523. Deadwood I
“I don’t like the fact the journey has been so…” Adam began, only to realise he was tempting the Divine. “Let’s keep our wits about us.”
“We will reach Deadwood by dusk,” Jurot said, his eyes focused on the area around them. “Our journey is safer with all these warriors at our side. Beasts will not attack us with so many, and others will think twice.”
“So the things that will attack us will be things we really have to worry about?” Adam mused, stepping over a fallen log.
“Yes.”
Adam still didn’t like the quietness of the forest, hearing only sparse cries and calls of critters in the distance. Jurot stopped. He ced a hand against a thin tree, taking a moment to feel it.
“Is that some nice wood?” Adam joked.
“No,” Jurot replied, before he donned his shield, and bolted forward.
Adam grabbed his shield and followed him, though Kitool rushed past him with ease, kicking off trees to avoidrge bushes in her way, while Adam barrelled through them, followed closely by Jaygak.
Terrible screeches echoed through the forest, the sound bouncing across trees, echoing within Adam’s helmet.
“Kitool,” Jurot called from ahead, causing the Iyrman to veer off to one side, as the roar of a woman greeted them.
Adam exploded out of the bush, bits of wood flying all around, to see Kitool in mid air, her Tigerstaff crashing against the side of a ck bear triple her size. It cried out in pain before its body twisted and froze, allowing the Iyrman to kick its head before she dropped, the ck bear dropping behind her. In front of the Iyrman, a heavily armoured woman, crouched, panting with effort. She wielded a de made of a dark wood, which was almost as tall as her.
Jurot’s axe cut through another ck bear, splitting its skull in half with a single blow. He kicked therge ck bear off of his axe, before a third giant bear crashed against him, w meeting flesh, only to find the flesh was more like steel. Jurot turned his head to meet its gaze, unbloodied by its ws.
<em>Battle Order</em>
<em>D20 + 1 = 6 (5)</em>
<em>Mana: 18 -> 17</em>
<em>Spell: Thunderous Smite</em>
<em>Attack - Wraith (nking)</em>
<em>D20 + 10 = 18 (8)</em>
<em>Hit!</em>
<em>Mana: 17 -> 16</em>
<em>Ability: Divine Smite</em>
<em>2D6 + 2D6 + 2D6 + 7 = 36 (2, 4)(6, 6)(5, 6)</em>
<em>36 damage!</em>
<em>Attack - Wraith (nking)</em>
<em>D20 + 10 = 13 (3)</em>
<em>Miss!</em>
<em>Onward Soar: 1 -> 0</em>
<em>Fighting Spirit: 3 -> 2</em>
<em>Attack - Wraith (nking)</em>
<em>D20 + 10 = 17 (7)</em>
<em>D20 + 10 = 19 (9)</em>
<em>Hit!</em>
<em>Mana: 16 -> 15</em>
<em>Ability: Divine Smite</em>
<em>2D6 + 2D6 + 7 = 21 (3, 4)(1, 6)</em>
<em>21 damage!</em>
<em>Attack - Wraith (nking)</em>
<em>D20 + 10 = 11 (1)</em>
<em>D20 + 10 = 28 (18)</em>
<em>Hit!</em>
<em>Mana: 15 -> 14</em>
<em>Ability: Divine Smite</em>
<em>2D6 + 2D6 + 7 = 26 (3, 5)(5, 6)</em>
<em>26 damage!</em>
“Thunder!” Adam chanted loudly, charging forward with Wraith in hand, followed by Jaygak, whose de crackled with lightning. His axe vibrated with great power as he shed at the creature, an explosion of thunder echoing through the air, his axe shing white hot with holy magic.
Jurot’s axe struck across its neck, Kitool’s staff mmed down against its head, and Jaygak’s de also pierced through its back. They continued to assault the creature until it had fallen, requiring the might of all four figures to drop it.
The woman watched as the four assaulted the creature. It made sense for a big ck to fall under the force of four Adventurers, though it was surprising that they only wore bronze tags, denoted their rank. It wasn’t strange for the Iyrman to have in the bear she had been fighting either, for she had wounded it greatly.
It waspletely strange that the Iyrman with the axe, who had leapt into the fray against a single big ck, had managed to cut it down in a single blow. ‘Lord Sozain, have you taken me already?’
The remaining big ck fell before the four, its ws, which had aimed for Jurot, had fallen before it could even pierce the Iyrman’s flesh.
<em>Victory!</em>
<em>Big cks</em>
<em>XP Gained: +600</em>
<em>XP: 10 400 -> 11 000</em>
“You did not use Wraith?” Jurot asked.
“Didn’t feel the need to,” Adam replied, sheathing Wraith to his side, before drawing it again, realising they may not yet be out of danger.
“Thank you, Iyrmen,” the woman said, still holding her de, though it was pointed towards the ground. “I am Sir Kanna, Darkknight.”
“I am Jurot, son of Sonarot,” the Iyrman said, bowing his head.
“Darkknight?” Adam whispered.
“You have met Sir Enna, the Darkknight who apanied us before you slew Vandra,” Jurot reminded the Half Elf.
“Oh yeah,” Adam said, nodding his head. “I don’t think I liked her?”
“You did not dislike her either,” Jurot said.
“Did she know the tale of the Iyrmen?”
“She did.”
“Sounds like I liked her then,” Adam said.
“You met with Sir Enna?” Sir Kanna asked.
“We did. We adventured a couple of years ago. She was escorting Sir Harvey.”
“The High Alchemist. I recall this, yes. Are you Adam?”
“So you’ve heard of me,” Adam said, joy in his voice, though his lips formed a frown. “What did you hear of me?”
“That you spoke too much,” Sir Kanna said, as politely as she could manage.
