Adam had awoken in a sour mood. When he had gone to sleep, and the pop up screen had appeared, he had found that he was unable to level within the Priest class. It had been greyed out, and no matter what kind of tomfoolery he could think to employ, such as wondering if he could make the system lag for a moment in order to trick it, it would not budge.

He had planned to take a fifth level into Priest, but it was not to be. He almost vowed to give up his Priestly ways, which some ought to do, but he decided against it. Instead, he decided to save his experience in case he was allowed to level it later.

"Rough night?" Entalia asked as they walked onward, aiming to return to the minotaur village.

"Yes," Adam replied. It hadn’t been, really, but it had been stressful. Adam was thinking about how it would bite him in the butt if he needed just a single extra point of Health the next time he needed to fight.

"Terrible dreams?" Entalia asked, cocking her head aside, letting her copper hair fall to the side.

"I don't dream.”

"Sounds like a terrible sleep."

Adam shrugged. Another thing had plagued him, the matter with the minotaurs. They had eaten in silence with one another and Adam had not dared to approach. Finally, working up his courage, he walked his way up to the minotaurs. They threw him a cursory glance.

"Morning," Adam said. "Lovely weather we're having, aren't we?" he said, not at all referring to the weather. The minotaurs threw confused glances between one another.

Adam cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about your friend. I heard that I was the reason he died." He had wanted to say more, but it was better to say less when it came to these sorts of things.

"We know you were not sound of mind and body," Sharly replied.

"I hope that I can still offer you tea one day."

"If you are offering, then I won't decline,” she replied with a bow of her head.

Adam had no more to say. He left them be, allowing them to mourn in peace, though glad to have spoken with them. He would need to find some way to guard his mind against such effects, though that would have been difficult regardless due to the strength of the creature. He wouldn’t want to find himself in such a position again, especially considering his lack of luck would probably leave with his mind.

The next few days passed by uneventfully, save for the fact that they had noted far more signs of life within the forest. They had come across a large number of creatures, with the birds and bugs accompanying their journey with their sounds. The Iyrmen would only catch or kill for food, leaving the rest of the wildlife be, and the wildlife generally left the Iyrmen be.

They remained on guard in the nights, with Adam and Entalia still creating the towers. Entalia was looking much better now, returning to her full glory. She remained in her half-elven form for the rest of the journey until they finally found their way back to the minotaur’s village.

The minotaurs returned, embracing their families when they did so. Adam looked on, an envious glare within his eyes. He had no one who would embrace him in such a way, not anymore. He thought about what life would have been like if his family had come here too. No, he’d rather they remain in their old world, where being slaughtered by nightmare creatures was not a worry. He wasn’t sure if the NHS would be up to that sort of task, though realised there was no NHS here.

They spent the night with the minotaurs, but Adam remained alone with his thoughts. He had projected a certain aura, and everyone left him be. He had come face to face with death, inches away from it. Belle had come to save him, as he had once before, though now Adam had no access to his abilities. Had something happened to Belle? Was this a consequence of Belle’s actions, with Adam no longer being able to access his Priest abilities, no longer being able to contact the god that had saved him? The dark thoughts plagued him into the night.

The next morning had come, and again Adam chose against levelling up for the moment. He wasn’t sure if he’d come to regret it, the world could conspire to punish him for not taking three levels into another class, but he was going to make a conscious effort to not come up against any other otherworldly beings for the time being.

The hill fort was a glorious sight, and Adam no longer cared about which path he would take to the top, he just wanted to be in its walls.

Athletics

D20 + 8 = 25 (17)

Success!

He hopped from one step to the next, somehow gliding up the staircase at the side of the mountain, and then finally planted his feet firmly against the stone floor, though moved further into the fort so he was not on rock dangling a hundred feet in the air. He noted that two groups of Iyrmen had already returned and were holding down the fort, or rather, sharing stories and sparring with one another.

Asomin sat down ahead, with Heinov at his side. “We have dealt with the largest threat for the moment,” Asomin said, calling attention to the other Iyrmen. They stopped and gathered around as Asomin recounted their tale.

“In the depths of the forest, we saw it, the creature. It was made of nightmares, the kind which every man buries deep within their soul. Entalia contained it as we fought its minions, and with some effort, we found the obelisk. It retreated as we did, though the obelisk remains. We cannot draw much closer, for only those of the Gold may step near it without succumbing to an inglorious death.”

The whisperings began.

“Only those of the Gold…”

“An inglorious death…”

“The story is buried,” Heinov said. “What had happened truly on that day will die with us, though others may speak of the stories.” Heinov looked to the non-Iyrmen who had joined them on the journey.

The faces of the Iyrmen darkened. “The story is to be buried,” one whispered, and with that, the Iyrmen went back to doing Iyrmen things.

