It hadn’t taken long for the giants to part out the icewyrms and the dragon. Adam stared down at the pile of loot available to him, as well as the core. It was almost the size of his head, jagged and blue, pulsing with great power.

He held it between his hands and stared at it, watching it pulse. It was hypnotic, pulling his thoughts deep into it. The arcane power it held slithered into him, and he couldn’t help but think he wanted to keep it all for himself.

“Looks like you need a bag of holding to carry all this,” Elowen said.

Adam snapped out of admiring the core and turned to face her. He smiled at her awkwardly and nodded. “Yeah. It’s a shame I don’t have one.” He chuckled.

“We’re planning to stay here for a while longer. There’s no rush in returning now that the princess is safe. Would you be willing to come with us?”

Adam thought for a moment. “If fate wants us to move together, I won’t push against her.” It was non-committal, but there wasn’t much more he could say on the topic. He had his priorities, and they were very different than hers.

“I hope that we’re able to travel together once again,” she said.

Adam nodded. He didn’t dislike travelling with them. He caught a stray thought and cleared his throat. “I suppose I should return the shortsword I was lent by Redboulder,” he said. “I’ve been keeping it with me for some time, and it slipped my mind since I’ve been so busy.”

“Return it in the future,” she said. “The sigil on the hilt of the blade belongs to his family, and once you feel it no longer is able to serve its purpose or that you truly have no need for the item, return it.”

History

D20 + 6 = 8 (2)

Adam narrowed his eyes, trying to think of the matter. Unfortunately, the knowledge escaped him, so he was unable to confirm Lady Elowen’s words, but considering who she was, he doubted she’d lie to him.

“If that’s the case, I’ll keep it with me.” Having an extra dwarven weapon at his side was a boon, and he wasn’t in the business of being stupid. “I wonder what I can give to him as thanks…” Adam rubbed his chin.

“You have done us a great kindness already,” Elowen said. “Though I do hope you keep in mind the offer we have for you.”

“I understand.” Adam chuckled. Of course she would want him to keep them in mind. With his presence, their journey would be smooth sailing once they head back.

“We have a few matters we’ll need to attend to on our way back, so your strength would be appreciated.”

Adam nodded, returning his eyes back to his loot. They had been so kind as to place everything into different pouches, though they kept all the meat, handing him over a few scales and offering him some extra portions during the next few weeks. It wasn’t a big deal, but it would be awkward carrying around so many items.

It was then that a horn was blown in the distance, and Adam glanced over in the direction. It was hard to see from where he was, but he was sure he could see some tiny dots making their way towards Muten.

It wasn’t long until the group revealed themselves, Gutt and his companions who had left. Adam noted there were only four of them, but he had assumed there were five. Gutt stood tall and proud, raising a fist into the air. He glanced around to see Joti, smiling at his younger brother.

“I see you have returned, Chief Joti,” he said. “How were you able to return so soon?”

Adam narrowed his eyes. He understood that Gutt was probably trying to poke fun at Joti to embarrass him, but the half-elf soon smirked.

“We were blessed with great fortune,” Joti said. “We were able to slay an icewyrm and a dragon.”

Gutt froze for a moment, staring at Joti. “As expected of our future Helm,” he said. “Then we will feast well for the next year.” Gutt held out a ring for a giant nearby, who took it and then left.

Arcane Lore

D20 + 6 = 18 (12)

Adam was shocked to see such a ring. Even from this distance he knew what it was. There were several items which could compare to it, such as a Bag of Holding, but this was something beyond even that. This was a Ring of Space.

A Bag of Holding had its limits, holding a few hundred kilograms at most, and up to a certain amount of volume. A Ring of Space formed small dimensions whenever it sucked in something, and when the dimension was full, it would create another dimension. There was a time limit for all the other dimensions, but it would still take a while for the ring to lose the connection to the other dimension.

These giants sure held some powerful items.