“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Adam said, slowly nodding his head. “Anything else?”
“You dared to nder a noble.”
“I’d respond with the fact I spoke no lies, but,st I recalled, Vice Master Paul sorted that out. We’re not going to have an issue, are we, Darkknight?”
“No,” Sir Kanna replied. “We will not.”
Adam sheathed Wraith. “Big cks, eh? How strong are they?”
“They are stronger than typical bears,” Jurot replied. “Between bears and ertas.”
“Stronger than me,” Jaygak said, eyeing them up.
“No,” Jurot corrected.
“Without Stormdrake.”
“No.”
Jaygak let out a soft sigh, but smiled from under her helmet. If Jurot said so, it must be true. She continued to eye up the bears, which could w apart the average person in half. She spotted the mark against Jurot’s side, his clothing having torn, and yet his skin, though red, was unbroken.
“Anyway, are you alright, Sir Kanna?” Adam asked.
“Yes. Thank you for your assistance. I will inform the guild once I return to Deadwood. Are you on your way?” she asked, before she raised her de, her attention towards the new group of adventurers who had arrived.
“Oh, hey guys,” Adam said, nodding his head to Jonn and Rose, who had led the party forward. “Meet Sir Kanna, a Darkknight. Sir Kanna, this is the rest of our adventuring party.”
The knight rxed, though eyed the group up. “Aswadians?”
“Yeah. We formed a group to go around ying creatures, and dealing with whatever magics are permeating thends after a Great Twilight.”
“There has been a strangeness in the forest,” Sir Kanna confirmed.
The sounds of jangling chain mail sang from nearby as heavily armoured guards appeared, each carrying a spear. The half a dozen guards quickly stood beside the knight, holding their spears at the ready, but they did not make to attack.
“Good afternoon,” Adam said towards the guards, nodding his head.
“Let us return to Deadwood,” Sir Kanna said. “We will im the bodies of the big cks for the guards, but you may take the credit from the guild, which will pay you ordingly.”
“Would you mind if we had pieces of the creatures?” Adam asked. “Pieces of its fur, skin, teeth, that sort of thing?” Adam motioned his head to the Iyrmen. “Iyrmen do enjoy iming parts of their kills.”
Sir Kanna bowed her head. “I will surrender a body to your group, but we require the two bodies.”
“Thank you kindly.”
Sir Kanna stepped away, heading out towards a cluster of trees which had been struck aside, and she pushed the logs away, revealing the dead form of her trusted steed. She dropped to a knee, rubbing her hand along the creature’s side tenderly. ‘Rest easy, my boy.’
“We should butcher the beasts here,” she said after her moment of mourning.
“We will assist,” Jurot said, removing his top, before assisting Kitool in butchering the beasts.
“Keep an eye out,” Adam said, motioning a hand to his party, while Hades circled the sky.
The guards remained tense, though they assisted in butchering and taking watch, some of them keeping an eye on the adventurers. Jaygak stared at the creatures which were being butchered, ncing between Kitool and Jurot. Even if she had not drawn her de, the creature would have died to their assault. She sighed, before pacing around the area, her eyes half focused on keeping watch, her mind wandering.
“You’re strong,” Sir Kanna said to Jurot, working on her horse. “Why are you working under him?”
“He is my brother.”
“Your brother?” she asked, looking back to the young man in puthral te mail. He had yet to remove his helmet, revealing the fact he wasn’t an Iyrman. Even the Devilkin had removed her helmet, revealing her family tattoo to them all, iming the glory for them. “He’s no Iyrman.”
“No,” Jurot replied. “He is not.”
“You call an outsider a brother? You Iyrmen have always been queer.”
“It is not we who are queer,” Jurot replied simply, taking no offence to her words.
Sir Kanna smiled, working her dagger through her trusted steed. “To the world, you are.”
“Yes.”
They continued to butcher in silence for a few moment, but Sir Kanna’s thoughts were clouded by what she saw.
“How did you manage to y the big ck in a single blow?”
“My axe holds great magic.”
“Is it for sale?”
“No.”
“Where did you get it?” Sir Kanna replied, smiling at her joke. She had no doubt the Iyrman wasn’t going to sell it.
“An enchanter made it and gave it to my family,” Jurot replied, not lying, but not telling the whole truth.
“They gave it?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“The Enchanter made the weapon to be used inbat,” Jurot said, trying not to lie. “My mother is the President of the business, and the Enchanter has a special rtionship with the Rot family.”
“Was this was a recent matter?”
“Yes.”
“Your mother is the President of the business?” Sir Kanna asked.
“Yes.”
“Is it an enchanting business?” Sir Kanna thought of Red Oak and the Iyr. The Iyr had brought weapons to be auctioned off within the town.
“Yes.”
“I heard there was a sword which held certain enchantments of fire which was auctioned in Red Oak recently,” Sir Kanna said.
“Yes.”
“Was that from your Enchanter?”
“It was from our business, yes,” Jurot confirmed.
Sir Kanna realised that the Iyrman was speaking truthfully, but in a very specific way. “You are fortunate.”
“Yes,” Jurot replied. In truth, it wasn’t his fortune that the axe came to his position, but Adam’s misfortune.
“Which enchantments are imbued within your axe?” Sir Kanna asked.
“It strike a creature’s mind, and holds an ability simr to a Guardian’s smite,” Jurot replied.
“A Basic Enhanced axe with the ability to smite? It is a wonderful axe,” Sir Kanna said.
“It is a wonderful axe,” Jurot confirmed, “but it does not hold a Basic enchantment.”
“…” Kanna remained silent for a moment. “Is it a Greater Enhanced axe?”
“Yes.”
‘What?’
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Poor Jaygak. She''s actually quite strong, but she''s surrounded by monsters.