“Adam,” Jaygak said, approag the young half elf, assisting him into his armour. “You have to win.”

  “I’ll try my best.”

  “No, you have to win. If you don’t, I’m going to tell Jirot you did not win for her sake.”

  “You wouldn’t…”

  “My grandaunt wished to accept the girl as her own, but it was refused. If you do not win now, how will you face her?”

  “Jaygak… are you still joking?”

  Jaygak let out a little snort beside his ear, tig it as she strapped his belts tightly. “If you win, you win, bringing back glory for your family. If you lose, the business loses four thousand gold.”

  “If I win, you o speak about how amazing I was to my kids, no tricks.”

  “Okay,” Jaygak replied.

  “Promise?”

  “Do you believe me to be a devilkin or an Iyrman? Did I not say okay?”

  “Right,” Adam replied, filling with awkwardness.

  “Cousin Adam,” Laygak called, also approag, beginning to assist Adam to don his armour. “You must win.”

  “What are you ?” Adam chuckled lightly.

  “I will tell Taygak.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  “…” Adam’s entire body began to tingle. “Okay.”

  Duhrew a look to Amira, the young devilkin crossing her arms, eyeing up the others around. Unlike Jaygak and Laygak, and Lud Mara, she was actually a devilkin, just like Lady Sara. The pair exged a gogether.

  ‘Even Iyrmen have such worries…’

  “To think that our Executive Jaygak exploded in such a way…” Duhrew a look to Hope Willow. “It seems things have bee serious.”

  “Are you going to ask Adam not to kill our First Hope?” Willow joked.

  “No,” Dunes replied. “I will refuse.”

  “Why?”

  Dunes gnced down at his empty cup. “I have nht to.”

  “…” Willow wasn’t sure what was unnerving. The look on the young priest’s face, which was full of a seriousness of a man who was still atoning, or the fact that he was suggesting Adam might win.

  Hope Thomas stood somewhat awkwardly, his entire body beginning to throb with pain, especially his shoulder and his arms, which ached all the to his elbows. Adam had struck him with a ferocity he had never been hit with before, not even by the First Hope. Such a heavy blow had threateo kill him. He wao step up to the First Hope, but the First Hope held his bde out, stretg out his arms, while he whispered his prayers to himself.

  ‘The First Hope is taking it seriously…’

  “How could she speak such words within the Holy Temple of reat Mother?” a Ray whispered, shaking her head.

  “We should have expected such, the omens were dark.”

  “Why are you speaking so dourly wheemple will receive such gold?”

  “Do you believe they will donate so much gold?”

  “The Iyrmerue, it is said.”

  “It is said, but what of what the Iyroke?”

  “I will sider it true until they give us a reason to refuse to see it that way.”

  Cobra shuffled up beside Rick. “Is the Executive, uh, the Iyrman, always like that?”

  “No,” Rick admitted. “It’s more surprising than how Executive Adam’s fighting the First Hope.”

  “Is she okay?”

  “The Executive thinks she’s the weakest of the Executives,” Rick said. “It’s true, but even as the weakest of the Executives, she’s strohan any of us.”

  “Sometimes noble speak about how their chariots only cost a thousand gold,” John said, leaning ba his seat, closing his eyes. “A chariot that costs a couple of hundred gold is already so much, but the nobles live in another world. Just like how we helped in sying a hydra, Iyrme ahey didn’t get to fight it alone.”

  “Hydras, iant pythons,” Remy said.

  John smiled, nodding to the porter, chug lightly.

  “The Seventh Hope, he’s strong,” Remy said. “You wouldn’t see Nobby falling that easy to Adam’s axe.”

  Jeremy threw Remy a look, but his cousin, who looked more like a twin, shrugged his shoulders. “You ’t say it, even if it’s true.”

  “I’m not lying iemple to Mother Soza.”

  “…” Jeremy slowly bowed his head.

  “Mister Adam’s fighting the First Hope?”

  “That Iyrman, she’s so angry.”

  “She’s so scary.”

  “Hey now,” Julia said. “She was helping protect us, remember?”

  “Yeah but…”

  “e on, now. Mister Adam’s helped us so much. Look, he brought us here, didn’t here? He let us have so many baths on the way, and it was every day! He used his magic to our clothes, and he fed us so much. He’s going to look after us, so we’ve got to cheer him on, okay?”

  “Okay…”

  Mother Priest watched over the pair as they prepared themselves to fight. First Hope Robert owerful. Not just powerful, he was the First Hope. He was the stro. His name anded respeot just i Aldnd, but across all of Aldnd, and even to the nds beyond Aldnd to the north and south.

