“Hoo!” Lucy exhaled, flexing her body as it cooled from her rage. ‘What a great fight!’

  Victory!XP Gained: +300XP: 24 400 -> 24 700

  “Noorshakar,” the older man said, his dark skin revealing him to be from Aswadasad, and his dyed beard revealing more, though not to Adam. “Always, I say it. Iyrmen, wonderful people, wonderful people.”

  “It is fortunate you were not harmed,” Jaygak said, her eyes taking in the sight of the caravan guards, each heavily armoured in , wielding spears and shields. Ahe leader of the guards, wore heavier armour, pte, and carried a longsword. Their cloaks were white, ahe symbol of the sun, a typical symbol of Lord Noor. “Rather, you are well skilled, you had no need of our assistance.”

  “Always wele, always. We part the loot? Half and half?”

  “We’ll take three parts in ten, since we really didn’t do much,” Adam said, throwing a look to Lucy, raising his brows. The demon smiled iurn, nodding her head back, gd Adam hadn’t joihe fray. “sidering the way you look, I mean, the dyed beard, and the turban, and the sun, are you from Aswadasad?”

  “I am blessed, born in Aswadasad.”

  Adam chuckled. “What do you sell?”

  “Cloth.”

  “Oh yeah? Very nice. What kind of cloth?”

  “e, I show.”

  The pair of groups ate together, and upon the Aswadian’s insistence, Adam accepted the gift of cloths.

  “I’ve always said it, Aswadians are wonderful people,” Adam said, g the man’s forearm, allowing the mert to pat his fently with his freehand.

  “Noorshakar,” the older man said, smiling wide. “It is our blessing to meet you all.”

  “It’s our blessing to meet you.”

  The group tinued along their way through the forest, ing along to a fork in the road. One road was thick, cobbled, the other ft, and though as wide, it was far smoother.

  “A new road?” Adam asked.

  “It is the road from the new forts,” Jurot expined. “They pleted it retly.”

  “They mao plete this road even as far as the Deadwood?” Adam asked, almost uo believe it. “The Iyr’s got some petitio es to efficy, eh?”

  “This road is fine,” Jurot replied, though he khe Iyr could create the road better, or faster, should they o.

  “Does that mean we skip Red Oak?” Adam asked.

  ‘Eh?’ Jahought, feeling the ache of the road in her bones.

  “We could.”

  “Let’s do that then,” Adam said, gng up to the darkening sky. “Let’s speed up to the fort.”

  “Do you not want to cim the gemtroll?” Jane asked. “The Guild would pay you.”

  “Eh, I don’t really care that much about it,” Adam admitted. “The quicker we go home, the happier I’ll be.”

  ‘I’ve never met a guy who missed his family this much.’

  ‘He doesn’t want to head to Red Oak?’ Jaygak thought. She patted the bde at her side, w if she should tell him. ‘No, it’ll be funnier if I don’t.’

  The vehicles tio barrel their way towards the minor fort, a fort created to house a few hundred soldiers at most, mostly used to assist with the border, and to deal with the threats of the wild. Of course, the Iyrmen uood this art of the King’s pn to deal with the Tribesfolk, and perhaps, to put pressure on the Iyr.

  The ander of the fort stood upon the walls, which seemed deceptively tall thanks to the slope and the ditch beh. His eyes remained focused on the figures as they stepped out of the carts, and the wolves. ‘Iyrmen, purple armour, devilkin, and wolves?’ He was reminded of the previous ander’s words.

  ‘Let me give you some advice.’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘There’s a group that should pass by. Iyrmen, apanied by two, what they call, devilkin, and a half elf in purple armour, they might also have wolves with them. The ht tell you to apprehend the devilkin, saying they’re demons, but whatever you do, don’t trouble the group.’

  ‘Demons?’

  ‘Whatever you do, you should not trouble them.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘I’ve written you a note, but in case you don’t read it, that particur group… they have no view of on sense.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Just trust me.’

  The ander’s eyes remained focused on the group as they approached the walls. “What brings you here so te?”

  “We wish to return back to the Iyr,” Kitool replied.

  “It’s awfully te. Did you get into any trouble on the road?”

