Omen: 3, 11

  ‘I feel like we’re going to be dealing with the Divine again this year,’ Adam thought, rubbing his obsidian amulet gently, feeling the ridges of the symbol of Baktu. ‘How did we not e across as on the way to Red Oak?’

  The m in the Adventurer’s Guild was lively, though after breakfast, it was as though the guild was full of ghosts, with only two groups remaining behind to rex.

  “Ah,” Adam called, notig the new group entering the guild. He raised his hand towards the farmers, roached Adam and his panions, who made up almost all the adventurers in the guild currently.

  “Adam,” Rick greeted, shaking the half elf’s forearm, befreeting the others. Rick sat opposite Adam, taking off his helmet to reveal his heavily scarred face, his ly trimmed hair and freshly shaven jaw. He wore heavy armour, mail, with a shield on his back, and a his side. His four panions also greeted the rest of Fate’s Golden, before taking their pear the leader.

  “Been well, I hope?” Adam asked.

  “Yes,” Rick firmed. He couldn’t say otherwise sidering the half elf was responsible for making them each a mountain of gold, mold than they ever would have thought possible.

  Adam eyed up the rest of Rick’s panions. John, who carried a pair of daggers, and a bow. Ivy also carried a bow in hand, though Adam couldn’t spot anything else since she was ed up in her dark cloak, the woman hunched over as usual to hide much of herself. Adam had fotten how heavily tattooed Greg was, though he had recalled how much Charley liked to keep her hair dyed red. The pair wore heavy armour, carrying rger gves, while John and Ivy wore lighter armour.

  The group made small talk before the trio of porters appeared, though to call Nobby a porter, sidering his great strength, was rather silly. Nobby brought his uncles, Jeremiah and Jeremy, two identical men, both tall and strong, with dark hair, partly broartly red, like a ker. They also wore armour made of the kurabaras, lizard creatures whose backs were covered in scales as hard as stone, which they had sin a couple of years prior. Though the pair were almost identical, they were actually cousins, and more fusingly, they preferred to be called by their niames.

  Adam pulled out his journal, writing a hin it, before slipping it bato his shirt. “Gd to see you’re all ready for a fight, but we’re probably going to take the day off today. I’ll pay you yold for the day anyway, but I would like to talk about the business. The Iyr says the fort should be pleted by duskval.”

  Rick leaned in closer, the farmer turned Expert having already spoken to his panions about the matter. Jeremiah and Jeremy remained sitting upright, though their gazes were glued to the young half elf, who had his ears covered with a scarf in an Aswadian manner, like a turban. If not for the other Aswadians nearby, Dunes also c his head in such a manner, he would have garnered far more attention.

  “Is the deal the same?” Rick asked.

  “Mostly. I fot what I said for the pay, but all the other bes? Housing, food, clothes, educatiohcare, trade apprenticeship, the ability to defend themselves, the ce to learn magic, the magical equipment, the gear, so on and so on? Yeah.”

  Rick was almost certain Adam had added bes, but he wasn’t going to pin about such a thing. “How many years?”

  “Ohey finish basic education, I want to lock them in for at least five years, ohey turn… sixteen, I think? The end of their basic education. If they want more advanced education, then after that training, ten years at least, probably. As long as you work for me, the bes of housing and clothing and all that will go to your family. Also, your spouses will be paid too, though they probably won’t be earning much more thaarting wage if they don’t want tress up the ranks.”

  “You said it was the Iyr’s nd?”

  “Yep.”

  Rick slowly nodded his head. He wasn’t sure of that aspect, but the offer, which was too good to be true, sounded so entig. If it were anyone else, he wouldn’t have eaihe thought, but it was Adam. Rick thought back to how he had met one of the Lesser Divine, Uveil, his entire body tingling at the memory.

  “Right, you’ll also get a month off for holidays, paid, and two weeks you use for siess, also paid. We’ll also deal with the taxes and religious tributions from the business budget, so all the you get is the you spend on whatever luxuries you want.”

