His heart drummed excitement through his veins, pushing out the nerves. He gripped his magical shield tight in hand, feeling its great magic within. He gripped his axe tighter in hand, the axe which was far too dangerous to be used in his hands. As he closed his eyes, a fsh of memories rushed through him.

  That of a child, so small, so ugly, who ended up crawling far too quickly. She ended up talking far too quickly. She ended up walking far too quickly.

  The dirt upowins. The scar upon the eldest girl, who protected her younger siblings. A red skinned baby who randomly appeared iene day.

  Then the pair of small, wrinkled, fragile babies. Oh leaf shaped ears, the other, no doubt his son.

  ‘Am I going to die?’ The thought beloo his oppo, who could feel the oppressive aura of the figure before him.

  The oppressive aura of a father who would rather die than lose.

  13D6.

  ‘Two hits,” Adam thought. ‘And if he expends each charge, that’s 13D6. The average damage is about forty five, or so? Then you add in Jurot’s strength and his big angry bonus and the magical bonus, that should be what, eight, nine, additional damage per hit. If he rolls average, that’s about… sixty? Sixty damage.’

  Yet, somehow, even though Adam assumed average damage, the foe stood, arms and legs shaking from Jurot’s violent onsught. The axe had threateo break through his armour. Indeed, if the fellow was any normal figure, he would have probably fallen back from such a mighty blow, but this was no normal figure.

  ‘So this is the Iyrman who beat Sir Gordan?’ Mason thought, still feeling the aftermath of the heavy blows against him. ‘Unfortunately for you, Iyrman, I’m from the North!’ Mason’s greatswlowing a pale blue, cut through the air, and struck against his shield, the hundering.

  Adam made here was no actual thunder. ‘You’re holding back?’

  Except, there was something different. Even as Mason’s bde struck so viciously, so viciously he would have certainly dropped a typical Expert, he could still feel the chill down his spine. He mao duder a wicked blow that threateo knock him out, even through his full pte, and the pair tio exge heavy blows, until finally, the vierged.

  Though Mason had certainly struck true, striking true against Jurot was still worse than striking him while he wasn’t raging, and though the member of the Order of the Ice Bdes had a good showing against the Iyrman, Jurot had also mao strike true too. Jurot flexed, raising his axe, which shook ever so slightly. He had taken quite a battering, not quite at half Health, but he wasn’t shaking because he had been struck, but rather, he wao keep fighting.

  “Good fight,” Adam said, patting Jurot’s shoulder once he returned. “It wasn’t quite as as my fight against the Priest, but it was still pretty good.”

  “It is a shame hts were pced in such a way,” Jurot said, since he was uo watch the fights.

  XP: 3 800

  ‘It’s not like he was worth much XP.’ Adam took a moment to realise why. ‘ht. Thank you.’

  [No problem.]

  With perhaps the politest versation he had ever had with Bell, Adam wondered if he should speak to them more often. ‘Maybe aime.’

  Sihe arena had been quartered after the first day, multiple fights could be watched at the same time, and though Adam and Jurot were both fighters, they hadn’t mao take their pce within the ring. Instead, they sat he top of the general seats, watg the fights from above, though it was still awkward to see any fights that didn’t take p their quarter.

  “Ah! Look!” Adam said, pointing out to a figure in full pte.

  “Executive Jaygak!” called the announcer as the young Iyrman raised her bde within the air, cirg around the arena.

  “Executive Jaygak?” Adam asked, frowning. “Why doesn’t she have a cool name?”

  “You are also called Executive.”

  “Yeah, but we all know that’s b. Shouldn’t she have something cooler? Jaygak the Inferno. Jaygak, Death Inate. Jaygak the Horny.”

  “…”

  “You know that was funny.”

  “…”

  ‘Fine. Be like that.’

  Jaygak awaited for her oppo, before he was introduced.

  “Sir Rory Eastspear of the Golden Spears.”

  ‘It’s true…’ Jaygak thought, trying to calm her heart. Of all the people she was ing to face against, it was him?

  “My greetings to you, Iyrman,” Rory called out, removing his helmet to bow his head. His copper hair curled backwards, his jade eyes emboldened his smile of pearls.

