‘Ah,’ Adam thought, the entire world shifting all around him, the hydra growing much rger than previous. ‘I’ve fotten how it feels like.’ Adam ran full sprint within his pte armour, hearing the soft ale sounds of his armour moving, like sifting grains, calming his explodi.

  “…” Jurot stared up ahead towards Kitool, who was much further ahead than himself, and then the unmistakeable purple form of his brother, who was even further ahead. In his heart, Jurot uood Adam could do this, si was Adam.

  Jaygak huffed, rushing beside fire giant prince as they charged forward, their armours g about. She iensing her muscles before she barrelled past both the Prind the Rage Dancer, before she started to slow once more, Jurot passing her with his greater swiftness.

  Mana: 21 -> 17Spell: Dimension Door

  “Let’s,” Adam began, elling his spell through his voice, before the world around him shifted once more, the hydra suddenly far rger as he cleared another hundred metres or so, the child so close to him now, “go!”

  The child tio run forward, her small legs f her ever forward, ahe hydra’s bloody maw seemed so close to snapping at her heels. She cried out, tripping over, before the shadow swallowed her whole.

  Health: 91 -> 43

  “It’s alright,” Adam said, feeling the girl whimper within his arms, her face a sobbing mess. “You’re safe now.” Adam’s voice remained calm and assured as the hydra sank its teeth within his armour, its maws cm against his puthral.

  “Huu!” the girl replied, hearing the echoes of hydra against metal.

  Adam winced, before daring to shift his head, looking towards the four running towards him. “e on,” Adam said, his voice full of authority as he felt the magic pour through his body and through his voice.

  Mana: 17 -> 13Spell: Dimension Door

  Within the blink of ahe sery around them ged, while Adam rolled onto his back, causing the girl to scream and sob.

  “It’s alright, it’s alright.” Adam said, reag up to rub her head. “See? The hydra is so far away, and the Iyrman and the Prince are going to kill it.” ‘That was too close.’

  She tio sob, while Adam rubbed her head. A shadow loomed over the pair.

  “You don’t want to fight?”

  “They don’t need me,” Jaygak replied.

  “I guess so,” Adam said, gng over to the side to see Kitool preparing herself to face the hydra once Jurot and the Prince were beside her. Within moments, the hydra and the trio cshed, though almost in an instant, the hydra froze in pce, allowing the trio to cleave through it as though they were carving a cake.

  Jaygak k, removing her helmet to reveal her red skin and her horns. “Hello.”

  “Huuu.” The girl sobbed quietly, sniffling.

  “My name is Jaygak,” Jaygak said, smiling warmly. “It’s okay, you’re safe now. Would you like to meet Ray Vonda?”

  “Way Vonda?” the girl asked, still sobbing, as Adam pulled out some cloth to her face.

  “Yeah, Ray Vonda,” Adam said, gng towards Jaygak in awe of her genius.

  “Hello,” Ray Vonda said, removing her helmet to reveal her face. The girl stared down towards her burns, but Vonda just smiled politely. “I am Ray Vonda, of Life’s Rose.”

  The girl blinked, her sobbing quickly ing to a halt.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Elsie,” the girl said, sniffling lightly.

  “Where are you from?”

  “East Port.”

  “I’m from East Port too.”

  “Life’s Rose’s in Liferiver?”

  “Yes, but I was born i Port.”

  “Oh!” The girl’s eyes sparkled with delight upon hearing the news, quickly distracted from the distah which fell upon the hydra.

  “Where did you live?”

  “The Browns.”

  “Oh, I lived he coast,” Vonda replied, vaguely recalling the distract, which sisted mostly of farmers. “What’s your favourite food?”

  “Me favourite’s pe, with the milk.”

  Adam reached up towards his heart, doing his best not to be defeated by the girl. ‘Eh?’ Adam reached back to feel the blood seeping against the back of his arm.

  Lay on Hands: 35 -> 25Health: 43 -> 53

  The gentle warmth filled through him, closing up his wounds. The half elf, go the side to see two forms carrying the hydra back, while the third sed across the horizon for threats.