Adam glanced between Heinov and Asomin. So, that’s what it meant for the story be buried. It was a rite of the Iyrmen, not just some weird saying. Whatever had happened, it was bad enough that the Iyrmen didn’t want it to spread, so Adam would keep his mouth shut about it. Adam scratched his chin and left it at that.

The night passed by uneventfully, though in the morning Adam found that the number of Iyrmen had increased. Another group had appeared in the night, and they were partaking in the merriment.

Adam found that Entalia with speaking with Heinov, no longer were the pair at one another’s throats. As they spoke, Heinov froze and then raised a hand, looking off into the distance. Then he spoke, though no sounds came from his lips.

“A message?” Entalia asked.

“A call to adventure, though I have given the call to return,” Heinov said.

Adam walked towards them, intrigued by what was happened. “What happened?” Adam asked.

“There was an interesting quest that had been found, but I have informed the others to return.”

“Oh,” Adam said. “What kind of quest?”

“Dragon slaying.”

Adam looked towards Entalia and then back to Heinov. “What kind of dragon?” The gall of Heinov to speak of dragon slaying in front of a silver dragon.

“The feral kind,” Heinov said, looking towards Entalia and then back to Adam.

Feral dragons, dragons who did not hold the high level of intelligence that Entalia and her kin possessed. They were fierce creatures, though they were more like beasts than man, and so weren’t considered true kin by the dragons.

“What colour was the feral dragon?”

“Red,” Heinov said.

Adam whistled. Red dragons were some of the toughest dragons, feral or otherwise. He wondered if he’d ever fight a red dragon, or even a dragon. Bone dragons didn’t count, they were barely shadows of their former selves.

Adam looked to Entalia. He highly doubted he’d be able to handle someone like her, even if he was beside Heinov. Heinov was a mountain he couldn’t climb, and the peaks of Entalia were much higher. Perhaps one day he’d be that strong, though he was unsure of whether or not he wanted such power available to him.

‘With great power comes great responsibility.’

As the day passed by, the last party returned. They all shared their stories with one another, noting how the undead seemed to have all disappeared around the same time. They had found piles of bones that had seen no battle, though one group had the misfortune of losing their prey in the middle of a battle.

“We may have driven it away temporarily,” Asomin said. “Though there is wonder why.”

“It was an intelligent creature, more intelligent than even I,” Entalia said. “Perhaps it found that forming near the Iyr may have been an unwise move, and so it retreated to another place?”

“The most reasonable explanation,” Heinov said, his muscular pectorals dancing as he laughed. “For even fools do not wish to face the Iyr!”

The Iyrmen remained for the night, and when morning came, they all made to move back to the Iyr.

“This is where our paths must split,” Entalia said. “I do hope we can meet again.” She looked to Adam. “Would you be willing to walk with me for a moment?”

Adam shrugged his shoulders and then followed her. “I have been meaning to speak with you alone,” she said.

“We’ve been alone a fair amount,” Adam replied.

“Now I have everyone in my sight, so I know we are alone.” Entalia looked out to the nearby trees and then turned to face him. “I hope we meet again, Adam.”

“Me too?” Adam said, raising his brow.

“The creature you faced was not the only creature that arrived due to Belle’s meddling.”

“Yeah, there are more portals that have opened.” Adam tried to recall what they had established already, and what Belle had all but confirmed for him.

“That is not what I mean, oh man of great strength with a blade, the arcane and the divine.” She smiled.

Adam looked up at her, narrowing his eyes. With that, Entalia turned and then walked off, heading into the forest.

‘She knows,’ he thought.

The journey back felt much slower to Adam, for he was plagued by Entalia’s words. How did she know? Yet… no, she had known for a while. Those looks, were they because she knew about him? He should have asked her!

Soon the walls of the Iyr were ahead of them, with the sun arching its way down. The Iyr was much larger than Adam first thought, having spent some time inside, he realised that all he could see was probably just the surface of the Iyr.

“I will need to speak with Paul immediately,” Asomin said. “Would you like to join me in the morning to head to Red Oak?”

“I’d like that,” Adam said. He was beginning to miss the loud noises of civilisation, and the convenience of being in a town. He had been slightly spoilt by his tower spell, but he wanted to be in the safety of the walls, with a nice hot cup of tea and a good book, and a stone’s throw away from a smithy, or a tavern, or a clothes shop.

The gates opened for the group, welcoming Adam once again, and he welcomed it. Asomin ended up being his guide through the Iyr, taking him to Sonarot’s place, not that he needed the assistance.

Sonarot had been knitting outside as Lanarot lay in her basket, piles of baskets around her. Children talking to her about their parent’s stories, showing her their wooden weapons, which they held carefully.

“You have returned,” Sonarot said, standing from her seat of pillows and blankets, then welcoming both Asomin and Adam home. “Do you bring stories?”

“A few,” Asomin said. “I will allow Adam to tell them.”

“He’s too polite,” Sonarot joked.

