Adam welcomed the open road heading southward. Last time they had those despicable Nobles, but now it was just Adam and the boys, and Jonn too.

“Freedom at last,” Adam said, staring at the long road ahead of them.

“We should be careful,” Kitool said. “Now that we are no longer in a large group, we will face greater opposition. Without the Silver Rank Iyrmen, we will be more vulnerable.”

“Yeah,” Adam said. “It feels weird without them here. It’s like there’s a large pressure on my shoulder. If we meet with someone like Sir Royce or the Mountain guy, I might end up really dying.”

“So you are self aware,” Dunes said.

“I’ve always been self aware,” Adam replied. “Except times that I’m not.”

“That’s not helpful.”

Adam winked.

Omen: 2, 13

It had been half way through the next day when Kitool raised her hand, and Jurot donned his shield.

Taking his cue, the rest donned their shields, readying to face whatever it was which had surrounded them.

Emerging from the trees around them were five Wolves, but they were unlike the Wolves of Red Oak. They were large and muscular, each in white fur, with piercing blue eyes.

“North Wolves,” Jurot said.

“What’s the difference?” Adam asked, Lightsear gripped tightly in hand, which caught the attention of two of the Wolves.

“They are more powerful than typical Wolves,” Jurot said, gripping his axe tight in hand, ready to burst forward.

“Funny that,” Adam said, his eyes scanning the Wolves. “I was wondering just how powerful we were now.”

Battle Order

D20 + 1 = 19 (18)

Even though Adam was ready to fight, it seemed the rest of his party was even more eager.

Kitool bounded forward, feeling a sense of great strength within her, as she struck her staff into the neck of a North Wolf, following the heavy blow with a flurry of her fists, striking the creature and wounded it deeply. The Wolf cried in pain, and with rage in its eyes, snapped its jaws towards the Iyrman, only for its head to drop to the floor, bisected from its body as Jaygak cut the creature in half.

“Okay?” Jaygak asked, quickly taking her place beside Kitool, ready to defend her if need be.

“Okay,” Kitool replied, spinning her staff together before gripping it tightly with both hands.

A Wolf leapt towards Kitool, but Jaygak cut it across its chest, causing it to yelp in pain.

“On your right,” Dunes said, cutting into the North Wolf and killing it with his newly acquired Jagite longsword. He raised his shield, trying to defend himself as a North Wolf bounded around him, and another leapt onto Kitool, who seemed like easy pray.

The pair of North Wolves managed to slip past the heavily armoured warriors, and Kitool brought her staff up to defend herself, but the North Wolves managed to claw across her front, tearing her clothing and flesh to shreds.

“Kitool!” Jaygak cried, stepping towards her downed company, raising her Bloodseeker high.

Warrior Spirit: 3 -> 2

Attack (Flanking)

D20 + 8 = 10 (2)

D20 + 8 = 22 (14)

Hit!

1D6 + 2D6 + 5 = 16 (5)(2, 6)

16 damage!

“You know,” Adam said, gripping Lightsear tight in hand, “I’m feeling a little left out.” His blade flashed white hot as it pierced through the North Wolf, Lightsear gliding in the creature like a hot knife through butter.

The North Wolf hadn’t even felt the blade as it fell atop Kitool, dead.

Onward Soar: 1 -> 0

Attack (Flanking)

D20 + 8 = 9 (1)

D20 + 8 = 24 (16)

Hit!

1D6 + 2D6 + 5 = 20 (5)(6, 6)

20 damage!

“Did you think I’d let you kill one of my companions so easily?” Adam asked as the North Wolf which had pinned Kitool under its paws quickly snapped up towards Adam, who had cut one of its pack through so easily.

The North Wolf leapt up, only to find the end of Lightsear, which cut the North Wolf in half, its guts not being able to fly around due to how clean the cut had been. It dropped on either side of Adam, who had already turned his attention to Kitool.

Mana: 10 -> 8

Spell: Healing Word

2D3 + 3 = 9 (3, 3)

“Are you alright, Kitool?” Adam asked, his voice full of healing energy as it soothed the woman, closing her deep wounds, and causing her eyes to flash open.

Kitool was pale, her body covered in a cold sweat. Her vision finally focused and she was able to see Jaygak’s worried face.

“Adam?” Kitool said.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“Any time.”

Jurot was already working on butchering the North Wolf he had slain, having left Adam to deal with the other two, and to heal Kitool.

Victory!

North Wolves

+50XP

Jonn had gripped his greatsword tight, but he had no chance to draw it, as the fight was pretty much already over. He had been waiting to see if they needed his help, but five North Wolves were no match for someone like Adam and his group.

“Good job, everyone,” Adam called. “Let’s take it easy for a bit and catch our breaths, then we can continue on.”

Kitool sighed, sitting down and tending to her wounds. She felt the soft skin of where she had been clawed, again. ‘I spend more time on the ground than I do-‘

Before she could finish her thought, a devilkin hand slapped her across the back of her head.

“No,” Jaygak said.

Kitool rubbed the back of her head, her eyes slightly narrowed.

“No,” Jaygak repeated.

Kitool sighed, the corners of her lips slightly twitched into a smile. “Yes.”

Omen: 3, 8

The rest of their journey passed by uneventfully until they found their way to West Wood, its large walls soon encompassing around them.

The Adventurer’s Guild in West Wood was almost identical to the Adventurer’s Guild within Red Oak, save the wood used was much darker.

“Five North Wolves,” Adam said, revealing the kill to the Adventurer’s Guild.

