“They’re coming!” Rotag exclaimed, returning with a fellow Iyrman.

“Soon,” Lotag said, turning to look at Adam and the others.

Adam turned to look to Entalia and nodded his head at her. Entalia spent a moment stretching her body before she retreated into the forest behind them, readying herself for the confrontation.

The Iyrmen took to the four corners, keeping an eye out on their flanks. Lotag and Nirot remained near the centre, with Lotag taking the de facto leadership role. Forgul, who had already resigned himself to his death, stood many metres ahead of everyone, with a spear in hand. Adam donned his shield and clutched at his die, looking down at its many faces. Laurient and Maurgrey remained sitting down on their rocks.

The wind died down, disappearing, and silence encompassed the land. The hair on the back of Adam’s neck prickled upwards as he stared at the forest, the branches no longer swaying. He blinked, noticing that the world turned darker and purple for a moment, but it seemed to disappear as quickly as it came.

A figure emerged from the trees. It was a lone figure, a dark, heavy cloak wrapped around them. They were tall, though not quite as tall as a giant, and thin. They stepped confidently, though their body swayed from side to side with the swagger of a musician. The figure stopped some ways ahead of the village elder, well within the range of arrow fire, though not a Fireball.

A whisper floated through the forest, breaking the silence, and then came a voice. “My most wonderful guests,” they said. Their voice was low, like a whisper, but all could hear them clearly. There was something else within the voice, an arrogance from one who had spent most of their time believing themselves to be above the peons of their peers, something which Adam was very experienced in picking out. “I give you my greetings and best wishes.”

Laurient stood up with Maurgrey, and their armour became darker. The figure turned to look at them for a moment, but then turned to face the group once again. “You have evaded us for some time, and I give you my sincere applause.” The figure clapped their hands together twice. “You’ve done well. Yet, it seems our time to meet one another has come.” The figure then withdrew their hood to reveal the face of a half-elf, but not anything like anyone had ever seen. Crawling around the side of their face was a web of veins, each pulsing with every passing moment. Their eyes were violet and glowing, and their lips were upturned in the most wicked smile.

Adam’s eyes went wide. This creature, this being, they were with it! He grabbed his die a little tighter as his blood began to boil, and deep within him a flower of doubt began to bloom. If the giants were working with it, then this would not go as well as he hoped. The figure’s eyes then fell across Adam, and he could hear their whispers tickle the back of his mind.

“It seems you have a familiar face with you,” the stranger said, staring right at Adam. “Two familiar faces.” They looked past Adam, into the forest where Entalia had disappeared. “I can see you’re all very prepared to defend yourselves,” they said with a tone of voice of a parent trying to seem enthused about their child’s terrible work. “Though I would like to offer a deal, if you deign to listen.”

“Speak of your deal then,” Forgul said, clutching his spear tight within his hand.

The stranger smiled wide, revealing their black tongue as it flicked across their lips, a purple ooze escaping out of the corner of their mouth before disappearing again. “Give us the one you call Adam,” they said. “We will leave you with your lives.”

Adam’s brows raised in alarm as he looked around, noting the many eyes on him. Most of them looked in confusion, the same alarm that he shared with them, though others seemed to look at him with suspicion. Adam was glad to see that Lotag had not turned to look at him, but rather remained focused on the stranger ahead of them.

“Why do you want him?” Forgul asked.

“He is someone that our great Eminence has taken great interest in,” the being replied. “He will be gifted to our Eminence, and we would be eager to pay you for your efforts.”

“What will be our payment?”

“Your lives,” the being said.

“We will not be offered something you already owe us!” Forgul exclaimed, raising his spear. “You have forced us out of our homes, killed our people, destroyed what little we have, and then have the audacity to say such a thing?”

“Return to us what you owe,” Laurient called out, pointing his silver blade towards the being.

“Ah,” the eery being said, their eyes falling from Adam to Laurient. “You are a creature of the forest.”

“You have something which belongs to our father,” Laurient said.

Maurgrey looked to Laurient. “It has the heart?” he asked, unsure of what was happening.

“It does.”

The eery figure began to laugh. It was a hollow laugh, filled with pure arrogance. “What silly little creatures you are!” The being continued to laugh. “You have no chance of retrieving the heart, so please do keep quiet.”