  “Sister Vonda, who do you believe will win?”

  “Adam has lost three times. The first was to Jurot’s grandfather. The sed was to a being simir to Lord Asa. The third was to the bined forces of Jurot, Kitool, and Jaygak. When Adam lost to Jurot’s grandfather, he was not even half as powerful as he was now, and he certainly did not hold such a great on.”

  “…”

  “I have learnt so much travelling with Adam and his panions. If you must, at the very least, do not bet against Adam.”

  “You grew up seeing First Hope Robert.”

  “I would bet on Adam.”

  “…” Mother Priest gowards the young woman, whose eyes were glued to the young half elf, before she turo face the pair once more.

  “Thanks,” Adam said, nodding his head to the pair of Gaks.

  “Do not fet, Adam,” Jaygak said, her lips f a wide smirk.

  Adam raised his brows, and motioned his head for her to sit down and watch. His attentiouro the First Hope. ‘He’s got to be one of the stro people I’ve faced.’

  “I hope that this duel will wash away any darkness which remaiween us all,” Mother Priest said. “I also hope that you take into sideration where we stand, and which Goddess this temple honours.”

  “I assure you, young man, I will not kill you,” Robert said, opening his eyes, the boy within his sights.

  “You know, First Hope…” Adam began, staring into Robert’s eyes as he put on his helmet, not yet pulling down his visor. “There is something worse thah.”

  “What is that?”

  “Living with the fact you didn’t die.” Adam gred at the First Hope, letting him see the rage within Adam’s eyes, before he dropped his visor. ‘I ’t lose. Baktu, do you hear me? I ’t lose.’

  “Indeed, it does sound like a fate worse thah,” Robert replied, pg on his helmet, his small smile disappearing under his helmet.

  Silence filled the air.

  ‘I ’t lose.’

  ‘I will teach you respect, boy.’

  “Begin,” Mother Priest said.

  Battle OrderD20 + 1 = 20 (19)

  Adam’s entire body bolted forward. The young man moved as though he was the explosion of a fireball, his entire body flinging forward. He had o aim, he trated on being the first oo strike. Robert’s bde swung downwards to meet him, while Adam darted almost like a crossbow bolt let loose.

  114 damage.

  It was the damage which had floored the Seventh Hope, but the Seventh Hope was not the same as the First Hope.

  While Jaygak and Laygak had assisted him in his armour, Adam had racked his brain.

  Was there a way to defeat the First Hope in a single blow?

  Thunderous Smite dealt 2D6 damage, but it couldn’t be cast using more Mana to deal more damage.

  His smite, however, was able to deal greater damage, though he hadn’t wao reveal that just yet.

  If only there was a smite which could be cast with more damage.

  He had checked his spell list, which had ten spells he could use, though most of them had been for making his way to Life River, rather than to fight, trusting in the Order of Life’s Rose, or rather, trusting in Vonda’s faith in the First Hope.

  The ten spells were fine, but he couldn’t use Fireball here.

  What of Hex? Hex was fine, but if it was a single blow, it was worse than Thunderous Smite.

  So he checked his spells, again and again.

  Then he remembered.

  He may have worshipped Lord Sozain, but he wasn’t a Priest of Death.

  Fe’s Magi access to the prepared Fe Priest spells.

  ‘Does he believe he hit me without looking?’ Hope Robert thought, while his sword tio swing downwards, threatening to strike Adam’s shoulder. Though Hope Thomas was one of the most defensive amongst his peers, First Hope Robert was simir, priding himself in his defence.

  What did this boy know of fighting? He knew less about bat than he knew about respect, the boy barely off from sug the teet of his mother.

  “Mother Soza’s fury,” came the t to a Fate spell from the guardian.

  “Lord Sozain’s fury,” came the t of a spell from the fool. Adam’s voice trembled full of excitement and desperation, before the fmes of the rising rage began to float towards his axe, apanying the chill of the death known as Wraith.

  Adam tio charge forward, still not looking at Robert, his axe beginning to swing, both from his shoulder and his elbow.

  Adam did not o look at his enemy in order to beat him, he just o act first. He had rolled well, though his Dexterity was fairly low. Even so, it meant that he robably going first, but there was a ce the First Hope still mao roll better.

  ‘Even if I get hit, I’m going to make sure I beat you good!’

  Adam plucked a Thread of Fate.

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