Quest Complete: North Wolf Hunting

XP Gained: +100

XP: 3820 -> 3920

Currency Gained: +22GP, +5SP

“It seems you have the maximum amount of stamps,” the young man at the counter said.

“Yeah, but I’ll sort it out in Red Oak,” Adam replied.

The Guild Worker nodded their head, leaving it be. If Adam didn’t want to deal with it there and then, it was his prerogative.

“How long should we stay here?” Adam asked.

“It would be best to stay within each town for a week to rest up between the travels,” Dunes said.

“We can quest if you’d like us to,” Jurot said. He looked to Adam, who had been eager to quest so much every time they were in town.

“We should quest sometimes,” Adam said. “I’ll run out of money if we don’t.”

“What do you mean?” Dunes asked.

“I pay for our living expenses mostly from my pocket,” Adam said.

The others stared at him, their brows furrowed.

“Why?” Jurot asked.

“Didn’t I say that I would?” Adam asked. “When I first became the leader?”

“No,” Jurot said.

“Oh,” Adam said. “I just assumed that was my responsibility to pay for it.”

“You paid through the Party Fund when I asked last time,” Dunes said.

“Oh, you’re right,” Adam said. “I completely forgot about that.”

Dunes stared at him. “How long have you been paying from your own pocket?”

“Since Jaghi,” Adam said. “Since Sir Harvey was paying for us, I guess I forgot.” Adam began to laugh. “I’m such a scatterbrain sometimes!”

“That’s one way of putting it,” Dunes said.

“Lets take a few days off to rest up and we’ll quest some time later, alright?” Adam smiled.

“Pay for the party properly through the Party Funds,” Dunes said.

“I will, I will,” Adam said, waving his hand to dismiss his worries.

Omen: 1, 12

“I,” Adam said, staring at the ceiling, “am bored.”

“Why are you bored?” Jurot asked, blowing the carved wood to clear some of the dust. Jurot continued to whittle away at his little block of wood, this time creating five Wolves made of wood.

“We’ve spent a few days just kicking it, when we should be doing more. The butchered pieces of the North Wolves we sent back to the Iyr are probably having more fun than us.”

“I am having much fun carving wood,” Jurot said.

“Yeah, but you’re a wood geek, so of course you would be.”

Jurot threw Adam a quick look, not knowing what wood geek meant.

“We should go and quest,” Adam said, sitting up.

“Shall I call the others?”

“Should we take just Jonn and allow the others to rest?” Adam asked. Jonn had been following them, and it was about time he finally earned his keep, even if Adam wasn’t paying for the man yet.

It felt a little weird having an observer with him, so with Jonn finally joining them on their quests, he’d be able to bring in someone powerful into the fold.

“They would not appreciate us leaving them behind,” Jurot informed him.

Adam thought about the group, and about Kitool, who had been downed during their last fight. The more she fought alongside them, the lower the chance that she would go down in the future.

“You’re right,” Adam finally said. “Let’s go and take them all.”

The group formed at a table.

“So, you finally became too bored to sit still?” Jaygak asked, tilting her head at him. Her lips were formed into a knowing smile.

“It’s a little scary how well you already know me,” Adam said.

“You’re queer, but you’re also very predictable.”

Adam narrowed his eyes. “I was told the opposite recently.”

“That’s because they’re not as insightful as me.”

“I’m sure,” Adam said, rolling his eyes.

Dunes smiled.

“Alright, let’s find ourselves a quest to do. Jonn, you’re going to be joining us too.”

“I am?” Jonn asked.

“Yeah,” Adam said. “If you’re going to follow us, then you’re going to need to work for us.”

“I pay my own way.”

“How long can you do that for?” Adam asked. “I’m sure, what with your new armour and weapons, you probably aren’t going to be able to follow us for as long as you’d like. What if it takes years for you to finally swear your Oaths?”

Jonn remained silent.

Adam made a fair point. There may eventually come a time that Jonn makes his decision about Adam, but that time may be much later in the future. If he had enough money that he didn’t have to worry about it for years, then he didn’t need to rush to make a decision.

“Very well.”

“Good.” Adam smiled. ‘Hook, line, and sinker.’

Jurot had been eyeing up the quests, but had quickly brought one to the group.

Adam stared down at the quest and then back up to Jurot. “Are you kidding me?”

“No,” Jurot said. “We have fire.”

“Yeah, we do, but do we have the fire power to deal with something like this?” Adam asked.

Jurot blinked, unsure of what he was hearing from Adam. “You are powerful.”

“Yeah, but as powerful as that?” Adam asked.

Jurot glanced around at the rest of the party, his eyes falling on the Guardian, in his breastplate, with the large sword at his back, and then the Priest, who had also grown more powerful in the last few weeks due to how much they quested.

“I believe we can do it,” Jurot said, staring deep into Adam’s eyes.

“Alright,” Adam said. “I’m not stupid enough to ignore your opinion.”

“It is a powerful foe,” Jonn warned.

“For you, maybe,” Adam said. “We’ll need to be careful, especially you three.”

Kitool nodded her head slowly. She understood that she was the one who needed to be the most careful, due to how she often went down.

“We’ll buddy up,” Adam said. “I’ll be with Kitool, Dunes with Jurot, and Jaygak with Jonn.”

“What is your reasoning behind those pairings?”

“I don’t trust Kitool in Jonn’s hands,” Adam said, simply.

“You don’t mind if he stabs me?” Jaygak frowned.

“I assume you didn’t mind getting poked by pointy things,” Adam replied, innocently.

“That’s beside the point.”

Adam smiled.