The light was blinding, but not in the painful, searing way, but rather in a way to bask him in its warmth. Soon the whiteness turned to beautiful greens, those of emeralds and untouched nature, browns and red of various wood, and the golden glow of light.

This wood was not like any other wood he had ever been in, for the trees were planted with purpose, the branches arching in such a way to provide him a path to follow. He followed the path, towards the distant warmth which caressed his skin. The trees pulled away slightly, allowing him to move through unmolested. The air ahead was hazy and obscured what was beyond, but he could make out faint details.

There was a lake, though the haze kept much else from his sight. He could see something through the haze, glowing brighter with each passing second, the warmth radiating harsher, though not harsh enough to burn him. The light eventually took the shape of a humanoid form, with powerful raw energy seeping out.

“Come,” a woman’s voice called out. It was as sweet as honey, with harmonic tones that were more inviting than her words. He stepped forward, moving through the gentle haze until his vision was no longer obscured.

The back of the woman faced him, her beautiful pale skin wasn’t quite platinum, but it had a certain glow to it. She was sitting in the water, which flowed just above her lower back. Her hair was golden, sparkling with a fiery hue. He could feel the warmth of the water even from where he was. He walked to the bank of the lake, staring out towards the woman.

“You are Adam,” she said, her tone accusatory.

“Yes,” Adam replied.

“I do wonder why my grandfather has brought you to the world.” She brought her hands above her head and poured some water down, the water sliding down her hair, and dripping off onto her skin, where it turned to steam. “A question that won’t be answered anytime soon.”

Adam remained silent as she spoke, not entirely sure what he should say. He wondered if she could read his mind, his anxiousness, but after a few moments, it appeared as though she couldn’t.

“You have a lovely sword at your side. May I see it?”

Adam couldn’t see any reason against it. He unsheathed his sword, trying to hold it in a way as to not threaten the goddess. He assumed she was a goddess, there wasn’t much else she could be. Perhaps a nymph?

The water underneath began to shift so a hole formed ahead of him, and he wondered if perhaps she was a water nymph. He looked up at the woman, who did not move, and then he dropped the sword into the hole. It disappeared, though he soon found the woman holding the blade. Perhaps she was a nymph, and he had made a grave mistake in handing her the sword.

She examined it for some time, leaving Adam to his thoughts. ‘What is going on right now?’ He remained there, standing awkwardly as the woman checked out his sword.

“Dwarven made,” she said.

“Yes,” Adam replied.

“Enchanted by you.” She dropped the sword and it shot out from the water ahead of him.

Quick

D20 - 1 = 15 (16)

He managed to catch the handle, and he quickly sheathed the sword away. She saw the blade and instantly figured out that it was dwarven made, which was obvious, but the fact that she knew he had enchanted it, now that was something only a goddess could know.

“A fair enchantment,” she said. “It was the best you could have made with what you had to work with.”

“Thank you,” Adam replied, unsure of what else to say. It was far more awkward speaking with this goddess, partly because he was talking to her bare back.

“Do you know who I am?”

“A goddess?” Adam replied.

“I am. Arya, Goddess of Swords. I was given the title by a long forgotten tribe, thousands of years ago. You know my father, or I presume you do, for he is your familiar at the moment.”

“Bandlor?”

“Yes. The very same who had made a fool of himself in front of Mistress Fate?” Her voice was inquisitive now, though still sweet and harmonic.

“Something like that,” Adam replied, no wanting to call Bandlor a fool.

“It does sound like something that my father would do.” Arya sighed. “Quite the troublesome father. One would think after a thousand years he would change, but he continues to amaze us.” She shook her head, causing her hair to bounce. “Never mind my quibbling, I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve called you here.”

Adam nodded. “A little,” he said.

“A little what?”

“Uh, I was wondering, a little.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I was wondering, a little.”

“…”

“It’s just a phrase.”

“Right,” the goddess said, trying to move the conversation along, “I have brought you to me so I could see you for myself, to see why my grandfather and Mistress Fate have taken such an interest in you.”

Adam waited for her to elaborate. He squirmed from foot to foot, the silence killing him. The goddess continued to ponder on her words. ‘You’re not even looking at me,’ he thought.

“I still can’t quite figure it out.” There was no disparagement within her voice, she sounded as genuine as anyone else.

“Thanks,” Adam replied.

“I see you follow my uncle as well,” she said, finally turning around to face him. A haze encompassed her as she turned, though Adam remained focused on her eyes, or where her eyes should have been. All he could see was the blurry form of her body, as though he was near sighted. He could barely make out the colour of her eyes, which were silver.

“Belle, Bandlor, Sozain, and Mistress Fate. Why do you serve them all?”

“Happenstance,” Adam replied. “Belle saved me, so that’s obvious. I was unlucky, so I chose to study Fate, and I didn’t realise that it meant I’d be serving her. It seems like everyone serves her whims though…” Adam shrugged. “I chose to follow the path of the Underworld, and Sozain was a fit for that, though he did force my hand in that when I met with him. When it comes to Bandlor… I’m not sure I serve him.”

