Adam wasn’t sure how he should feel about a beauty feeling him up.

‘No, no, it was just my armour she was into.’

The thought caused a sad sigh to escape his lips.

‘Should I find some romance?’

Adam frowned.

He slipped through the market, keeping his hand close to his pouch, brushing against it every so often so he knew it was there.

“Oh,” Adam said, stepping up quickly to a particular Merchant.

It was a small stall, one which was covered in all kinds of jewellery. There were two large men who flanked on either side of it, with a woman keeping an eye out from behind.

It was run by a young man around Adam’s age, with pale skin, dark hair and dark eyes, wearing the thick clothing that he was used to seeing on those of the Jaghi people.

“How may I help you?” the Merchant asked, smiling.

“I’m looking for some jewellery,” Adam said, leaning in, keeping a hand on his pouch, the other to his chin, making it obvious where his hands were at all times to the two heavily armed Guards.

“Of course. Jewellery is my expertise.”

“Do you have anything you’d recommend?” Adam asked.

“Why have you come to buy jewellery? Is it for a special woman in your life?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of woman is she?”

“She’s an Iyrman.”

“An Iyrman?” The Jeweller stared up at the Half Elf. “That’s quite the goal you have.”

“What do you mean?”

“Trying to seduce an Iyrman? I’ve never heard of an Elf seducing an Iyrman before.”

“It’s a good thing I’m no Elf, and that I’m not seducing an Iyrman, then.” Adam smiled. “I’m a Half Elf, and I’m buying a necklace for my Aunt.”

“Your aunt?”

“Yes.”

“Your aunt is an Iyrman?”

“Yes.”

The Jeweller stared at Adam for a long moment.

“Now, are you going to help me find something?”

“Right,” the Jeweller replied. “What is your budget?”

Adam let out a sigh. “Good question. How much should I spend on my Aunt?”

“How much do you love her?”

Adam squinted his eyes at the Jeweller. “As my Aunt? More than I’d care to admit.” He rubbed his chin as he eyed up the various pieces.

Adam pointed towards a thin gold chain with a red gem set within it, the gem being no bigger than his pinky finger. “How much is that?”

“Fifty gold,” the Jeweller said.

“Fifty gold?” Adam said, rubbing his chin. “I’ll take it.”

Gems: (18) Onyx -> (17) Onyx

“I’m sure your aunt will feel like a lucky lady,” the Jeweller said, packing the necklace into some cloth and a small box.

“Yeah,” Adam said, awkwardly. He cleared his throat and quickly slipped away, unsure if he should have brought a necklace. ‘It’s not weird to buy jewellery for her, is it?’

“Adam,” Jurot called.

“Yeah?” Adam said, his head snapping back towards the Iyrman, slipping away the box into his pack.

Jurot revealed the wood he had bought, the blocks held together with rope. There were at least a dozen large blocks, each almost as tall as Jurot, and as wide as his forearm.

“That’s a lot of wood,” Adam said, whistling.

“Yes,” Jurot said, slowly nodding his head, a small smile encroaching across his lips.

“We should probably buy something for the children,” Adam said.

“We have bought enough for the children,” Jurot said. “You bought all those cups and fabrics.”

“Yeah, but…” Adam glanced past Jurot’s shoulder. “Let’s grab some fur for our adorable sister, shall we?”

The Half Elf stepped up to a stall which was covered in furs, run by an older woman who came up to Adam’s chest.

“Oh, we don’t get many Half Elves around our parts,” she said, staring up at him. Her eyes squinted suspiciously for a moment before they noted the large, muscular Iyrman beside him. “What can I do for you?”

“Do you have anything soft, something that would work well for children in the winter?” Adam asked.

“Winter?”

“Oh, uh, when it gets cold and starts to snow.”

The woman nodded her head. “We have White Wolf fur,” the woman said, bringing up some white fur, running her hand across it. It was larger than Adam’s entire torso. “This is perfect for such needs.”