  “A gemtroll attacked a caravan, but it was a small issue.”

  “A gemtroll? In Deadwood?”

  “Yes.”

  “You dealt with it?”

  “Yes.”

  The ander slowly nodded his head, trying to buy time to figure out what to do with the group. He could feel the expet gazes of the Order members near him. “The Order here seems to have an issue with some of you.”

  “Yeah, no doubt,” the fellow in purple said, chug, before stopping upon seeing the look of the red skinned Iyrman.

  “What do they wish of us?” Kitool asked.

  “Surrehe demons to us,” the one eyed old woman said, easily in her sixties, sidering her wrinkles and her hair, almost silver uhe starlit sky. She wore full pte, and carried a longsword at her side. The symbol upon the her amulet was no doubt from the Order of the Floral Sun, sidering the sun within the blooming flower.

  “You are Viander Esme?” Jurot asked, noting the scar across her eye.

  “What of it?”

  “I am Jurot.”

  “Do…” The old aused. ‘Jurot?’ She reached up to rub along the scar which ran along her cheek.

  ‘You have got to be kidding me,’ Adam thought. ‘Old geezer, hoeople did you fight?’ Adam thought back to how many stories he had heard of Jarot. The number was easily over a hundred, and though he had heard a handful several times, almost every week he heard a ale.

  “You must be his grandson.”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you threatening me?”

  “Yes.”

  “You, a boy not even half my age?”

  “Yes.”

  The old woman could feel it, stirring deep inside her, the rage. “I heard you had defeated Sir Harrison.”

  “No,” Jurot replied. “That was Jaygak.”

  “He surrendered before I could defeat him,” Jaygak said, her lips twitg into a smug smile.

  “Do you uand the differeween Sir Harrison and I?”

  “Grandfather did not cripple Sir Harrison?”

  The old woma another fsh of heat run through her body. “He is not a Grandmaster.”

  “It was a joke,” Jurot said.

  ‘Always a banger,’ Adam thought, while Lucy kept her snort taioo nervous to let one slip.

  “If you do not surrehe demons, I will draw my bde,” Esme said, hoping they would refuse.

  “Jaygak?” Jurot called.

  “Yes?”

  “I would like to face the Viander.”

  Jaygak sighed. “Is there another Viander here?”

  “…” Esme’s brow pulsed. She stood tall and proud, doing her best not to fall for their tricks.

  “It doesn’t seem like it.”

  “Grandfather took one eye, I would like to take the other,” Jurot stated, throwing a casual gowards Jaygak.

  “Do you think that your words would e into striking first?” Esme asked.

  Jurot remained focused on Jaygak, all but ign the Viander.

  The ander uood what the previous ander had said to him. “Last I recalled, the demons were uhe purview of Life’s Rose. You there, the young man in purple, are you not the Ray’s husband?”

  “Yes?” Adam replied, raising his brows. ‘How does he know that?’

  “That symbol, is it of the Iyr’s Lord of Death?”

  “It’s the Iyr’s symbol of Lord Sozain,” Adam stated, noting the ander’s eyes narrowed slightly.

  ‘You damn fool, why are y to fight me?’ “Am I to uand that the Ray remaihe Iyr, and has tasked you with watg over the demons?”

  “…” Adam tilted his head slightly. “That is… correct?”

  “Then, Sir Esme, you should send a letter to the Order of Life’s Rose to request permission to deal with the demons, or am I misuanding the dealings between the Orders?”

  “…”

  ‘Check out this guy,’ Adam thought. ‘I ’t believe there’s an Aldish ander whose helping us out. He must not be a noble?’

  Esme remained focused on the young man before her, who held the same tattoos as the old man that had taken her eye previously. Though her eye pulsed, it was the ughter within her mind which seared itself upon her heart. It had been decades, but she had not fotten that particur Iyrman. Upon hearing that he had left the Iyr the previous year, and had caused another mess, she had requested to move to this fort, so she could catch him if he dared to step out again.

  ‘What am I doing? Pig a fight with a boy?’ “Sihat is the situation, I will step back, for the sake of Life’s Rose.”

