Adam hoisted the st of the barrels onto the wagoing out a shrunt. Jurot only let out a soft breath as he pced down two barrels, one in each arm, before stepping back, eyeing up the items within.

  ‘How you be both handsome and strong? It’s not fair, Jurot.’ Adam shook his head lightly. “Kitool, will you double check we have everything?” Adam asked, hanging the journal to her. “It would be best for you since you’ll have fresh eyes.”

  “Okay,” Kitool replied, doing as he asked.

  ‘As much as I probably could just make a bunagic food, it won’t do good for the morale of the party,’ Adam thought. He checked on the wolves, who had beeing well withiown. “Sky, you’re the one whose going to be leading the pack whenever we send you out.”

  “Okay,” the awakened wolf replied, a soft growl esg his throat.

  “If you guys take that opportunity to run…” Adam raised his brows, as if daring them to do so. He stepped around towards Kit’a and Jay’a, reag out to rub their heads and scratch their necks gently. “If they’re mean to you, let me know. Just cause they’re awakened wolves, it doesn’t mean they bully you.”

  Kit’a and Jay’a brushed their faces against Adam’s, the young half elf tinuing to dote on them while the others double checked their gear. Adam made his way to the group of Aswadians within his party.

  “Korin, did you grab any of the…” Adam paused, trying to recall the name.

  History CheckD20 + 3 = 13 (10)

  “Pepo? No, perht?”

  “Pero,” Korin firmed. “I still have a pouch from East Port.”

  “Great. I’m putting you in charge of cooking. You use as much spice as you like, since we’ll be heading to East Port ter, and I’ll give you enough to buy yourself at least a barrel of the stuff.”

  “That would be expensive.”

  “How expensive?”

  “Over one hundred gold.”

  “A cask, then.”

  Korin chuckled lightly, nodding his head. “I will cook well, Adam, you do not o worry about that.”

  “Alright, are we all ready to go?” Adam asked, g his hands to gather his party’s attention. “If you need any help or anything, just ask me, Jurot, Kitool, Jaygak, Vonda, or Dunes.”

  Ohe party was settled with their affairs, they began to make their way out. The group was full of Aswadians, Iyrmen, Aldishmen, wolves, and elks. Adam did his best to ignore all the attention they were receiving, though he couldn’t bme the townsfolk.

  “Aren’t you a big group?” the guard called out, gng back towards the party as they approached the gates. “Haven’t seen this many Iyrmen pass by in some time, not sihe war’s end.”

  “We’re preparing for a sort of war too, I suppose,” Adam replied. “We’re heading south west to deal with the outbreak.”

  “Ah! May the Divine bless you, adventurers.” The guard eyed up their tags. “Are only a few of you bronze rank?”

  “Well, teically we’re all Experts, but yeah,” Adam replied. “A few of us pced well in the Noonval Tour ba East Port, and actually, two of us won. Jurot and Nobby.”

  The guard eyed up the pair, who were built as though they had been carved from marble. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the pair of you came first.” Though there was doubt in her voice, she faced Jurot, staring at him through her visor.

  “Kitool also pced sed,” Jurot informed.

  “You’re all s, aren’t you?” The guard replied pyfully, nodding to Kitool. It only made sense for the pair of Iyrmen to pce so highly, especially sidering the ck of real petition. ‘…’ A thought crossed her mind. ‘Didn’t they say the order members were also iour?’

  “Adam also pced third,” Kitool added.

  “Speaking of pg, my Cousins all did well too,” Adam said, defleg the attention towards the younger Iyrmen. “They all pced really high in their segment.”

  The guards whistled. “So you’re all some kind of tour champions? I’d offer my advice to be careful, but sihere are so many Iyrmen about, I doubt you .”

  “Oh, aren’t you a sister of Life’s Rose?” the uard asked, bowing her head gently towards Vonda.

  “I am Sir Vonda, of Life’s Rose,” Vonda replied, bowing her head gently.

  “Blessings to you, sister,” a guard said, removing her helmet, revealing her beautiful face. She was strongly built, with long brue hair, and a handsome smile. Her eyes were a deep, pierg green, like the most entig field that you would find in a musical about romahe female lead pressing herself against the loree which appeared from o speak about her forbidden love.