Adam glanced over to Lotag, narrowing his eyes at the man. There was something off about him, though he wasn’t entirely sure what it was.

Insight

D20 + 2 = 17 (15)

His balance was slightly off. Not just his balance, but he was protecting his left side, where his heavy cloak covered his left arm.

No, it didn’t cover his arm.

Adam walked over to Lotag. “Lotag,” he called out.

“Adam of the Bronze,” he replied. “How may I assist you?”

“What happened to your arm?” Adam asked.

“You noticed?” Lotag smiled. He withdrew the heavy cloak to reveal that his arm from the elbow down had disappeared. “I was unable to defend myself against the iceworm when it first appeared.”

Adam stared at the man’s arm. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

Lotag continued to smile. “It will become my greatest story,” he said. “There is no need to feel sorry. I will regale the story with the rest of my kin, would you be willing to listen?”

“I’ll listen,” Adam said, nodding his head. “I’ll return the favour by retelling my own story, though there are some parts must remain buried.”

Lotag raised his brows in surprise. “The story must remain buried? Then it is best to not tell us.”

Adam paused for a moment. “Though, I will need you to pass a message to Asomin. I will tell you my story, and you must pass him a message before you tell him my story. Will you do this for me? It’s important and relates to him.”

“I will do as you ask,” Lotag replied, seriously.

“I’ll tell you all the story and the message, in case something happens on the way back.”

“Prudent.”

“I’m glad to see you’re well. Did you take only the four of you?”

Lotag shook his head. “One of us fell during the fight. We also faced another iceworm, though it was much younger and we managed to force it to retreat. It is a shame, we almost had twice the prize.”

“Did they offer you a share as well?”

“Yes,” Lotag said. “I will return with the items to spread among our kin. The children will be excited,” he said with a small smile.

“You’re far too positive about losing your arm,” Adam said. He wondered if there was a way to regenerate it, but all the spells he knew which did so were high level and some required the man to die.

“I will retire when I return. My story will be told for some time, and my name will not be forgotten.”

Adam couldn’t help but think that it was such a sad end to his story. Losing an arm wasn’t the end of everything, but it did make life so much more difficult. “If you need a hand, let me know.”

“Keep your hands,” Lotag said.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Adam said, suddenly flustered. “It was a slip of the tongue. I meant if you need help.”

Lotag smiled as the other Iyrmen finally approached, noting that the discussion had died down.

“Do you still have the arm?” Adam asked.

“Yes,” Lotag said. “The giants thought they would be able to reattach it, but I will keep my hopes to myself.”

“I’ll see if I can help them in some way,” Adam said. “We have another Priest nearby too, I’ll go and speak with her.”

“I will begin my tale in a few hours, and I will call for you before I do.”

“Thank you,” Adam said, pulling back to let the other Iyrmen welcome Lotag. He had been rather rude to steal the first welcome, but curiosity had gotten the best of him.

“What is a Winterdotr doing here?” Gutt asked. The giants who had returned, perked up to his words, glancing over towards the Chief.

“She is under our Edict of Hospitality,” Joti said.

Gutt turned to face his brother. “You accepted it?”

“I did.”

Gutt narrowed his eyes. “What dark tidings have you brought on us?”

“No dark tidings.”

“I saw the black sun above us,” Gutt said. “Dark tidings indeed.”

“Don’t blame Freya for that,” Adam said. “She helped deal with the black sun.”

Gutt turned to face Adam. “What?”

“I’ve told the story enough,” Adam said. “You won’t believe me, so ask the Prince yourself.”

Gutt remained silent, turning to see Freya, who was currently standing beside Klara. He turned and then left, heading to the thronehearth.

Adam threw a glance towards Joti, who caught the half-elf’s gaze. “Is everything going to be alright?”

“Chief Gutt will not break the Edict of Hospitality, no giant will.”

“Sorry, I was just making sure.” Adam glanced as the giant back of the retreating Chief. He hoped it would be so simple.