  “Huuu!” The girl ran behind Vonda upon seeing the hydra.

  “Don’t worry, it ’t hurt you any more,” Adam assured. “It’s been killed.”

  “It ’t be killed, it’s to!”

  “Don’t worry, we’ve killed lots of hydra before.”

  “You ’t kill hydras.”

  “What do you mean? roup’s killed about ten!”

  “Adam, you shouldn’t…” Lucy began, before her mind sed towards the previous year. They had killed at least seve year, and she was certain they had e aore hydras during the year too, plus there was the hydra in the previous years before it. ‘We really have killed a lot…’

  Victory!XP Gained: +600XP: 3 800 -> 4 400

  “See,” Adam said as Jurot and Prince Morkarai dropped it before them. “It’s dead.”

  “Dead? Like the sheep?”

  “Yeah, like a sheep.”

  The girl stared at it from before Vonda’s leg, still not daring to go forward.

  “Do you want to touch it?”

  Her hair shook almost as violently as her head, while the girl clutched at Vonda’s cloak, almost hugging her leg.

  “Did you e with a caravan?” Jaygak asked.

  “Yes. I was ridin’ and then the wagon fell over. They were fighting and mommy and daddy shouted and I ran with El.”

  “Who is El?”

  “El is my big sister! She tolds me she’d fier.”

  Adam exged a gh the rest of his panions, who slowly heir heads. “Well, Elsie, why don’t you stay with us until your family es to find you?”

  “Okay! Miss Ray, I stay with you?”

  “You stay with us,” Vonda smiled.

  “Kitool and I will go check,” Jurot said in the Iyr’s tongue.

  “Just you two?”

  “We are swift and silent.”

  “Alright. But no fighting the hydras, not unless it’s to help any stragglers.”

  Jurot nodded, before leaving with Kitool, the pair jogging away to follow the trail of death the hydra left. They pair were among the swiftest of the group, and the quietest.

  “It has been some time since I st fought a hydra,” Morkarai admitted, crag his neck from side to side. “My elder brother and I fought oogether for our rites.”

  “You guys kill hydras for your rites?”

  “Hydras, or if articurly ceous, behir.”

  “Behir?” Adam vaguely recalled the name of the creature.

  “Serpents of lightning. I wouldn’t wish to fae even now, though side by side with my brother, I may be more ceous.

  “They’re not quite dragons, but they do speak the tongue,” Jaygak said.

  “They talk?”

  “They aren’t that intelligent, but they talk. Their breath charges forward in a beam, but it is extremely dangerous, and though shorter than a blue dragon’s breath, it’s equally as dangerous.”

  “Trust you to know stuff about blue dragons,” Adam joked.

  Jaygak smiled, eyeing up the girl and Vonda together. “Adam, will you create a tower for the girl to herself?”

  “Sure.”

  ‘How many spells y forth?’ Morkarai thought, but he dared not to ask. He already koo much about Adam, and he wasn’t sure he should learn any more about the half elf, who tio exceed his expectations. ‘The spell to slip through the world thrice…’

  Mana: 13 -> 10Spell: Tower of Adam

  Ohe tower was formed from magic, Morkarai sighed.

  “Adam?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Do you know Fifth Gate spells?” Morkarai asked, feeling the sharp gaze of the Iyrmen beside him, and moments ter, the gazes of the demons.

  “Fifth Gate spells?” Adam asked. “No, I don’t.”

  “Do you have the ability to call forth such magic?”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “No.”

  ‘That’s impossible.’ Morkarai thought deeply. ‘If he’s not a Master with magic, then he must be a Paragon as with the ability of half a mage. Except, Adam does not know Fifth Gate spells? Is he lying? No, he does not lie. He may lie to save himself, but he seems clueless of my iions. Then how he cast so many Fate spells? Is it not the exclusive domain of that of Masters or Paragons?’

  “What are you thinking about so deeply?” Adam asked, having no clue how close to death he was flirting.

  “It is impossible to cast so many Fate spells while not having the ability to cast Fifth Gate spells.”

