Adam sighed.

The world around him looked so dark and dreary.

‘Seriously? It’s only been a few days and I haven’t gotten over it.’

The Half Elf reached into his cloak pocket, where he kept his most prized possession. He felt the soft cloth against his skin.

‘If I keep this up, I’ll become a useless older brother. I need to find myself a wife or something.’ Adam thought about potentially facing an Adult Dragon sooner rather than later, but quickly realised how stupid that was.

‘Now that I think about it…’ Adam narrowed his eyes. ‘Didn’t I die a virgin?’

“I don’t want to die a virgin,” Adam said, before he noted movement to the side, and he threw a casual look aside.

The Wizard dressed in her robes, and a pointy hat, stared at him with utter terror in her eyes.

“Hel-“

Her piercing scream filled the air.

“If y-you touch me, I’ll u-use my magic to kill you!” She tried to throw herself away, scrambling herself away from him.

“What are you…” Adam realised what had happened and quickly turned red. “What are you talking about? Do you think I’m going to lay a hand on you?”

“Just you wait until James wakes up! He’s a Priest! He’ll curse you to death!”

“That’s not how Priests work,” Adam said. “Anyway, shut up!”

“James! Lily! Fiona!” She screamed, trying to awaken the others.

“So you really do know them,” Adam said, quickly changing the topic. “I thought as much.”

“What did you do to them?” The Wizard stopped squirming as the Elk placed a hoof against her chest to pin her down.

“We beat them up,” Adam said, casually.

“You what?” She gasped. She noted Adam’s Adventurer tag, and glared at him. “Just you wait until the guild hears about this! They won’t let you off!”

“Stop with all the exclamations, I’m trying to think,” Adam reached into his helmet to rub his forehead.

“You say you’re friends?” Adam asked.

“That’s right!” She stared up at the Elk, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.

“Then, if I heal one of them, they’ll agree with what you have to say?” Adam asked, glaring down at her. “If I find out you’re lying, I’ll rough you up.”

The fear returned in her eyes, and she pinned her knees together.

“Not like that!” Adam punched the tree beside him. “I’m a decent man, you know? I don’t need to attack some helpless little chick like you!” He rubbed his forehead.

Mana: 15 -> 14

Spell: Healing Word

1D3 + 3 = 5 (2)

Adam awoke one of the women up, the one with heavy armour, that way the Wizard would feel a little better, and if he awoke the woman with the light armour, she was probably a Rogue of some kind, so could probably undo the bindings with a successful check.

The young woman grunted, coming to as she looked out to see her companion. “Mikayla?”

“Fiona!” Mikayla shouted.

Fiona squirmed, trying to move her body, before realising she was bound. “Hey! What’s going on here?”

“Are the two of you friends?” Adam asked, just to confirm.

“Did you do this to us?” Fiona snarled. “Untie me at once and face me like a true warrior!”

“Answer the question,” Adam said. “Otherwise I’ll beat you up again.”

“Don’t you know who we are?”

“No,” Adam admitted. “Anyway, are those two your friends too?”

“James! Lily!” Fiona gasped. “You won’t get away with this!”

“Seriously,” Adam said, rubbing his head. “You guys are annoying. If you really are friends, why were you attacking one another?”

“What? What are you talking about?” Fiona glared up at him.

“We’d never attack one another!” Mikayla shouted at him.

‘Let her go,’ Adam thought to Zeus, before rubbing his chin. “Really?”

“What are you trying to do?” Fiona snapped at him.

“Well, it seems like you don’t believe me, but maybe you’ll believe him?” Adam asked, pointing up towards where Hades was flying from.

Jurot was walking back with a boar over his back, whereas Lucy was currently eating a small squirrel, which she had cooked using the flames from her weapon, and carried a bundle of sticks at her side.

“Oh, they’re awake?” Lucy asked. “So which one are we cooking first?”

Adam stared at her. “What?”

“I thought you were interrogating them? Nothing like a bit of fear to deal with them.” She grinned wildly, as though she’d really eat them.

“Nah, there’s just a misunderstanding here,” Adam said.

“What are you planning on doing with us?” Fiona grit her teeth, trying to out strength the binding around her wrists and arms.

“Jurot, tell them what you saw when we came here,” Adam said.

“There was a trail heading…” Jurot realised Adam meant what they originally saw, and not what he saw on the way to finding the boar. “The four of you were fighting one another.”

“Like mindless beasts, right?” Adam said.

“Like Iyrmen who were enraged, but…” Jurot narrowed his eyes. “There was something more to it.”

“What are you talking about?” Fiona asked, glancing between them all suspiciously. She did notice that Jurot was an Iyrman, so there was some weight to his words.

“When we found you, you were all attacking one another like mindless beasts,” Adam repeated. “What do you last remember?”

“My memory is a little hazy, but…”

“We were fighting Wolves made of dark smoke which assaulted us when we arrived at camp,” Mikayla said, more perturbed by the appearance of an Iyrman. They were savage beasts, but as long as she gave them information, he shouldn’t attack her.

