“Adam, you must hold back,” Jurot said in the Iyr’s tongue.

  ‘Eh?’ Adam thought. ‘They’re going to kill us and you wao hold back?’

  “You ot use yreatest spells,” Jurot warned, feeling the wave of fusion from his brother beside him.

  “Okay.”

  “You should Fme Bolt those which require it.”

  “Oh. Okay.”

  Battle OrderD20 + 1 = 5 (4)

  ‘Five ice trolls!’ Marshal Bck thought, swinging his bde violently, his bde crushing a troll’s side, before the warrior focused his strikes against the side of the creature’s neck, repeatedly striking the same spot, the creature frozen in pce, for some reason. His bde crushed the creature’s neck with a great force, while another bde cut at its knee.

  “Focus,” the Marshal said, his voice calm, even though his heart beat wildly within his chest. “It will be fine.” Except, he was certain it wouldn’t be fine, for there were five ice trolls, and though he’d be able to deal with one, with some assistance from fire, what about the rest of the warriors around him?

  Jane could already feel the chill within her heart as she stepped beside the Marshal.

  ‘I guess they wao shoot that ohen?’ Adam thought, holding out his hand. “Fme Bolt.”

  Trick: Fme BoltD20 + 6 = 21 (15)Hit!2D6 = 7 (1,6)

  The Marshal turned as the fire seared the troll, ready to assist the others, his bde ready to crush aroll.

  ‘Eh?’

  Jurot inhaled as the troll dropped behind him, charging forward towards the frozen troll, sshing and hag it apart, while Mara’s axe ran through its ribs, and Kitool assisted with her staff. Meanwhile, Jaygak and Lucy dealt with the st, the group having already siwo trolls they had e across.

  Their ons moved smoothly in the air, with greater strength, greater accuracy, save perhaps Kitool, who had already reached the pinnacle of her natural abilities, a, she could feel a greater strength c through her. Though they were against such terrible foes, for everoll had almost killed Jurot while he fought beside Kitool and Jaygak previously, their thoughts were not upon the creatures before them, but the sensation which ran through them.

  Victory!XP Gained: +2000XP: 1 500 -> 3 500

  ‘Eh,’ Jahought, noting how quickly they had dispatched the trolls. ‘Wasn’t that a little quick?’

  ‘Eh,’ Adam thought, noting how quickly they had dispatched the trolls. ‘Wasn’t that a little quick?’

  While the pair were stunned by the se before them, the Iyrmen and Demons tensed up, noting the approag force, at least a dozen figures, each heavily armoured, and heavily armed.

  “How dare you!” called a shout from the woman, who undid her helmet to reveal her beautiful face, her hair as bck as the o depths, her eyes dark grey. “Who are you to interrupt my hunt?”

  “Oh, excuse me,” Adam said, taken aback by the viciousness within her voice, more vicious thahe trolls. Jaygak threw Adam a look, w if she o step forward, but his tone was rather gentle. “I’m Adam Fate, and I’m sorry about that. We were attacked and defended ourselves.”

  The ursed her lips, the annoyaill upon her face, but she sed the group, therolls, then the wolves. “State your names.”

  “Adam Fate,” Adam began, before the others introduced themselves, the woman bowing her head to the Marshal of East Port.

  “The wolves are yours?”

  “They belong to some of us, yes.”

  Jurot eyed up the group, noting each wore at least breastpte over , wielding great ons, some carrying oils along their belts. Two remained he woman, one of whom was a member of Bck Moon, both no doubt Masters. He was fairly certain the young woman was one of them, so it made sehat she was surrounded by four uards in full pte. The uards remained fanned out, paying attention to their surroundings.

  ‘Two Masters, four Experts in full pte, and four more Experts who are also heavily armed?’ Jaygak thought. ‘t Westmoon didn’t wield so many guards.’

  “Well, we’re sorry about the trolls. If you had already cimed them, then you have them,” Adam said, feeling the pressure from the guards around them. ‘She’s probably a really high ranking noble if she look down on the Marshal of a Duchess.’

  “You will not cim them?”

