Omen: 1, 3

  “We should leave today,” Lucy said. “She’ll be safe in the Iyr.”

  “Will she not be safe here?” Dunes asked, noting that they were surrounded by hundreds of Iyrmen, and some of whom were quite powerful.

  “No,” Lucy replied. “She won’t.” Her eyes fell to Adam for support.

  “It’s not that she won’t be safe here, but she’ll be much safer in the Iyr,” Adam said, gd that she had given him the ce to speak up. “Plus, this nd here might e uhreat if the ills over, and I don’t know about you, but I worked really hard, and gave up too much, for Mara to die immediately after reuniting her with Lucy.”

  The others decided against arguing with Adam, partly because his tongue was venomous, and partly because they uood that he wao return back to the Iyr eagerly. Even Dunes, who wished to tihe journey, uood Adam’s, and the party’s, worries.

  They didn’t take long in gathering their supplies, the Iyrmen handing over small crates of dried fruit a for their journey, as well as some wine. Adam had pnned on supplementing their journey with Goodberry, as he had done so far.

  Adam eyed up his group, which had marched for so many weeks already. He thought about how tired he was too, but the thought of returning to the Iyr filled him with greater strength. Ohey returo the Iyr, they could take some time off and rex, before figuring out what to do .

  Adam’s heart throbbed, and a fsh of fire appeared before his eyes. As quickly as it had e, it disappeared. Okvar pced a hand on Adam’s shoulder, nodding his head. The Orcish Iyrman, and Rasam, were also returning with the group, and would be able to keep them safe from almost anything which could try to bother them.

  With two giant elks to assist, the group could still move swiftly, one of them carrying the Demon, who Adam would assist with his Mana. The rain did very little to hamper their movement as they trekked along the road, making their way to South Fort.

  The guards stared down at their paper, ting the heads of the returning group. “One more Devilkin?”

  ‘Oh,’ Adam thought. ‘How did I not think of that?’

  “She is a Guest of the Iyr,” Okvar said. “She was a victim of the forest, but she is now safe. It was one of our tasks when heading to the Awakened Forest.”

  “One of them, eh?”

  “The other was to send them information about matters of we Iyrmen.”

  “Any matters we should know?”

  “No, but the Iyr has been your ally for thousands of years,” Okvar said. “This fort, too, was returned due to the Iyr’s efforts.”

  The guard raised her brow, w what the Iyrman was talking about. “Returned?”

  “When it was lost to Aswabayad, it was we Iyrmen who retur to Aldnd’s hands.”

  “We’ve never lost South Fort,” the guard said, simply. “You Iyrmen and your stories.”

  “If you have heard an Iyrman lie, you should inform the Iyr,” Okvar said. “We will see who it is that speaks ghostly tales.”

  The guard waved her hand, dismissing the Iyrmen through. Though the group was suspicious, it was made up of a rge group of Iyrmen, and South Fort wasn’t going to trouble them. The Iyrmen, even if they did speak nonsense, were instrumental in dealing with Aswadia.

  ‘Aswabayad? Is that some kind of Iyrmen name for Aswadia?’ the guard thought.

  The rest of the journey passed by ufully, with the group skipping oown on the way to Goldport. They spent an evening at the Order past Goldport, which they had skipped on the way to the fort, though Adam didn’t spend much time admiring the vilges or the defences of the Order. They tinued along to the own, and then to the Order, before marg their way towards Red Oak, reag it at the beginning of the ninth month, the st month of Duskval.

  It was roughly twenty days from Red Oak to South Fort, following the road all the way to the east, through and around the hills. They had somehow found themselves without much bother ourn journey, no old men who were utter monsters, not even Crowseer or a depressed youth needing help which Adam could io join his pany.

  Red Oak’s walls were a wele sight, but only because it meant they were but a week away from the Iyr.

  “We’ll take a rest here tomorrow,” Adam said ohey were within the Adventurer’s Guild. His feet were throbbing, and though it was out of the good of his heart, he also had another matter to deal with withiown.