“No, I suppose he serves you, in a way.”

“In a way.”

“What of me? Do you serve me? You seem keen on using swords.”

“I like swords. They feel noble.” Adam recalled that most knights used swords in the depictions he saw of them.

“Is that what you want to be? Noble?”

“I want to be a decent guy. I want to explore the world, that’s all.”

“Would you serve me?” Arya asked.

“That depends,” Adam said.

“On what?”

“What I get out of it,” the half-elf said, bluntly.

The goddess remained silent for a long while, uncomfortably long. “Let’s speak of this another time,” she finally said. “My attentions are currently elsewhere, and I am uncertain of what you would wish of me.”

What would Adam want from her? A nice sword? Or perhaps… “I’d like the ability to summon a blade whenever I wish.”

“Any blade?” Arya replied.

“A blade that I am bonded to.”

“I know of such an ability,” she said. “An ability I can afford to you, in time.”

“What would you ask for in return?” Adam asked. This was a deal, and he’d like something of equivalent exchange.

“Carry my name upon your lips, and dedicate your glory to me.”

Adam thought about it for a moment. That seemed like an easy thing for him to do, but he wasn’t sure if it meant something else. “Isn’t glory your father’s thing?”

“Indeed. However, his disappearance from the world has caused much… chaos.”

“How… so?” Adam asked, hesitantly. He didn’t want to get involved, but it was partly his fault.

“Those who would often dedicate their prayers to him in order to gain access to their spells were suddenly cut off.”

“Oh.” That wasn’t good. Thousands of people suddenly losing their powers?

“Now my siblings and I are trying to deal with the aftermath. We send his prophets visions and offer many of his followers our strength. We are stretched thin as it is, so I will be unable to offer you the ability just yet.”

“I wish you the best of luck with that. It sounds awful.”

“It is awful.”

“I’m sorry to hear about that.” Adam couldn’t really do much beyond offering him her thoughts and prayers, though then again, it seemed like they actually did something in this world.

“It’s quite the nightmare, but nothing we can’t handle. We are gods, after all.” She continued staring at Adam for a long while. “I thank you, Adam, for humouring me.”

“You’re welcome,” Adam replied. “Is there anything you need from me?”

The goddess remained staring at Adam. Adam squirmed under her look, hoping that she would eventually finish the conversation so he could return back to his normal world, well, his current normal world. He had only a handful of experiences speaking with the divine, and each time was very different, so he wasn’t used to it. This time at least he had the choice to speak with the divine, even if he had no idea what the choice had been.

“Yes,” she said, finally. “You should head north, following along the mountain. There are some burial grounds of an ancient site of war, where frostamber awaits to be plucked. It is guarded by powerful constructs, constructs which have yet to awaken for hundreds of years.”

“You want me to defeat the guardians?”

“In a sense, yes.”

Adam didn’t like how flimsy the answer was, but he wasn’t going to complain. She was a goddess, and therefore she could give such flimsy answers without any consequences, like a politician. He wasn’t going to go against a god.

Yet.

“I’ll let the others know about it,” Adam replied.

“Our meeting here is to remain a secret,” the goddess said.

“Understood.”

Arya raised a hand and then pointed towards him. A flash of light engulfed Adam for a moment as the force of the divine struck him. His eyes opened with a start and he gasped for air, which was far heavier here. He looked around to see that he had fallen against some trees.

‘So you met Arya,’ Bandlor thought, flying overhead.

‘I did.’

‘How was it?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Sounds about right.’

Adam looked at Bandlor. Bandlor shrugged. Well, he assumed Bandlor shrugged. He thought for a moment, unsure if owls shrugged, but Bandlor definitely did.

“Adam?” Jay called for him, his voice being carried through the woods.

“Coming!” Adam replied, fixing himself up before heading out towards the sound of Jay’s voice. He wasn’t too far away, about a half minute’s walk.

"We've been calling you for a while,” Jay said, his brow raised. “Where were you?"

"Sorry," Adam replied. "I, uh…" Adam wasn't sure what he could say. "Well… I don't think you'll believe me, but I was having a conversation with someone and they told me about where we could find more frostamber."

"What?" Imma said, arriving onto the scene a moment later. "They just told you this?"

Adam shrugged. "There was a little more conversation, but yes."

"Who was it that you about the frostamber?" Imma asked.

"A guardian of the forest,” Adam replied, “or some such being.”

"A guardian?” Imma threw a glance to Jay, her eyes filled with suspicion. “Do you trust them?”

Adam looked at his owl overhead, Bandlor circling around the group. 'Do I?'

'I do.'

"Yes," Adam replied. "They said that the plant is guarded by a powerful construct though."

"How powerful?" Imma’s lips grew taut, her skin growing paler like spilt milk. She had almost died against a golem, and she didn’t seem keen to fight another.