  “You too,” Jaygak replied, removing her helmet, bowing her head iurn.

  “Hey, Jurot,” Adam whispered iands. “Aren’t the Golden Spears based i Aldnd?”

  “Yes.”

  “It feels like Jaygak’s showing a lot of respect.”

  “Yes.”

  “…” Adam raised his brows, but Jurot remained focused on the enter between the pair.

  Rory Eastspear smiled wider towards the womaood tall and strong, full of grace, as one might have expected of aspear. He wore full pte armour, fed in the East, with all manner of engravings through the breastpte, though the rest of the armour was fairly pin. His long cloak was the blue of a clear noonval sky, and dropped down to the back of his knees, rather than down towards his ankles. He wielded a rge, round, bronze shield, and a spear, the gold tip gleaming even during nightval.

  “Did you know that our family has history,” Jaygak asked, daring to waste the crowd’s time.

  “We do?”

  “Do you know of the name Jogak the Firestorm?”

  “No.”

  “What a shame.” Jaygak clutched her bde in hand. “It was during the Demonic Devastation when he was stabbed in the back by the Aldishmen. I will speak to you the tale after our bout.”

  “Perhaps if you win?”

  “Okay,” Jaygak replied. “I will prepare the wine and cheese.”

  Rory smiled even wider, before bowing his head lightly.

  Jurot stared at the pair for a long moment. “Adam. Do not look away.”

  “Kitool’s about to fi-,”

  “You ot look away,” Jurot said, his eyes pletely focused between Jaygak and Rory. ‘Jaygak…’

  ‘You have to beat him up, Jaygak, since he’s from the East,’ Adam thought, sending out as much fortune as he could, though he supposed vibes wouldn’t help. ‘Plus, Jurot and I bet thousands of gold, so…’

  ‘I should not show her up,’ Rory thought. ‘It would be untoward.’

  “Sir Rory,” Jaygak called.

  “Yes?”

  “I will not hold back.”

  “I will not hold back either,” the Oathsworn replied, fshing another charming smile, before they both doheir helmets, and the fellow spun his spear, taking his stance, shield up, spear point beside the round shield.

  Jaygak inhaled deeply, fog herself. ‘One swing at a time.’

  The air fell silent before them. Then, the pair exploded into a vicious dispy of spear and bde, gold and white. An explosion of thunder rocked through the arena as Jaygak flew back, but the most shog thing of all, was that the Oathsworn, Sir Rory, stepped back.

  ‘What was that?’ he thought, feeling the ache through his body. He was thankful the explosive Thunderous Smite and his Divine Smite had mao rock her, but her onsught was so vicious, he thought he would die. He stumbled back to put some distaween them, and though he was ready to heal himself, he watched as Jaygak, instantly leapt onto her feet with suimbleness, one might have expected her to be desded from a panther. It had been so sudden, the warrior almost slipped, while Jaygak leapt at him, glowing bde in hand.

  What was most terrifying of all was that even though Jaygak attacked with such savagery, seemingly with the io kill the Oathsworn, she let out no growl, no grunt, and other than sharp breaths, there was no fort in the silence whigulfed Rory, before finally, the glowing bde gave way to darkness.

  The shock filled the crowd, as much as it had the first day when a particur fellow in purple had defeated the greatest genius the North had ever created, or so it was said. Jaygak had, with greater ease, mao defeat the likes of Sir Rory Eastspear!

  That Eastspear!

  “Adam, do you uand the significe of this victory?” Jurot asked.

  “We just earned a boat load of gold, and Jaygak beat some guy she hated?” Adam replied.

  “No,” Jurot replied. “You have heard the tale.”

  “I have?”

  History Check (Intelligence)D20 + 3 = 12 (9)

  “I’m not sure…” Adam admitted.

  “Sir Rory Eastspear is desded from Sir Hunter Eastspear, who held the title of The Young Hawk.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Jaygak will tell the tale,” Jurot said.