  “I’m not in the business of g other people’s hunts,” Adam replied, smiling ily. “The North has treated us well so far, and I expect it to treat us well iure, so sider it ratitude.”

  The woman narrowed her eyes towards the group, gng between them all again. While speaking with the group, several thoughts slipped through her mind. Ice trolls werely easy to deal with them, and they all seemed so rexed after fag them, and not just that, they were all also unharmed.

  Unharmed.

  Even if they were all Grandmasters, they would have had some trouble, not a lot, but some. There would have been a fresh scrape or two along their bodies, ahey were all as fresh as bluebells.

  “What is yroup’s name?”

  “We’re a part of the United Kindom,” Adam replied.

  “We are Fate’s Golden,” Jaygak said, uanding what the woma. “That is our party’s name, but we also work for a business by the name of United Kindom.”

  The woman bowed her head. “Then I will cim the creatures, and I will remember yifts.”

  “Thank you.” Adam bowed his head, while Jaygak pced a hand on his shoulder, motioning with a head, and the group eheir carriages once more.

  As they left, the woman eyed up the creatures, noting how they were killed. She spotted the searing flesh of a few of the wounds, the heavy axe wounds, and the excellent sword py. ‘Was this… no, it must have been the young Iyrman.’

  The woman drew her own magical bde, holding it out in front of her, feeling the tingling through her gloves. She held the bde out for a long moment, and wondered if she should el her magic through it, but let the thought pass. She felt the bde’s bance, felt the air brush against the magical steel, while she lost herself withihoughts, to the memories of using the bde to cut dows and people. She sheathed her sword.

  ‘Jaygak, was it? She would make a good sparring partner.’

  “Who was that anyway?” Adam asked as the group sped away.

  “A Princess of the North,” Jurot replied.

  “You what?”

  “She must be the Duke’s daughter.”

  “How e she wasn’t walking around with a banner?” Adam asked. “I would have treated her more respectfully, and I would have held a deeper disdain in my heart.”

  ‘…’

  The walls of North Amber were grand, rge, and had, in some pces, stood for thousands of years. When the Iyrmen said that North Amber was one of the capitals of the region, they uated the town. It was set within the mountains, the eown more like numerous vilges which dotted along through the mountain from the eastern side where the docks greeted the sea.

  “Iyrmen,” a guard called down, wearing heavy , wielding a thicker, sturdier shield, and a hefty spear. “What brings you to North Amber?”

  “The tour,” Kitool replied.

  “Ho! So many of you?”

  “Yes.”

  “What a year it’s going to be! Iyrmen, the Princess, and even the King’s Sword’s girly.”

  “Hmm?” called a voice. “Did you say the King’s Sword’s… daughter?”

  “Aye,” the guard said, rubbing his . “Sir Rosaya?”

  “Sir Roseia?” Adam asked.

  “Aye, that’s what I said.”

  “Of course,” Adam said, reag down to pinch his helmet, as though he was going to take it off. Instead, he remained quiet. “Hmm.”

  “Is he alright?”

  “He previously had to surreo Sir Roseia.”

  “He had to surrender?” the guard asked, daring to ask that kind of question.

  “He surrendered,” Jurot firmed.

  “Must have been the South.”

  “The Noonval Tour,” Jurot firmed.

  “Aye, the South.” The guard smiled. “If you’re strong here, then you’ll be alright, d.”

  “Hehe,” Adam said. “Finally, I -,” Adam whispered, though stopped when Jaygak grabbed his shoulder.

  “Adam. She’s older than you.”

  “What?”

  “She’s a little older than you, and you’re almost too old to fight in the age bracket,” Jaygak said, her lips f a wide smile.

  “ we fight in the e brackets?” Adam asked.

  “They’ll be stronger, but you .”

  “No matter what, I o beat her up.”

  The guard eyed up the suspicious fellow in puthral, who was definitely no Iyrman, even if he was adorned in the Iyrman’s steel.

  “If I don’t, Jirot will keep bullying me.”

  “You don’t want to be bullied by Jirot?”

  “I want to be bullied, but I-,” Adam paused. “Excuse me. What I mean to say is that I want tain my honour so that my daughter will be able to look at me with pride.”