  Jaygak eyed him up suspiciously, w what it could have meant, but when she caught Kitool’s eye, she realised why Adam wao take a rest here. It was because of that, after all.

  ‘We’re probably not going to e back for a little while so…’ Adam had sent Nobby’s family, Nobby, and Brittany, another one hundred gold s each, using the Adventurer’s Guild’s service.

  “Is everything alright?” Paul asked, noting how Adam was exhausted. He had never seen the Half Elf so down before.

  “Yeah,” Adam replied. “We just met with one hell of a monster when we left Red Oak st time.”

  Paul tried to recall the st time he had seen Adam. It hadn’t been long ago, barely a month or so. “What happened?”

  Adam reached up to his forehead, rubbing it with the side of his fist. “There was a…” He sighed. “Ask the Iyrmen teens, they’ll expihing.”

  “Why don’t you?” Paul stared at the Half Elf. He had acted so queer, and sidering what he knew from when Adam passed previously, he assumed he wouldn’t see the Half Elf until nightval.

  “I don’t want to think about it.” Adam rubbed his forehead with both of his fists, feeling the pounding only grow.

  Paul left Adam be, w what could have spooked the Half Elf who had faced Vandra with no fear. After hearing the tale from Naqokan, he uood why. He checked the records from within the Adventurer’s Guild, which had he appearance of this figure towards the beginning of the year, his first appearaed within Aswadasad.

  ‘So, he really was an Idol? No, he seems far more powerful than a typical Idol…’ Paul wondered how powerful the figure was, noting the ure which had appeared at the beginning of the year, and then the figure which had appeared in the year previous.

  ‘Lord Stokmar, and two more Idols?’ He checked where the figures had headed, and his eyes fell to the Guild’s map, cheg the movements of the figures. Lord Stokmar had been o move to the mountains, presumably where the dwarves lived, whereas the other two figures had headed towards the west.

  ‘Of course it would be there of all pce…’ He wondered if he should send a message to his wife, but he decided against it. It was no good to get involved in the Iyrman’s business. They stayed out of the Adventurer’s Guild business, and the Adventurer’s Guild stayed out of their business. ‘At least those two didn’t kill one of our operatives…’

  Paul’s eyes fell to another folder, which held the information of anure who had appeared near Aswadasad, one who held the abilities of lightning, and had dealt with their operative who had been assigo keep an eye on them. ‘At least that one didn’t make his way to the Iyr.’ He sighed, w if he could ask for a raise.

  Omen: 2, 4

  Adam was gd he had decided to remain within Red Oak. ‘Damn. What is this luck?’ He sighed, thinking about what he o do that day. ‘I probably shouldn’t walk around alone…’

  “Thank you, Sir Vonda,” Adam said. “I apologise for taking your time when I’ve been w you, and everyone else, so hard.”

  “There are no thanks needed, Adam,” she assured. “I uand why you are unfortable walking alohin Red Oak.”

  Adam’s ears twitched, and he wondered just how much trouble he was going to get into today. Jurot had left earlier, though Adam wasn’t sure where. The Iyrmen each left by themselves to do their own business, as they always did iowns, evehey had been travelling.

  ‘Being with Sir Vonda should be alright, though. Having someone who is a Noble and a Priest beside me should keep away aoo awful.’ He shook his head, trying not to think of Vonda as a veool. ‘Should I buy her something as a thanks? No, isn’t that weird? It’s totally weird.’

  “Adam?” Sir Vonda called, w why he was thinking so deeply. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” Adam said. “I’m fine.”

  Vonda smiled. “Shall we?”

  “Yeah.”

  Omen: 1, 6

  ‘Damn. What’s with this luck?’ Adam thought about deying their departure, but thinking about spending another day away from the Iyr caused him to shudder.

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  No random old man enter on the way back to the Iyr? Damn.