“He is, but he’ll tell you.” Asomin bowed his head. “I will speak with my father.” He then left the pair to speak.

“You must be hungry,” she said, bringing out a bowl of some soup for him as he doffed his armour. A new weight appeared on his shoulders as he slipped out of his armour.

Adam sat beside the woman as she knitted, and then regaled her the story of their adventure. When he arrived at the slimy tentacle which struck his face, he paused.

“I’d rather… I’d rather tell you this in private,” he said.

Sonarot nodded and then began to clear up the blankets and the pillows, picking up the baby-filled basket, and then returned to her home with the half-elf. They sat once more, with Sonarot on the side of her bed, and then she leaned in to listen to him intently.

“I dreamt of Jurot,” Adam said. “My mind was out of my body, dreaming, or not dreaming, or whatever it was. My body was attacking the group, but my mind was somewhere else. I saw Jurot, we journeyed and adventured. We spoke of Lanarot, but there were times he knew of her, there were times he didn’t.”

Adam rubbed his face. “We slew wyrms, and he spoke of how his grandmother had done so, and we defeated a mage, a dragon too. He guided back Surot, he had gotten married, and we were heading back to my home, my old home. We were friends in my dream, and… I figured that something was wrong, that it wasn’t real, he wasn’t alive. I caught on to it.” Adam paused for a long moment. “I made him a promise, it wasn’t him, but I made it anyway. We were about to fight when I appeared in another place.”

Sonarot remained silent, listening in for more. She had heard many stories, and so she knew the etiquette of being a good listener. Adam remained silent for a long while though, trying to figure out what to say, and how to say it.

“There was a darkness, and a creature that I can’t imagine. It spoke with me, though I’m not sure it was using speech, and it almost consumed me. Belle, the god of Chaos, saved me. When I was back, it was chaos. I had killed an ally, and almost killed more. We ran, and then… well, then we returned.”

Adam sighed. “I know of Belle, probably a little closer than most people assume, and now I can’t hear him anymore. I’ve tried to pray to him, but there’s nothing. I can’t heal, I can’t do anything with my prayers.”

Sonarot placed a hand on his and then smiled. “He will come to you when he’s ready.”

Adam looked up at her, raising a brow. ‘Belle will come to me when he’s ready?’ he thought, having not expected such a view. “I guess…” he said, still unsure.

There was a knock at the door. “Is Adam back?” Turot’s voice called out from behind the door.

Sonarot looked to Adam, who furrowed his brows. He wasn’t quite sure what the look was for.

“Will you tell him the stories?” Sonarot asked.

Oh. “Some of them,” Adam said, nodding his head.

Sonarot nodded and then invited the little boy inside. He was excitedly angry, with his angled brows and his gleaming eyes. He marched over and then sat down, crossing his legs and arms as he waited.

So Adam went back to speaking of the stories, this time adding a little more depth into them. Turot remained excitedly angry throughout, in various levels of excitement and anger.

“So you won?” Turot asked.

“I’m not sure,” Adam said. “We believe it might still be out there, but away from the Iyr.”

“Then you’ve won,” the boy said, nodding his head.

“I suppose, if that’s the way you want to look at it, I did.”

“My father has yet to return,” Turot said, looking up at Adam.

“He hasn’t?” Adam was sure the other Iyrmen would return now the the undead were dealt with.

“He’s going to defeat all the undead,” Turot said, “even if he’s not as strong as mother.”

“How strong is your mother?”

“She’s the strongest,” Turot said, scoffing at Adam as though he had thought it was a ridiculous question.

“Can she beat Gale?” Adam asked.

“No,” he said. “Gale is a god.”

“So everyone that isn’t a god?”

“Yes.”

“What about a dragon?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Mother can’t beat them, they’re dragons.”

“So no dragons or gods.”

“Or wyverns, or giants, or demi-gods, or titans, or…” Turot continued to list off all manner of creatures. “Other than them, mother’s the strongest.”

“Well, if that’s the case, I should probably not make her angry.”

“Mother doesn’t get angry,” Turot reply, giving Adam a queer look, though there was still that angry look with his brows.

“She doesn’t?”

“Only at father.”

“Oh.” Adam chuckled.

“It is time to sleep, I think,” Sonarot said. “Would you like to sleep with the baby?” Sonarot asked Turot.

Turot nodded. “I will fight her nightmares,” he said, puffing up his chest, pulling out his wooden club.

“Do it in your sleep,” Sonarot said, bidding each of them to bed.

Adam was given a wall to sleep against, wrapped in bundles of blankets to keep him comfortable and warm. The cool night air of the Iyr basked across him as he looked to Turot, who was sleeping beside the basket, snoozing quietly. He could hear Sonarot sleeping as well, and he could see she moved slightly with each breath.

He remained awake for a long while, not particularly thinking of anything. Yet there was a comfort here, in this place, a comfort he had never really felt anywhere else. He closed his eyes and welcomed the blackness.