“So maybe some kind of illusion or enchantment?” Adam wondered aloud. “I did spy a rune on the ground, but I didn’t have Detect Magic prepared, so it was gone by the time I could cast it.”

“You’re a Wizard?” Mikayla asked, full of shock.

“Yeah.”

“Then why are you wearing that purple armour?”

“It’s puthral, isn’t it?” Fiona asked, her head more clear now. ‘So he’s an Iyrman? Then why is he keeping his forehead hidden behind his helmet?’

“Yep,” Adam said, smiling. “I got it as a gift from the Iyr. They’re such kindly people, the Iyrmen, and oh so noble. Can’t trust anyone more than an Iyrman.”

Jurot let out a soft breath, trying to not smile from the praise.

“Why are you wearing armour if you’re a Wizard?” Mikayla asked, narrowing her eyes. “Are you a Battle Mage?”

“Something like that,” Adam said. “I like to be in the thick of things.”

She glanced at him from the side, as though he were an idiot. ‘First he praises those beasts, and he’s a Battle Mage? Truly the worst of fools.’

Adam felt as though she had quickly gone from terrified of him to extremely disrespectful. “You look like you need a slap.”

Mikayla shuffled over to Fiona, narrowing her eyes further. “You won’t let him hit us, will you?” she asked, staring up at the beastly Iyrman.

“If he wants to hit you then he will hit you,” Jurot said. “Though, there is nothing but shame in that action.” Jurot threw a look to Adam.

“Alright, alright,” Adam grumbled. “I won’t hit them. As long as they behave.”

“Anyways, that Priest of yours was quite the bastard,” Lucy said, having started a fire at the pit. “He almost peeled my face off!”

“That’s right!” Adam said. “What would you have done if Lucy’s beautiful face was marred?”

Lucy turned red, not expecting Adam to be so forward. “What are you saying? Idiot…”

“If her face was marred then… Mara wouldn’t trust me any more! Can you take responsibility for the collapse of my marriage?” Adam shouted.

Lucy punched him. “Do you think Mara’s going to marry someone like you?”

“What do you mean someone like me? Aren’t I helping you save her?”

The pair of young women stared up at Adam and Lucy, then to Jurot, who was currently beginning the roast of the boar.

‘Are we surrounded by idiots?’

“Anyway,” Adam said, coughing into his fist. “You’re lucky I knew how to cast Counterspell, otherwise you would have had to live wearing a mask, so don’t you forget it.”

“You know Counterspell?” Mikayla asked, staring up at him in shock. “What kind of idiot do you take me for?”

“I know that and Fireball.”

She scoffed. “Right! And I’m Arch Wizard Marin!”

Adam blinked at her. “Who the hell is that?”

Mikayla’s eyes went wide. “You don’t know Arch Wizard Marin.”

“Should I?” Adam asked, looking to Jurot.

“I recognise the name,” Jurot said. “She must be a powerful Wizard?”

“She’s the Arch Wizard who works with the King!”

“Oh,” Adam said. “How strong is she?”

“Stronger than your wildest imaginations, mister Third Gate spells,” Mikayla snorted, almost laughing at him.

“You’re talking really big for someone who thought I was going to force myself on her,” Adam said.

Lucy’s face snapped to Adam. “What? Even if you were interrogating her, there are limits, Adam!”

“You’re the one who wanted to eat them!”

“That’s one thing, yours is another!”

“Wait! Hold on! I didn’t even give that impression, she just thought about it all herself!”

“He said he did not want to die a virgin and leered at me!” Mikayla accused.

“No I didn’t!”

“You’re a virgin?” Lucy said, hiding her smile behind her hand. “So you have to resort to that kind of measure?”

Adam clenched his fists. “I don’t need to! I wasn’t going to, and nor was I implying I was going to do that sort of thing! I was just lamenting that I should probably get married so I don’t become a useless older brother!”

“It’s okay, Virgin Rank Adam, oh, I mean Iron Rank!” Lucy howled with laughter.

“I bet you’re a virgin too considering how useless you are!” Adam snarled back.

“It’s different for me since I’m the De-“

“Since you’re an idiot?” Adam shouted, cutting her off.

“I just haven’t found the right person yet!”

“You could marry each other,” Jurot said. “That would-“

“Shut up, Jurot!” the pair shouted at him.

“I’d never marry someone like him!”

“I’d never marry someone like her!”

The two women stared at the two. “You were scared of him?” Fiona asked.

“I’m ashamed of myself,” Mikayla replied.

Mana: 14 -> 11

Spell: Fireball

8D6 = 28 (1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6)

The explosion of the Fireball, which engulfed the nearby area, shut everyone up.

Adam inhaled deeply. “Now that everyone’s cooled down, let’s figure out what we should do with the four of them.”

“You need to put out the fire,” Jurot said, staring at the fire, which was beginning to spread.

Adam stared at it too. “My bad.”