“How much?”

“This entire sheet is ten gold coins,” she said.

Adam nodded. “I’ll take… two?” Adam glanced to Jurot. “That would be enough for her, right?”

Jurot shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ll take…” Adam paused. “One second.” Adam began to count how many Iyrmen children he knew. “I’ll take ten.”

“Ten?” the woman said, nearly gasping.

“Yep,” Adam said, dropping two Onyx gems.

Gems: (17) Onyx -> (15) Onyx

“Thank you kindly for your business,” the woman said, quickly rolling up some fur and tying it up for him, creating two large bundles.

Adam hummed quietly as they returned back to the Adventurer’s Guild.

“Why did you buy so many?”

“It would feel bad if I didn’t bring any fur back for the other kids,” he said.

“They will have some Auroch fur from our journey.”

“Yeah, but, you know…” Adam shrugged his shoulders. “I bought some cloth for Lanarot alone, so that should be okay.”

‘Should I buy something for Lanarot too?’ Jurot thought.

Omen: 17, 18

“Good morning,” Adam called towards Lady Elowen.

The Lady was in her Human disguise, and was currently eating besides her companions.

“I’m feeling particularly lucky today,” Adam said, throwing a glance to the other woman, who he assumed was Ylra. He wiggled his ears at her and winked.

Her eyes fell to Elowen’s for a moment, before she threw a smirk towards Adam.

“Are you willing to assist us today?” Elowen asked.

Adam nodded. “Of course.”

Once breakfast was done, Vice Master Sarah escorted the group to an area in the back of the Guild for the Lady and others.

“This feels so naughty,” Adam said. “It’s like I’m a part of a conspiracy or something.”

“You are,” Sarah said, pushing him into the room, her face contorting into a wild smile. “So if you tell others what you’ve done here, we’ll have to silence you.”

Adam chuckled, before his lips slowly formed into a frown. “You aren’t kidding?”

Sarah nodded her head slowly. “Good luck.”

The room was fairly large, and was currently being used the four and the Princess. There was another door which led to a small room with the pot, which was engraved with gem dust, and the materials required to make the required potion, including the White Dragon Heart, which was hard like a gem and pulsed with magical energy.

Adam reached towards it, feeling the Dragon Heart call for him, but Redboulder grabbed his arm.

“Careful,” the Dwarf said. “It will take your heart if you aren’t prepared.”

“Is that so?” Adam said. “Do you mean I’ll covet it?”

The Dwarf narrowed his eyes, which caused his scar to shift, emphasising his suspicion.

“You don’t have to worry about me, Master Dwarf,” Adam said, bowing his head. “The Dragon Heart is yours, as I have promised.”

“He’s just being careful,” Lady Elowen said. “We all are.”

Adam noted that the group each held their weapons within range, and that Rojer and Ylra were keeping their pack close to them. Adam did wonder why they had trusted him so easily, but it seemed they didn’t.

“It seems I have to work quite hard today,” Adam said, undoing his sword belt, placing it to the side, before he cracked his knuckles.

Mana: 10 -> 9

Alchemy Check

D20 + 3 + 2 = 23 (18)

Adam measured out all the ingredients properly, including the Goldarb and the Dragon Heart. He needed to cut into the Dragon Heart, using a screw made of gem to create a hole, before he dripped the wet, raw magic of the Dragon Heart into the pot. The Goldarb, a long plant which looked more like a golden rose, was used only for the most perfect petals. Most of them were tossed aside, for them to hand over to the Guild, and Adam found only three petals, dropping them into the liquid he was currently cooking.

It required six hours of tending to the pot, with Adam pulling the pot off the heat, allowing it to cool, mixing the mixture together, before cooking it again. How Adam knew how to make the proper potion, he didn’t know, and he didn’t try to think about it.

“What are you doing?” Lady Elowen asked as Adam started to cut into the other herbs.