  Jaygak frowned, feeling bad, not only because she was teasing Adam a little too hard, but also because this version of Adam who was far too polite and ne enough, it was too painful to see. ‘This isn’t better than when he’s a fool.’

  “Ah? You’re fighting for your daughter?” the guard asked.

  “My daughter, she asked me who was stronger. Her father, or the moon.”

  The guard blinked hard, doing his best not to burst out in ughter. “What did you reply?”

  “Well, the moon is strong in some ways, but aren’t I strong in other ways?”

  “You should be stronger, because you’re her father.”

  Adam let out a sigh. He bowed his head, ashamed. “You’re right. I should be strohan the moon, since I’m her father.”

  “How old is she?”

  “She’s three.”

  “At that age? That’s the most troublesome age. Troubling twos, terrible threes.”

  “You say that again,” Adam said. “My daughter, when she was about two, my other one, she almost ended up killing her mother.”

  “What?”

  “It was an act, of course, she didn’t mean it. It wasn’t her fault, it was all because-,”

  “Adam,” Jurot said. “You ot speak so vaguely, they will misuand.”

  “Oh, I just, well, yeah, I suppose…” Adam cleared his throat. “Anyway! I’m definitely going to win this tour! She knows the North is stronger, so if I get first pce here, it’ll be eveer than winning the Noonval Tour.”

  “Alright, well, that’ll be a silver for the lot of you, and a silver for the cart and the steeds.”

  “The steeds are magical.”

  “Oh? Yeah?”

  “Yep.”

  The guard looked to the Iyrmen, who nodded, while Jaygak verbally firmed, because it was best to be fht with the Northerners.

  “Take ten gold anyway,” Adam said. “Since we are kindred spirits, and the North has treated us so kindly.”

  “I’m not going to dee,” the guard replied with a chuckle.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Robert.”

  “Robert, eh?” Adam reached out to shake his forearm. “You’re a muicer Robert than I’ve met previously.”

  “What was he like?”

  “He was from the South.”

  “Ah.”

  Marshal Bck followed Adam in. ‘Does he mean…? No, it ’t be.’

  ‘At least he didn’t mention it was the First Hope,’ Jaygak thought, impressed Adam had begun to grow up.

  It wasn’t quite anything Adam could see that impressed Adam, but the feeling. As he stepped through the mountain town, he could feel it. The towhe aura of great pride, people walking about like they owhe North. pared to the other Northern towns, Adam could spot an eveer numbers of heavy arms and armour, and greater walls. Adam’s eyes darted to the side, where he spotted something he hadn’t expected.

  Large, bck, feathered birds.

  “Rukhs?”

  “Some like to nearby,” Jurot said. “The town provides them food, and they deal with the wyverns.”

  “Does North Amber o worry about wyvern attacks?”

  “Not any more.”

  ‘What the hell?’

  The roads were rge and wide, carved through the mountain and around it. In the same way the Iyrmen had sculpt the ndscape of the mountains to form the Iyr, the Northambrians had sculpted the mountains to their liking, which just so happeo be to allow warriors to move swiftly through for war.

  The Northerners he appearance of the Iyrmen and the others, exging nods towards them.

  “I noticed that the Northerreat you guys pretty well,” Adam said.

  “Though the North is outnumbered by the rest of the nation, they hold the greatest of warriors,” Jurot said. “We like to adventure in their nds.”

  “You know, I feel like you’ve said this before.”

  “I am certain I have.”

  “You know, I feel like I’ve said that I’ve said this before.”

  Jurot shrugged his shoulders.

  “I didn’t realise the North was so cool,” Adam said, before raising a hand. “Don’t.”

  Jaygak smirked. “What else would you expect?”

  “You’re better than that, Jaygak.”

  “You should be careful.”

  “You should have more self respect than to make a joke like that.”

  “Hearing you speak about self respect hurts my lungs from taining all this ughter.”

  “Why do I need self respect when I’m so much strohan you?”

  “I’ll tell Kav-,”

  “Sorry.”

  This arc is probably one of my favourites so far. I hope that my writing does it justibsp;