  “What if I had a magical item to cast it?”

  “Do you?”

  “No, but you know, still…” Adam shrugged his shoulders. “Why are you thinking so deeply about that anyway?”

  “It is my duty to make sure to know of such.”

  “Why?”

  “We have sighe treaty.”

  “The treaty?”

  “To watch over those with the ability to cast Fifth Gate spells.”

  History Check (Intelligence)D20 + 3 = 10 (7)

  Adam thought deeply. ‘Why does that sound so familiar?’

  “If Adams says he does not know Fifth Gate spells, he does not know Fifth Gate spells,” Jaygak said, simply. “It’s Adam.”

  Morkarai let out a long, defeated sigh. “Of course.”

  “Besides, Adam is not a citizen of the nearby nds, and he is close with the Iyr,” Jaygak said, smiling politely towards the Prince.

  Morkarai could hear the veiled threat within Jaygak’s voice. “I have not fotten the fact the Iyr has not sighe treaty.”

  “The Iyr does not mind if you fet.”

  Morkarai smirked lightly. “It is good fortuhe Iyr has not betrayed our trust.”

  “Good fortune for who?”

  Morkarai smiled wider. “Do you believe the Iyr face against so many of the nearby nds at once?”

  “Who would wish to sacrifice their people so eagerly to our bdes?”

  Morkarai thought back to the Iyr, even just the Front Iyr, never mind the rest of the Iyr nd, which rotected with greater magics he had felt and not seen. Plus, there was the rumour of the hidden Guardians within the Iyr’s nds, and the mas they hadn’t even dared to think of. “It is good fortuhe Iyr has little appetite for ruling others.”

  “Jurot tell you better than I, but trees which groidly ot uproot a tree with stable foundations.”

  “I’m not certain that is true.”

  “It is when it is the Iyr.”

  Morkarai bowed his head, relenting to the young Iyrman, whose eyes filled with great pride. “I am very gd we have formed our treaties together, Iyrman.”

  “I am too, Prince.”

  “Are you two going to stop threatening each other now?” Adam asked, letting out a huff. “It’s not fair that I ’t walk around doing as much as I want while you two get to threaten each other like this with your people.”

  “You should think to join the Iyr if you want such strength.”

  “Join the Iyr?” Adam asked. “I don’t think the Iyr would want me.”

  “Why is that?”

  “I’m too dangerous, if I was an Iyrman, then… no, rather than the Iyr not wanting it, it should be you who shouldn’t want it. I’m dangerous enough without being an Iyrman, if I was an Iyrman, would you ever feel safe?”

  “No, perhaps not.”

  “Exactly.” Adam smiled ily before the group began to form an encampment.

  Meanwhile, Vonda washed the girl, who was still in awe of this random two storied toearing from nothingness.

  “When I grow up, I’ll learn magic too,” Elsie said.

  “Yes,” Vonda said, hiding the sadness in her heart. “Perhaps you join Life’s Rose?”

  “ I?”

  “I will write you a…” A though fshed through her mind. The girl probably didn’t uand what happened, but Adam had used three Fate spells at once, and if Life’s Rose khat, it would bee awkward for Adam. The treaty to pressure those who knew Fate spells provided eveer pressure against those who knew Fifth Gate spells, and though Adam didn’t know such a spell, Vonda recalled their discussiohey had married.

  ‘Fifth Gate? No, I won’t stop until at least Seventh Gate.’

  ‘Oh, Adam.’ Vonda sighed, feeling how much trouble her husband would cause iure.

  While there were discussions of great trouble at the encampment, the pair of Iyrmen found the sight of death, and the pair of hydras, each with more than ten heads. The pair of hydras feasted upon the bodies of the caravan, having torn through much of the caravan and its people. The siing ch of teeth g bone filled the air.

  Jurot raised a hand towards Kitool, and though he motioned for a retreat, he felt the gaze of a hydra’s head turn towards him. Several others began to gowards the pair of Iyrmen, the hunger deep within their eyes, matched only by the hunger within the pair’s eyes.

  Press F to pay respects.