The arrow exploded into light, f Lucy to a knee, blood p out the side of her face. Her eyes became focused one more as she blinked away whatever had taken her mind, before her eyes so the Silver Strider.

  “I must deal with the spawn of evil!” it cried, drawing its sword as it cshed against Jurot’s axe, who had leapt into a the moment it let loose the arrow. “Stand aside, son of the Iyr!”

  Luarled, turning on her heel as she charged towards it. With Destrripped tightly, she swung her greataxe with all her strength, f the Silver Strider further babsp;

  “Bastard!” Lucy roared, her fming axe swinging down towards the Silver Strider. They cshed, but the creature stumbled back from the heft of the blow. “How dare you go for my precious horns! I’ll kill you!”

  Taking the onsught of both the Iyrman and the Demon, the Silver Strider crashed against a tree, bde shaking in its throbbing hand. “Vile spawn! I will s-“

  Warrior Spirit: 2 -> 1

  Attack (Fnking)D20 + 9 = 15 (6)D20 + 9 = 17 (8)Miss!

  Attack (Fnking)D20 + 9 = 19 (4)D20 + 9 = 18 (9)Hit!Mana: 15 -> 121D6 + 1D6 + 4D6 + 6 = 20 (2)(5)(2, 5)20 damage!

  There had been many mistakes the Silver Strider had made.

  One of those mistakes was bullying Lucy for being a Demon when she was minding her own business.

  One of those mistakes was making a deal with an Iyrman and breaking it by shooting Lucy’s face.

  One of those mistakes was being born.

  The Silver Strider had goo lunge for Lucy with its bde, but found that the bde had dropped to its side.

  “Sorry,” Adam said, g his axe tight in his hand, hearing the arm drop beside his food. “I was getting sid tired of your shit.”

  Adam’s vision had clouded, his forehead pulsed as the anger flowed through his veins.

  “Did your parents each you not to strike a woman’s face?” Adam asked, his voice low, trying to tain his anger. “Since you were being a -“ Adam swallowed, feeling the resistance his throat gave to him. ‘Damn it.’

  Jurot stared at Adam, whose eyes were fixated on the Silver Strider. The Half Elf’s face was twitg, and even Lucy, who had been ready and eager to sughter the Silver Strider, paused long enough for her rage to fade, though she tio hold her greataxe tight in hand.

  “You broke our deal,” Adam said, eventually. “If that’s how you and your kind work, that’s fine. If it wasn’t for Jurot’s insistence we should leave you alive, I would have killed you.”

  Mana: 12 -> 9Spell: Healing Word3D3 + 3 = 9 (1, 2, 3)

  “Lucy, would you mind stepping back?” Adam asked, his axe still gripped tight in hand. The words were a t for his magic, which healed Lucy’s wounds across her body, barely closing the wound at her forehead.

  Lucy groaned, remaining still for a moment. She was still angry, but seeing that the Silver Strider’s arm had been cut, she pulled away.

  “You would let her-“

  “Who said you could speak?” Adam asked, raising his axe towards the Silver Strider’s neck. “I didn’t give you permission. Jurot, did you hear me give them permission?”

  “No,” Jurot replied, staring down at the Silver Strider.

  “If you kill me-“

  Adam pressed his axe deeper against the creature’s neck, drawing blood. “You have a problem listening, don’t you? How about I take off that helmet and cut off one of those ears?”

  The Silver Strider’s steel eyes rapidly filled with fear, and it swallowed.

  “Good,” Adam said, having heard nothing escape from its lips. He gowards Jurot. “We made a deal and it broke it, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “So what do we do?” Adam asked. “I’ve taken an arm, and as much as I want to do more.” Adam shifted the axe slightly to draw out a longer cut, his arm tense as he did his best not to kill it. “I don’t think it would be us, right?”

  “Yes.” Jurot sheathed his axe, crossing his arms as he fell into thought. “Killing the Silver Strider will cause trouble.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I would like the trouble, but it would not be good for us since we must remain alive,” Jurot stated.

  The Silver Strider remaiuck against the tree, its eyes darting towards the Iyrman. ‘What did he just say? He would like the trouble?’ The Silver Strider made to talk, but Adam shifted the axe once again, cutting a longer line across its nebsp;

  “A deal had been broken,” Jurot said, mostly to himself. “If I asked any of the Great Elders what to do, they would say it is within hts to kill the Silver Strider.”

  “Yeah.”

  “We must demand pensation,” Jurot said.