“Your soul will be gifted to our father then,” Laurient said, crouching down as his armour began to melt against his skin, two horns emerging from the sides of his head, like those of a bull. Maurgrey followed suit, though his horns came out more like a ram’s.

“Let us return to the topic at hand,” the being said. “Give us the boy.” They raised a hand and pointed towards Adam. “Come.”

Wise Save

D20 + 6 = 13 (7)

Omen: 18, 19 -> 18

19 + 6 = 25

Adam could feel it, the sweet whispering grow in the back of his head. He stepped forward once and then closed his eyes, clenching his fists together until the die dug into his hand. He flexed as the weight of effort fell through his entire form. He ground his teeth together and then pulled his head back as he stepped back to where he was.

The being gasped as a spear struck through their chest. They looked down towards it and then back up to Forgul. Their face contorted into a far more wicked smile before they began to chuckle. “You have made your choice. You will see the folly of your mist-” It ducked underneath Laurient’s blade as he swiped at it. “Do you really believe your blade can possibly harm me?” It grinned wide.

“Then why did you duck?” Laurient asked.

The creature’s head pulsed and the veins began to expand, quickly exploding out purple and black liquid before the veins covered their face entirely, the cackling echoing through the forest. The ground began to rumble as the distance mud giants began to charge, though there was a far more pressing issue. The creature’s purple veins had covered it’s entire body, and a blade made of pure evil formed within their grasp.

Laurient and the creature engaged in vicious combat, their blades swiping across each other’s armours, slashing into purple and silver, which melted together. They became a blur as they locked to one another, ancient and foreign magic meeting one another in a deathly duel.

“Brother!” Maurgrey exclaimed, summoning his great axe in hand.

“This one does not have the heart! It must be with the other!” Laurient exclaimed, already panting with great effort as he tried not to fall under the sway of the foreign magic, which the creature had tried to employ with little effect.

Maurgrey then looked out into the distance to see the charging mud giants, each reaching down to grab a rock from their sacks. He must have seen something, because he turned to a particular direction and then charged forward. Adam did not see where he was charging to because he was currently distracted by the mass of mud giants about to sweep through.

Battle Order

D20 - 1 = 3 (4)

Mana: 28 -> 25

Spell: Fireball

8D6 (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 5, 6, 6)

29 fire damage!

Rocks rained down from the sky, dashing across the various battlements that the villagers had created. Adam managed to step aside from a rock, which had crashed down nearby him. Some villagers hadn’t been so lucky as they were swallowed by the rocks. Adam winced, drawing his eyes away from the sight, instead keeping his attention on the mud giants, who were still some ways away. They were, however, within the range of his Fireball.

“Fire!” Exclaimed Lotag, calling forth the archers to rain down arrows onto their enemy. Arrows loosened from the villager’s bows, many of the arrows missing, some even breaking off on the tough skin of the mud giants. Some found their marks, but only seemed to enrage the charging terrors.

Adam looked down at his die. “Fire!” Adam exclaimed, feeling the sudden surge of magical power from within the core of his body. He shuddered as he felt the heat flood through him, and he reached out a hand to guide the tiny bolt of light appearing from the heavens. It expanded with every passing moment until it engulfed the mud giants. The screams filled the air as the mud giants looked around, trying to find the source of the mage. Luckily they hadn’t spotted him casting the spell.

“Adahm! Cam ‘ere!” One of the giants was looking around. He was wearing the same attire as the rest, though also wore a fur draped over his shoulder.

A giant calling for him? Adam stared at the giant, wondering if he should reveal himself, but very quickly he heard a roar from the skies as a blast of snow and ice covered the mud giants, most of whom had fallen prey of Adam’s spell, causing many of them to cry out in pain. A small wall of ice appeared around them, but for some reason, almost all of the giants seemed to freeze in place, staring up at the skies with wide eyes, crying out in their language.

Health: 203 -> 182

Mana: 25 -> 22

Spell: Fireball

8D6 (1, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6)

34 fire damage!

Athletics

D20 + 8 = 20 (12)

They grabbed onto their rocks and continued to hail them from where they were, but their arms shook wildly. They seemed unsure of what they should do, but they remained firmly rooted in their spot. The rocks shattered the remaining battlements, making ruins of them once more. Many villagers had found themselves under the rocks now, some trying to pull their trapped appendages away.