Adam shrugged. “Powerful, but I think we can handle it.”

"If it's as powerful as that golem, I'm not sure we should fight it,” Jay said.

"We won," Adam reminded Jay.

"Yes, but it was boring being unconscious."

“It may not be a mage hunter or a golem like we know. Perhaps it’s something else, something that we could all face.”

“Well, we’ll have to see once we get there.”

“We should speak with Andal,” Imma said.

Adam nodded. Andal was the leader of the expedition, so it would be up to him whether they were to head north at Adam’s behest.

Andal was done with picking up the frostamber, and was currently planting something in the earth, nursing the soil back to place. “Did you find anything interesting?” Andal asked the returning group. “You’ve been gone a while.”

“Yes,” Adam replied. “I have been informed by someone that there’s some frostamber to the north, near an old burial ground.”

Andal froze. “Aye, I know of it.”

Adam paused for a moment to allow Andal to continue. “Well… a guardian told me there’s something there, protecting the frostamber.”

“It won’t be protecting the frostamber,” Andal said as he stood up, clasping his hands together. “It will be protecting the burial ground.”

“Do you know what it is?” Adam asked.

“It’s a construct, but not quite a golem,” Andal replied. “That’s all I know.”

“Will we all be able to face it?” Jay asked. “Our weapons did not work against the golem.”

“Against these constructs? Aye, you should be able to.” Andal nodded. “They aren’t dwarven made.”

“Then… should we check it out?” Adam asked Andal, trying to remain hopeful. A goddess had asked him to complete this quest, and doing a quest for a goddess was a good idea.

The dwarf paused for a long moment, going deep into thought. He brushed a hand through his thick beard and then looked up at Adam. “Who spoke of this burial ground?”

“A guardian of the forest.”

“Aye, it’s like that, is it?” Andal continued to brush his beard, narrowing his eyes. He looked off into the distance, deep in thought. “Alright, we’ll head north then. It’s some ways away still, so let’s get to leaving.”

With that the group gathered together, with Andal finishing up with the herbs. They made their way north, following Andal’s lead. He seemed to know exactly where to go, moving the party around the hills westward, and then moving northward, the mountains to their left. They were a few miles away from the mountain as of yet, but Andal moved with a confident swagger.

“We’ll continue to follow the mountain range and head up to find the burial site,” Andal said as Adam cast his spell to summon the tower for the night.

“Is this burial site of import?” Imma asked.

“Of some import,” Andal replied with a nod. “As long as we don’t disturb the spirits, we will be fine.”

“Do you hear that?” Imma turned to Jay. “We can’t disturb the spirits.”

Jay rolled his eyes. He crossed his arms and then turned to look towards the sun. Kay joined him, looking longingly at the sun, and Andal went to make dinner.

Mana: 37 -> 34

Spell: Tower of Adam

“Are you going to be okay without your staff?” Adam asked Imma once he was done with casting his spell.

“I have one of the cores you gave to us,” Imma replied with a nod of her head. “I can use it to cast my spells temporarily. Once we return to town, I’ll order myself a staff. I’ll buy a wand too, just in case my staff ever breaks again.”

Adam thought about whether or not he should buy another focus. He had his die, but if he ever dropped it or lost it, it would be a good idea to have a backup focus just in case.

“Imma,” Andal called out. Imma walked over to Andal, who handed her a small twig. She smiled down at him and thanked him.

Nature

D20 + 4 = 7 (3)

Adam had no idea what the dwarf had handed to her. He wondered why a small tree branch would get the woman excited, but he decided to keep that to himself.

The group had a lovely dinner of roasted bird, sprinkled with their newfound herbs. Kay had also found some fruit and nuts along their journey, and shared them with the rest of the group. They shared stories over their food, before they finally retired for the evening.

As Adam went to sleep, he was stuck in thought. He could wait to level up either Wizard or Warrior, but he could also take three levels into a new class. Any class would have been useful, most classes had something powerful for him to unlock by third level. He could increase his Mana through one of the various magic wielding classes, or increase his non-magical utility with a number of other classes.

‘No. I need to commit to my current classes. I don’t need anything else right now…’ He spied the Rogue class for some time. Three levels into Rogue would give him so much utility and damage, and he almost bit the bullet.

Breakfast was quick and light before they made their way towards the mountains, following along the rocks. The mountain remained to their left as Andal continued to lead them. Then they heard the shouting and the rumbling.

They quickly rushed forward to see the source of the noise. Ahead of them were four beings, humanoid in shape, fighting a pair of constructs. Two of them wore armour, fighting with blades, another used a bow, shooting the constructs. The last wore robes, lightning crackling forth from their fingertips. The constructs were large, like giant suits of amour, which lumbered as they fought the humanoids.

“Adam! Go!” Imma shouted out. “Hasten my companion,” she incanted as Adam felt his body grow light and he could feel his mind and body increase in speed.