters are gone,” Adam said, sighing out all the tension in his muscles. “Iyrmen are so scary.”
Rick, Remy, and their panions all remained silent.
“I don’t want to hear that from your mouth, Adam!” Jaygak replied, crossing her arms.
“What did I do?”
“You almost killed the King’s Sword’s heir!”
“When?”
“Just now?”
“Oh please, if I wao kill her, I would have killed her! I ’t go around killing people during a tour, Jaygak, that’s ridiculous. Think about Sir Vonda, why don’t you?”
Jaygak huffed, but did not tinue, as she looked past Adam. Adam heard the heavy boots stop behind him, and he looked back up. A heavily armuard, one who wore full pte mail, a cloak of purple and gold, and a longsword at her side.
“I said I wouldn’t kill her!” Adam repeated, quickly. ‘Damn it! Me and my stupid mouth! Why ’t I just learn to shut up?’
Adam just 't help himself. Hopefully one day he learns to keep his mouth shut.