  “That’s all I o hear,” Adam said, reag around back to grab a handful of arrows, before pulling them.

  Health: 65 -> 51

  Athletics CheckD20 + 6 = 26 (20)

  As he did, the Silver Strider pulled upwards suddenly, the axe trailing a long cut along its o its breaspte, as it smmed Adam’s thighs with its hoofs, striking him hard as it tried to punt the Half Elf away.

  Adam did not budge even a millimetre from where he stood, though he felt his thighs pulse.

  “You dare t-“

  Attack (Fnking)D20 + 9 = 29 (20)Critical hit!Mana: 9 -> 82D6 + 2D6 + 4D6 + 6 = 37 (4, 6)(1, 3)(3, 4, 5, 5)37 damage!

  Adam stepped bad Phantom blurred. The bow the Silver Strider held fell, its st remaining arm falling with it, as it fell to its knees, dripping blue and silver blood us helmet as its nostrils leaked.

  “You… you…”

  “You saw them attack me, right?” Adam asked.

  “I did,” Jurot replied.

  “I left you one arm to show you mercy, but you decided to refuse it,” Adam said, squatting down beside it. “I want you to uand that you could have kept both hands. You just o let us go about our business. We just wahe Twilight Fox, that’s all. You just had to…” Adam grit his teeth, trying to stop himself from getting so worked up.

  “We should leave,” Jurot said. “They will not appreciate what we have done.”

  “If they have a problem with it, they e and speak to me any time,” Adam said, still gripping his axe tight.

  “e,” Jurot said, motioning a hand, wanting Adam to step aside first.

  Adam walked past the Iyrman to Lucy. “You alright?”

  “Yeah,” she said. “You?”

  “I’m not the one who got hit in the face by an arrow,” Adam said.

  “Lucky you.” She rubbed her hently, wing in pain. “You got any more magical healing?”

  “Sure.”

  Mana: 8 -> 7Spell: Healing Word1D3 + 3 = 4 (1)

  Mana: 7 -> 6Spell: Healing Word1D3 + 3 = 4 (1)

  “That better?” Adam asked, having healed her with the lowest roll twice.

  “Yeah. Thanks.” She kept wing, though didn’t feel quite as terrible. “Did you save some for the tower?”

  “Of course,” Adam said. “You’ll heal better iower, I think.”

  Luodded her head.

  They returned back to Sir Landon and the Knights, who had picked up the Twilight Fox, and had watched the Half Elf torture the Silver Strider silently.

  ‘How many spells does he have?’ Sir Landon thought, trying to t how many times he had used his spells. ‘He should have run out already.’

  Victory!Twilight FoxXP Gained: +150

  Victory!Silver StriderXP Gained: +300

  “e,” Jurot said, after firming they had picked up the Twilight Fox, before following the trail back to the tower. “We should leave this area.”

  “We ’t travel for far, we?” Adam asked. “Isn’t it best to stay here, with the tower?”

  Jurot slowly bowed his head. “It will be equally as dangerardless of where we are as long as we are in this forest after what we have done.”

  “I hope the forest is grateful we showed mercy,” Adam said. “I still have quite some spirit left in me.”

  Tough Spirit: 1 -> 02D6 + 5 = 15 (3, 3)Health: 51 -> 65

  Jurot still wao leave, but Adam was right. Even if they travelled the entire night, it wouldn’t make much of a difference, so they should remaio rest.

  The Iyrman began to butcher the Twilight Fox, allowing them each to eat the smallest portion of meat. The fur was given to Sir Landon, but he held up a tihe size of a pea.

  “What’s that?” Adam asked, staring at the pea. It was dark, but there were small flecks of colour within it.

  “It’s core,” Jurot replied. “The deal did not mention a core.”

  “So?” Adam asked, turning to look at Sir Landon. “How do we split the core?”

  “You’re right that the deal didn’t mention it,” he said.

  “The deal was that we hunt the Twilight Fox, you pay us for the fur,” Adam said. “Sounds like we get to keep the core.”

  “Will you surre?” Jurot asked.

  “I will allow you to keep it,” Sir Landon said. “I hope that you remember such a favour, for I may have use for you iure.”

  “You may certainly pce forward a request for assistance,” Adam replied, in the same way the Noble had to Jurot’s use of surrender. “We will see if we are willing to assist you.”

  “Allowing you to keep the core is no small favour,” Sir Landon said.

  “Indeed,” Adam replied. “So if you do have a request for our service, I will certainly hear it out.”

  “Very well.”

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