“What do you mean?” the Half Elf asked. “I’m making the potion.”

“You’ve already done enough today, shouldn’t you rest?”

“Rest? I’m fine, though.”

“You shouldn’t rush the potion,” the woman said. “Even if you are feeling lucky.”

“I haven’t even used any of my luck yet,” Adam said.

“What?”

“I was naturally lucky today, so I didn’t have to bend Fate.”

“Bend Fate?” Lady Elowen asked. “You can bend Fate? Are you a Diviner?”

“Something like that?”

Lady Elowen stared at him. “Are you sure you can continue?”

“I’ll be fine, mother,” Adam joked, rolling his eyes. “I can’t sleep while I’m still lucky.”

Mana: 9 -> 7

Alchemy Check

D20 + 5 = 14 (9)

Omen: 17, 18 -> 18

17 + 5 = 22

Intelligence Save

D20 + 5 = 8 (3)

Health: 52 -> 47

Mana: 7 -> 5

The sun was beginning to fall, the cool dusk blanketing the land. A man swiped with his axe towards the Orc, who caught the blade and punched the man in the face, only to find himself flipped over as the man tripped him over and pinned him underneath.

The Orcs around them began to cheer, and soon another Orc stepped forward to fight him.

Adam grunted as he felt his Mana drain through his fingers, causing his body to grow hot for a moment before it turned cold. He shuddered and let out a deep sigh.

“Are you alright?” Lady Elowen asked.

“He is suffering from Mana Poisoning,” Redboulder said.

“Is that going to affect the potion?” Adam asked.

“You will be unable to continue with your Alchemy,” Redboulder said.

“Why?”

“You will leak more Mana,” the Dwarf said.

“I’ll take an hour to rest and I’ll continue,” Adam said.

“You shouldn’t push yourself, Adam,” Elowen said. “The potion is almost complete, so you can rest and continue tomorrow.”

“I’ll be fine. You may not know much about me, but I'm one stubborn bastard.” Adam shook his head. “Something like this won’t kill me. I just need a rest to regain some Mana.”

“You are a Wizard?” Rojer asked.

“Something like that,” Adam said, sitting down before he began his meditation.

Mana: 5 -> 7

“You’re going to continue?” Elowen asked, having not dared to distract him in his meditation.

“Yeah,” Adam said, feeling the exhaustion creep in through his bones. “Leave it to me.”

Mana: 7 -> 4

Alchemy Check

D20 + 5 = 19 (14)

Omen: 18 -> 0

18 + 5 = 23

The Orcs rushed the man in his home, beating him within his bed, though not without losing a few fingers as the man fought back.

[Would you like to spend Experience to increase the potion’s effects?]

‘Oh, Bell, I forgot all about you. How much can I spend?’

[…]

‘Bell?’

[500 XP.]

‘Then I’ll spend that much.’

XP: 3270 -> 2770

Intelligence Save

D20 + 5 = 10 (5)

Health: 47 -> 26

Mana: 4 -> 0

Health: 26 -> 9

Exhaustion: 0 -> 1

Adam coughed as his entire body shook, his eyes rolling back as his mind flashed red hot as though a thousand knives were piercing through his head. Blood poured out of his nose as he pulled back.

As his Mana drained, his heart turned ice cold. He dropped to his knees, coughing up blood onto the floor.

“Adam!” Lady Elowen shouted. “Master Redboulder, please.”

“I can’t,” he said, staring down at Adam, who panted.

Tough Spirit: 1 -> 0

2D6 + 4 = 13 (4, 5)

Health: 9 -> 22

Adam flexed, spitting up more blood before wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

Congratulations!

1 Dragon Heart Potion Created.

Restores vitality to one who drinks the potion.

XP Gained: +1000

XP: 2770 -> 3770

“Hey,” Adam said, smiling up at them. He threw up a thumbs up before he closed his eyes and welcomed the sweet embrace of sleep.