  Kitool tio face against her own oppo, who was a Rage Dancer, and was a vicious fellow, a Master, she was certain. She almretted joining the older se of the tour, but she fought hard. Even so, she left swiftly after her bout, to go to see Jaygak.

  As the four joiogether, Adam wondered if he should have called for Lud Mara, who kicked it with the Marshal of East Port. Oh, and Jaoo. ‘No, I should leave them to watch the fights, sihey’re having fun.’

  “I didn’t expect you to be so powerful,” Rory stated, as the group met at an inn in the evening. He had arrived with another Bronze Shield, but also a Silver Shield.

  ‘Is she Sir Edith?’ Jaygak thought, gng aside towards the Silver Shield, before raising her cup of wio Sir Rory. “The bde I wield is truly great. Without it, I may not have been able to defeat you.”

  Sir Rory, who could still feel the ache of Jaygak’s bde, uood how the bde was truly great, but the stitches he required as her bde slipped through the ks in his armour, revealed that she was just being polite. “I will take your kind words to heal my bruised ego.”

  “It’s not the only thing that was bruised,” Adam said, chug lightly, before noting Jaygak’s judging look, and he quickly stopped. Adam cleared his throat.

  “You mentiohat our families have a history?”

  “Your aor, Sir Hunter Eastspear, the Young Hawk, made his name during the Demonic Devastation,” Jaygak said, catg the man’s eyes, who held a deep pride within them.

  “It was a turbulent time, and I only be humbled by what my aor mao aplish,” Rory replied, sipping his wine, smiling slightly.

  “My father’s name is Jogak, but there is anak I grew up hearing of. Jogak the Firestorm.”

  “You did mention the name.”

  “Jogak the Firestorm was active during the Demonic Devastation, along with his cousin, Gangak the Bde. My grandaunt is named after her, and she herself earhe title of Fme Brand in Aswadasad. She was…” Jaygak smiled. “This isn’t about her. During the Demonic Devastation, our family had reached great heights. Jogak the Firestorm fought hard, sying demon after demon. Gangak the Bde slew two of the Demon Generals, her bdework so great, they decided against adding a prefix to her title. They fought. They fought and they fought. They protected East Aldnd, with many of the Orders which had been active during the time. The Fifty Red Bdes, they were active then, I’m sure you know, since your aor fought alongside a few.”

  “He fought alongside Sir Leona,” Rory firmed.

  “The Red Lioness,” Jaygak firmed. “He also fought alongside the Spear of the Breeze, whose son he eventually fostered, and he also fostered another young boy, who eventually became a local hero of South Aldnd, now Floria. The Copper Sword of the South.”

  “Sir Tommen, yes,” Rory replied, surprised that the young Iyrman knew of the hero, whose name was overshadowed by so many ends.

  “The Spear in the Golden Spears refers to Eastspear,” Jaygak said. “Some people don’t wish to accept it, but we all know.”

  Rory smiled slightly. “So it does.” He wao ask more, but waited, because the girl seemed to hold a serious look in her eyes.

  “Jogak the Firestorm met the Young Hawk many times, and though the Young Hawk was, as you’d guess, young, he was an impressive warrior. Jogak’s words at the time spoke highly of the Young Hawk. They fought only a few times alongside one another, once every few months, but as the war s end, and the demons were all but defeated, my aor was killed by the treachery of Aldishmen. Stabbed in the bad through his throat. he end of the war, when many great heroes tio fight, treater fame and glory, to stamp their names within the history books of Aldnd, it was the Young Hawk who returhe bodies.”

  Jaygak poured a cup of wine for the Order member, and she stared into his eyes. “That is why I didn’t hold back, Sir Rory.”

  The Oathsworn remained silent for a long moment. He had heard that his aor had, for some reason, shirked the st few months of the war. ‘It was to return the Iyrmen?’ He raised his cup. “Thank you, Jaygak.”

  Jaygak bowed her head, sipping the wine.

  Adam gnced arouween the pair. ‘I didn’t realise he was one of the good ones.’

  Sir Edith had wao speak up, but sidering the mood in the air, that of radery, she decided against it. ‘Kids these days, holy.’

  It feels a little te in the year to be busting out more lore drops.