Omen: 5, 20

  Lord Biggu carried Adam’s party and many of the Goofs with him to the isnd. The group had gathered some supplies from the Goofs, including much of the Sea God’s scales, while Jurot had taken a small log. The Awakened Wolves rexed nearby, ying ourtle’s shell as the sun overhead threateo bake them.

  The fence of stone keeping much of the water away, but they could still easily access it so they could spsh some water against themselves, though Lord Biggu shifted around every so often to spsh the lightest spray of water against them to cool them down. Adam used his Tricks trick to dry their armour, making sure it wouldn’t rust.

  As evening began to fall, they arrived at a rge isnd which could house them.

  “The isnd is home to no one,” a Goof named Rama Ri said. “We will rest for the night and tinue on the m. The isnds nearby house no one.”

  “How long until we find civilization?”

  “Weeks?”

  “Weeks?” Adam frowned. ‘Seriously…’

  “We will escort you the entire way,” Rama Ri assured.

  “You speak well, Rama Ri.”

  “I am Rama, so I must speak well.”

  “I see…”

  The others were also named Rama, though Adam wondered if it erhaps a title instead, since Chaka Chi had been the only Chaka, and had refused to e without the rest of his Goofs, since he was a Chaka.

  The days tio pass, and Jurot tio collect logs, which were carried by the porter’s wooden packs. Jurot had noted how unfortable they had bee, and so tasked them with carrying the wood, which had eased their minds slightly.

  Omen: 13, 19

  “By the gods,” Adam whispered, flying up into the air as he noted how long the snake was. This Sea God, as the Goofs called it, was far rger than the Sea God they had faced. It had been burnt to a near crisp.

  “It has bee here for some time, but has only died retly,” Jurot said, eyeing up the area, which had been taken by fire too. “It was done by a single individual.”

  Adam whistled. “That’s crazy.”

  “You still ’t tact the others?” Jaygak asked, her eyes glued to the giant Sea God. If they had e across it, they would find it difficult, but her cousins, and the others? They would stand no ce, especially against whatever killed it.

  “No. We talk their nguage after eating their meal, and though my magic has grown more powerful, but Sending? It doesn’t seem to work.” Adam looked up towards the sky, seeing the colours all across the sky. “Banced, as all things should be.”

  “This is not the work of Ritetu,” Jurot said.

  “It’s just a phrase that’s said by a vilin.”

  “The father?”

  “No, it’s a different thiirely. Well, not actually different, si was bought out, but…” Adam waved his hand. “Let’s part out what we from it.” “There is a vilge a few miles away,” Rama Ri said. “The markings state it.”

  “Alright, let’s go che them, then.”

  The group stopped parting out the creature, and followed Rama Ri, who walked swiftly. Lord Biggu had already fallen into the water to rest for the evening, so they had to move on foot.

  “By the gods…” Adam narrowed his eyes, his lips pulled taut.

  There were at least a hundred bodies, each burnt to a crisp. They were all tiny, and many of which there burnt together, some ying on others, their backs to the sky. None had been killed by a bde.

  “She Who Curses The World,” Rama Ri whispered, his face growing paler.

  “Who?”

  “She is terrifying. She has the power to trol the storms. It must be her. Storm Lord.” Rama Ri was barely able to speak upon seeing the sight of all the dead Goofs, but he and the oofs went around digging a ditch.

  “Storm Lord?” Adam caught Jurot’s gaze. “If she’s anything like the Storm Lord we know, then I don’t fancy our ces o.”

  “She is the greatest God of all, but refuses the title,” Rama Ri said. “She is the mother of all Drakons.”

  “Do the Drakons hate you?”

  “No. The Drakons are very o us Goofs. Very, very nice.”

  “Yeah?” Adam wondered if he meant in the way that people at the bott are happy with their pce, for fear of punishment for rising up.

  “Very, very nice.” Rama Ri nodded, before tinuing to help the others make the graves for the Goofs. Adam and the others began to help too, digging out the holes, one for each family.

  “May the darkake you whole,” Rama Ri said, beginning the rites. However, it ended with that, and they began to pour the earth over the dead bodies. He did so for each grave.