  ‘If it’s not my brother, it’s my wife,’ Adam thought. ‘One day, my name will protect you too.’

  “I preferred the North,” Lucy finally said ohe group were within one of the tents of the fort.

  “Yeah, well, it’ll all be over soon. If we rush, we make it ba a single day, probably?”

  “No, that hurts too much,” Lucy said, already feeling the ache in her body from the thought of the wagon shaking so much.

  “Alright, alright,” Adam said, smiling, though he stared at the top of the tent. ‘Damn it. I ’t really move around iral Aldnd or the South, but Lud Mara?’ “One day, Lucy.”

  “Yeah.”

  Unfortunately for Adam, he was uo wallow in his thoughts for too long. The day, as the carts followed the cobbled road, shaking slightly, the group stopped, still some ways away from the first vilge.

  “What the hell is that?” Adam asked.

  “I do not know,” Jurot admitted, staring at the creature before them, which stared at the group. It seemed almost like a wolf, except it was made of blood, and parts of it seemed to be made of shadow. .

  “Creatures of blood and shadow,” Jaygak whispered, having drawn her bde. “I… don’t remember which tale exactly, but…”

  “Bad news?” Adam asked.

  “Yes.”

  “It feels weird,” Lucy whispered, holding Great Destroyer in hand, the rge greataxe glowing lightly with heat.

  “Yeah,” Adam whispered.

  The creature blurred, and like a loosened bolt, darted towards them.

  Battle OrderD20 + 1 = 16 (15)

  Fighting Spirit: 3 -> 2

  Attack: Wraith (Advantage)(Fnking)D20 + 11 = 28 (17)D20 + 11 = 31 (20)Critical hit!Wraith: 3 -> 0Mana: 25 -> 21Ability: Divine SmiteDivine Smite Improved!4D6 + 12D6 + 10D6 + 9 = 88 (10)(40)(29)88 damage!

  Attack: Wraith (Advantage)(Fnking)D20 + 11 = 21 (10)D20 + 11 = 29 (18)Hit!Mana: 21 -> 20Wraith: 0 -> 1Wraith: 1 -> 0Mana: 20 -> 19 Ability: Divine SmiteDivine Smite Improved!2D6 + 2D6 + 3D6 + 9 = 35 (10)(4)(12)35 damage!

  Onward Soar: 1 -> 0

  Attack: Wraith (Advantage)(Fnking)D20 + 11 = 13 (2)D20 + 11 = 30 (19)Critical hit!Mana: 19 -> 16Wraith: 0 -> 3Wraith: 3 -> 0Mana: 16 -> 12 Ability: Divine SmiteDivine Smite Improved!4D6 + 12D6 + 10D6 + 9 = 99 (13)(41)(36)99 damage!

  Attack: Wraith (Advantage)(Fnking)D20 + 11 = 21 (10)D20 + 11 = 29 (18)Hit!Mana: 12 -> 11Wraith: 0 -> 1Wraith: 1 -> 0Mana: 11 -> 10 Ability: Divine SmiteDivine Smite Improved!2D6 + 2D6 + 3D6 + 9 = 30 (4)(6)(11)30 damage!

  Adam inhaled deeply, fog pletely on killing the creature. As it blurred towards them, his axe fshed cold and white hot, exploding with magical force, crashing through the creature’s body. He bisected the creature in half as he met it in battle, the two halves of the creature flying past him.

  ‘Damn! Over two hundred damage?’ Adam thought, before he heard it.

  It was a wet noise, as though a seal dang upon nd. He turned his head to watch as the two halves of the creature, the wolf made of blood and shadow, began to reach out to one another, and knit itself back together.

  ‘What?’ Adam remained frozen from the shock.

  252 damage.

  That’s how much damage Adam had managed in a single round, perhaps more than he had managed ever before.

  252 damage.

  That damage could have killed even Keswing.

  Uh, excuse me?

  Also, I find so much joy in making a chapter title sound really innocuous and having the most ihings happen in them.

  The Path to Red Oak VI = Adam almost dies to Shama.

  The Road to Home II = Adam meets something insane.

  It probably makes more seo clickbait, but I think that some of these cliffhangers are already enough.