  “…” Rick thought back to Adam telling him about the business previously, certain he hadn’t mentiohe fact he was going to pay the taxes too. “We’ll speak with our families ahem know.”

  “Great. I think basic pay is ten gold a month and Expert pay is twenty gold each month.”

  “Will the business ical ons?”

  “The business will lend you magical oually, and then you keep them, eventually. The Enter is currently making ons to au off. We actually brought oh us, but like I said, that was to au off.”

  “When the tract is ready, I will sign it,” Rick assured, the rest of the farmers agreeing with small grumbles and nods.

  “We still owe you for armour,” Jeremiah said.

  Adam waves his hand. “I’ve written it off, so don’t you worry it about it, Jeremy, Remy.”

  Jeremy, who preferred to go by Remy, shared a gh his cousin. “I’ll let the missus know.”

  Jeremiah, who preferred to go by Jeremy, hrowing a look to Nobby, the young man who had bee the talk of the district. He sipped his drink, hiding his smile.

  The group spent most of the day at the guild, some training in the fields nearby, though most spent the day chatting away in the guild. Adam sorted out additional payment for Nobby’s family, a bonus for the st month of the four seasons. Once he was ba his seat, he he opening doors, and the appearance of a new group he hadn’t seen before. The adventuring group was a half dozen strong, each wearing , though their leader wore pte, and they all wore dark red scarves.

  Adam he surprise on Rick’s face. “Friends of yours?”

  “They are the Red Scarves,” Rick whispered. “Led by Red Neck Stephen.”

  Adam swallowed, stifling his chuckle. “Red Neck Stephen? What’s he like?”

  “Kied, very,” Rick stated firmly. “The group spends most of their helping out the small folk. They’ve paid for the treatment for many of us oners and often help out even with menial work.”

  “He does sound like a good guy,” Adam admitted. “I wonder what dark, twisted secrets he harbours.”

  “He was a knight’s son,” Rick began.

  ‘Ah, that’s it.’

  “His younger sister was taken away by bandits and after what happeo her, he killed them all, bandits and sister. They say his scarf was white, but was dyed red from the blood of them all. Say he wears it so he never fets.”

  “He killed his sister?” Adam asked, his brows raised in arm.

  “She did not wish to live.”

  “…”

  “He is not merciful to bandits,” Rick said. “Doesn’t care for their reasons, he kills them all.”

  “He has tried to give up his knighthood,” Jurot tinued. “Though he gave up his position as heir, he was advised to keep his knightly rank. He refuses to use the title of Sir, whinoys the nobles, but many respect his wishes.”

  “He prefers to remain alone, even from his own panions,” Rick said. “They say that is why he does not have a wife.”

  “Oh?”

  Jurot stood and made his way to Red Neck Stephen. Jurot greeted him, shaking the man’s forearm, before chatting for a few moments aurning. Upon seeing Adam’s questioning gaze, Jurot bowed his head. “It is good to introduce ourselves.”

  “Alright, fair.”

  “I will speak to him too.”

  ‘I thought you said he doesn’t like to talk to people?’

  Rick returned a few moments ter. Upon seeing Adam’s questioning gaze, Rick bowed his head. “The Red Scarves assisted us when we first began adventuring. He was there when one of ours was killed. He made sure they were buried properly and even paid the funeral fees to the temple.”

  “Oh. That is rather nice of him.” Adam gowards the man in his forties, taking in his sight for a moment. “He’s got rather nice armour, almost as good as mine.”

  “A gift from a lord, like the rest of their gear,” Riformed.

  “Ah.” Adam slowly nodded his head, pulling out his journal, writing in it for a moment, before slipping it bato his shirt.

  Rick wondered what he was writing within the journal, but decided against asking, going back to drinking his milk. His eyes fell to Nobby, the young man who had pced first. ‘Will he train my children too?’

  Woo! Wele back to the onfolk! We need people to ground the party.