  They rested the night, and tinued along their way in the m. Adam clutched Wraith tight in hand while sitting atop Lord Biggu’s shell. He remained silent, for once, listening to the tales of the Goofs, and the tales of the Iyr he had heard many times before.

  They found moofs, who were unharmed, on an isnd, but they tinued on, with Lord Biggu promising to assist them. Lord Biggu seemingly didn’t speak, but the Goofs stared into his eyes to uand what he was saying. He refused to speak with Adam and the others, though, but didn’t seem hostile.

  After a few more days of isnd hopping, they came across a much rger isnd, which caused the Goofs to cheer excitedly. They came across a port city, with a harbour designed in a particur way, one which erfect for Lord Biggu to swim towards, with the fence lining up all around him and the docks in a semi circle.

  There were three distinct groups within the vilge, with a dozen from each arriving at the dock to greet the visitors. One was a group of Goofs, who wore long strips around their necks. The sed was a group of humanoid beasts, feline in nature, who carried tied cloths at their waists. The other was a group of, peared to be, Half Dragons, who wore studs of preetals along their colrs.

  Jurot narrowed his eyes towards the Half Dragons.

  One representative from each group stepped forward to meet the group, each wearing scale mail, carrying bdes at their side. The Goof was the oo step even closer to meet with the group, which had began to disembark onto the docks.

  Rama Ri stepped forward. “I am Rama Ri.”

  “Where is your Chaka?” the Goof asked, narrowing her eyes.

  “The Chaka remains with the people.”

  The oof heir head, seemingly satisfied with the answer. “Y guests.”

  “They are people not from our skies,” Rama Ri said. “They saved us from the Sea God which pgued our isnd.”

  “I am Shaka Ti, Chaka of all Chakas,” the Goof said, eyeing up the strangers. “Since you have helped my people, you are wele on this isnd. We have others that e from the sky beyond our skies, do you know of them?”

  “Probably,” Adam said, excitedly. “Who are they?”

  “There is your leader, the Demon Lord.”

  “Ah, so Lucy’s here?”

  “Demon Lord Lucy is indeed here,” the Shaka replied, narrowing her eyes at Adam’s btant disrespect.

  The group was invited into the rge city, which, though housing but a few thousand people, was far more expahahe vilge beside the Iyr. None of the buildings were taller thawo stories, and the two story buildings were spread out wide from one another. Each building was like a small estate, seemingly only for a single family, which allowed them more than ample space to grow their own crops, to rex with their neighbours, and to live within their own rooms.

  As they walked towards the tre, Adam spotted familiar faces.

  “You’re safe!” Adam shouted, greeting his panions.

  “Of course you’d be the first oo find us,” Lucy said, shaking his forearm, before she was swallowed by Adam’s hug.

  “Has she beeing you well?” Adam asked, hugging his Cousins too, from Naqokan, Uwajin, and Laygak. He had awkwardly avoided doing the same with Mara, shaking her forearm politely.

  “She has,” Naqokan replied. “Have you found the others?”

  “No, no, not yet.” Adam gnced around, seeing the azes on him and his group. “How long have you been here?”

  “For a few days. We arrived by turtleback after helping a nearby isnd with an issue.”

  “A Sea God?” Adam asked.

  “No. We awoke near a small Goof vilge. It had suffered from a ndslide before we arrived. We assisted them and they brought us here, by way of a giant turtle named Lord Shakku.”

  “Ours was Lord Biggu. He helped us here after we killed a Sea God.”

  “A worthy foe?”

  “When we have Kitool at our side, what could dare to cim they’re a worthy foe?” Adam joked.

  Naqokan smiled. “The others should be safe, if they are together.”

  “I’ve been trying to tact the others, but Sending isn’t w properly. It keeps fading, and it takes up half my Mana each time.”

  “Ill news.”

  “So yi’t any good here?” Lucy asked, standing up taller. “The’s fight.”

  “Weirdly, only that spell doesn’t seem to be w,” Adam replied, smirking slightly. “My other spells have been empowered. I cast my First Gate spells infinitely now, and I cast Fireball well over ten times.”

  Lucy frowned, sitting back dowhe tral fire. “Never mind. My stomach’s hurting from how stupidly lucky you are.”

  Adam ughed.

  The one good thing about being really sick is that I'm now the lightest I've been this entire year.