Adam clicked his teeth, looking towards a rock which had pinned down a nearby villager. Then a shadow loomed over him before a rock smashed into him. He gasped for air as he was flung back, groaning in pain. He managed to pull himself out from the rock as he panted, trying to find the same giants he had hit with his Fireball, and those that Entalia had struck with her frost breath.

Lotag and a few others had already charged some of the nearby mud giants, hacking into them as they continued to reach for their rocks. The giants hadn’t noticed until they were almost dead, and quickly turned their attention to these tiny forms that were poking and prodding them. Lotag did a little more, however, hacking the leg off a mud giant.

Adam grabbed onto his die and then pointed it at the enemy. “Fire!” Adam called forth the magic through him again. A mud giant turned to see him and called out something in their language, but he managed to call forth his spell as it fell from the heavens. The mud giant cried out in pain as she was engulfed in flame. She fell down as the other mud giants then turned towards the half-elf.

Adam felt a set of hands try to push him, but he planted his feet firmly into the ground. Adam turned back to see a couple of villagers trying to push him forward.

“What are you doing?” Adam yelled in shock.

“Adam! This is Adam!” The pair exclaimed. Each of them were older than him, though were still able bodied as Adam tried to resist their pushing.

“Adahm!” A mud giant pointed towards him, and suddenly many of them turned to look at him. Some of them began to move his way, though Entalia quickly swooped down from above and clutched at a pair with her talons, tossing them. The mud giants quickly turned their attention on her, their faces filled with shock and terror.

Athletics

D20 + 8 = 10 (2)

Athletics

D20 + 8 = 11 (3)

Mana: 22 -> 19

Spell: Fireball

8D6 (2, 2, 2, 2, 4, 6, 6, 6)

30 fire damage!

“What are you doing?!” Adam exclaimed as their hands continued to struggle against the pair trying to claw at him. They both managed to wrap their arms around him, clutching at him as though he was going to kill them.

“Once they take you, they’ll leave us be!”

“You can’t fall for that!” Adam continued to struggle. “You can’t let them trick you like that! They won’t let you go even if you give me to them.” Adam tried to still his heart as he reached out a hand. He inhaled as he called forth the magic through his body.

A rock landed beside them as the giants continued their assault, though many of them were now focused on Entalia and Adam. A group of six giants began to close in on Adam.

“Why don’t you just die in a fire?” Adam called out as the magic forced itself through his veins. He clenched his teeth as another tiny bead shot forth, this time shooting out from him, letting them know he was sending them his regards. The tiny fire expanded out, encasing the giants as many of them dropped, though two of them continued on. The giants cried out in pain, causing a few more to turn their attention to Adam. Now there were six more coming to approach him as a handful continued their march towards the ruins.

Another roar echoed in the sky as Entalia sprayed her frost breath against the giants, stopping them in their tracks with her ice, and others by their death. They tumbled, with the number of giants now approaching half, and yet the villagers were being whittled down so much quicker. Many of them had already run away into the woods.

Athletics

D20 + 8 = 14 (6)

Athletics

D20 + 8 = 11 (3)

Mana: 19 -> 16

Spell: Fireball

8D6 (1, 3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6)

32 fire damage!

Quick Save

D20 = 13 (13)

Health: 182 -> 150

He could see the direction this was headed. Sure they had taken out a large number of giants, but there were so few of them remaining, with parents holding their children. Adam looked out to see the giants approach him, rocks flying overhead towards the few people who were still trying to fight, going out with a fight.

The giants slapped away the two holding him, killing them instantly. Adam stared up at the giants as they grabbed him. He clutched his die tightly, called out the magic as the bead fell on top of him, engulfing the giants, himself, and the two dead bodies in flames. The giants roared with pain, but others pushed through to grab onto him and drag him away.

“Let go of me! Let go!” Adam tried to struggle, about to call forth another spell when a blast of ice appeared from the sky ahead of them. Entalia was off to the side, trying to deal with the giants, blasting them with her frost breath, and yet this ice seemed so different. The ice ahead formed into a large gate, and a shadow blurred against it.

The sounds of a powerful horn blasted through the gate, causing it to shake, and the forest around them to quiver.