  The uard had also removed her helmet, and though she wasn’t quite as pretty, it didn’t mean her looks could crack mirrors. She looked very simir to the uard, with her brue hair and pierg green eyes, but her face was slightly maunt, and there were small scratch marks against her cheek.

  “Oh!” Adam removed his ow, smiling towards the pair. “It’s been a while.”

  The guards gowards Adam awkwardly, noting his leaf shaped ears. “Don’t think I know anyone like you, half fae.”

  “You guys don’t reise me?” Adam asked, frowning slightly. “Well, I guess that makes sense, you probably see thousands of people yearly.” Adam chuckled, though he heir curious gazes. ‘Did I not take off my helmet?’ “Anyway, you two were the first people I met when I first came to Red Oak a few years back.”

  History CheckD20 + 3 = 18 (15)

  “Marie and Mary, I believe. You mentioned you had brothers named Harold, Harry, and… Harri?”

  “That’s right, yes,” Marie replied, narrowing her eyes slightly. “When did you say you had e about?”

  “It was… three years ago? Is that right? It was on the first of dawnval. I was a fresh boy joining the Adventurer’s Guild.”

  “It does sound familiar, but like you said, we meet thousands of people every year.”

  “Death and taxes,” Adam said.

  “What?”

  “I think I made a joke about death and taxes.”

  “Oh!” Mary, the guard with the faint scars, whispered. “That is familiar, yes.”

  “Well, it leasure to see you both again, but we shouldn’t be keeping you.” Adam pced his helmet ba, a smile still pstering his face. The pair were the first people he had met in this life. ‘Good to see them doing okay.’

  “Wishing you all the Mother’s blessing,” the guards replied, allowing the group to tinue on their way. As the group made their way, the pair gnced between one another.

  “He seemed to be the leader.”

  “To the Iyrmen?”

  “Didn’t he say he was an Expert?”

  “If he’s the leader, isn’t he stronger?”

  “That’s right…”

  “He must have spent all his time with the Iyrmen.”

  The guards watched as the rge group tio trail his way along to the horizon. They were a rge group, rger than most, with creatures they weren’t used to. The pair had heard about the wolves over the past couple of years, though they had scarcely believed it.

  “He ’t be too bad if he’s helping out during the outbreak,” Marie said.

  “I’m thinking the same,” Mary replied, also thinking about the Massacre of Rock Hill.

  “Right, I fot that they didn’t like elves around these parts,” Adam admitted, flushing slightly in his embarrassment. “I spent all that time hiding my ears with a scarf and then I went and took my helmet off.”

  “They may have had family iown,” Fred said.

  Adam gnced back towards Fred, slowly nodding his head. “It is what it is, I suppose. It’s not like I say I had nothing to do with it, no one would care. That’s how it is…”

  “I don’t think you’re so bad, Adam,” Fred stated, the sudden rush of awkwardness rising within him.

  “Yeah, thanks.” Adam exhaled lightly. ‘Elves. Half dragons. Goblins. Demons.’

  “…” Jurot remained silent, and the others left Adam be in his thoughts.

  As te afternoon began to swallow the nd, Adam squinted his eyes. “Is that a…”

  “Yes,” Jurot replied.

  The rge walls of the minor fort imposed upon the pih having been stacked at least half a man tall, with wooden logs set within them. A rge ditch ran around the fort, with carved wooden stakes pointed outwards in front. The rge banners flew above the group, a bck fg with a golden dragon. The fort was rge, easily rge enough for the likes of a few hundred soldiers. A new road shot out towards the east from the outpost, disappearing into the distanbsp;

  “I’m fairly certain there wasn’t an outpost like this here st time,” Adam said.

  “There are two more,” Jurot informed. “They were built st year.”

  “I see…” Adam stared at the ominous walls of the minor fort. “The war is over, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.”

  “We going to have any problems?”

  “There should be no problems.”

  Adam exged a knowing look to his brother, his lips almost f a smirk. “Sir Vonda, would you be willing to speak with the soldiers on our behalf?”

  “Of course, Adam.”

  Thank you, Sir Vonda.