Quest Complete: Artefact Retrieval

XP Gained: +100

XP: 7475 -> 7575

Quest Complete: Iyrman Returned

XP Gained: +100

XP: 7575 -> 7675

Quest Complete: Slay Giant Blood Snake

XP Gained: +100

XP: 7675 -> 7775

Quest Complete: Adventurer’s Fate

XP Gained: +100

XP: 7775 -> 7785

Stamps Gained: +2

Stamps: 10 -> 12

Adam bit into the fresh jam bun, chewing it slowly, with Lucy by his side. The pair stared at their Iyrman companion, who was currently talking to the baker. A sweet dessert, for stomach and heart.

“Let’s leave the little love birds alone,” Adam whispered, slowly withdrawing from the bakery, joining the others, who were enjoying their fresh hot bread. It had been a while since they had completed a quest, and he had missed the taste of the jam buns, and he was sure Jurot missed talking to Pam too.

‘How can I get them together?’ Adam thought. ‘I could source the bread for the inn from here…’

“You need to stop thinking so much,” Lucy said. “Just let it be.”

Adam sighed, but bowed his head. “Nobby, make sure your family gets all that bread, otherwise it’ll go to waste.”

“Yes, mister boss.”

Adam pat Nobby’s shoulder. “Come on, I’ll take you home. Kitool, would you mind coming with me?”

Kitool followed as Adam took Nobby home. Adam wanted to make sure Nobby got home safely, and he wanted to make sure he, too, got back to the guild safely.

“You be good to your ma and pa, alright?” Adam said, slipping two gems into the basket of bread, before nodding his head to Nobby.

“Yes, mister boss.”

“Alright.”

Adam left immediately afterwards, leading Kitool away. He didn’t want to stand there for their reunion, Nobby should return back to his family to spend time with them. They should get to have fun together without him interrupting them.

“Thanks for coming with me, Kitool,” Adam said as they walked back the guild.

“There is no need for thanks.”

“Can’t be doing that sort of thing. I may be an idiot, but I have to be a polite idiot.” Adam smiled.

Omen: 2, 4

Adam stared at the stone egg in hand. He looked to Vonda and shook his head. “Sorry, but I didn’t get anything from it.”

Vonda bowed her head. “Thank you, Adam.”

Vonda had come to him in the morning to ask him to cast Identify to see if the egg was magical, but after an hour, Adam hadn’t managed to gather anything.

“What are you going to do with it?” Adam asked, leaning back, as though he didn’t really care to hear the answer, but his brows were raised in intrigue.

“I do not know,” Vonda admitted. She stared at the egg, which looked and felt as though it were made of stone. It was quite heavy, too, though not as heavy as one might expect an egg made of stone to be.

“The Iyr might know a thing or two.”

Vonda nodded her head slowly. She was still unsure, in case the Iyr would take the egg from her.

“Ah.”

“Yes?” Vonda turned to the Half Elf.

“In the Iyr, the dawnval festival,” Adam said. “I wonder what kind of outfit she’s wearing. Is she wearing the paint? Is she having fun? Is someone bullying her?” Adam sighed.

Vonda stared at Adam for a long moment. ‘How is it that you can be so…’ Vonda wasn’t sure what to call him. ‘Cringe?’ she thought, thinking about the word which had been introduced to her.

Adam stretched out his neck, swaying it side to side. “I should go to the market and buy some gifts for the children for when we return.”

“You have only just left.”

“It’s good to get those things out of the way. Plus, I can always buy more later, can’t I?” Adam said, his eyes sparkling with boyish joy.

Vonda wasn’t sure if cringe was the right word, but she felt it to be true in her heart.

“Do you want to go and buy some gifts with me?”

“Will they accept gifts from me?”

“Why not?” Adam asked. “Gifts from a Priest of…” Adam paused, crossing his arms as he went into thought. ‘She’s a Priest of Life, but it’s White Rose, wasn’t it? No. That was the logic I used before, but it was wrong, so it’s definitely…’ “Life’s Rose?”

Vonda smiled.

‘Nice.’

Adam changed out some of his coinage to gems and gold, before the pair left to the nearby markets to buy some trinkets for the children.

‘How much should I spend?’ Adam thought. ‘If we’re going to be moving around the different towns then I don’t need to spend much. I’ll just spend a gold or two. No. I’ll spend a few more, just in case. I do have a little over two hundred gold, so why don’t I just spend more money? There’s nothing wrong with spending a hundred gold on the trinkets, right?’

Adam massaged his cheeks. ‘Adam! Stop it! You god damn idiot! Stop being so cringe! Just spend a couple of gold on the trinkets, don’t waste your money! But, won’t they be happy if I give them more? No! Stop it!’

Vonda watched as Adam fell still, fighting himself internally, even though it appeared that he was deep in thought. She had known Adam long enough to know when he was doing that thing.

Once Adam let the cringe pass through him, he walked about the market, finding all kinds of little trinkets. He found wood carvings, pottery, strips of cloth, bracelets, among a number of other trinkets.

‘Right, I need to buy some for the gate kids too.’ Adam bought a handful of trinkets of each kind, though he bought many strips of cloth, which the Iyrmen liked to collect.

“What do you think?” Adam asked, picking up a small wooden carving of a Dragon. “Don’t you think my sister would love this?”

“Any child would love a carving of a Dragon,” Vonda said.

“What kind of Dragon is this?” Adam asked the merchant.

The merchant smiled, quizzically. He was in his late thirties or so, and wore fairly simple, but well made clothing, dark blue like the deep ocean. “It’s a Dragon.”

“Yes, but is it a Blue Dragon, a Red Dragon, or a Silver Dragon, you know?”

“I believe that’s a Silver Dragon,” the merchant said.

Adam looked at it. He narrowed his eyes. “No it’s not.”

The merchant tilted his head. “What do you mean, mister?”

“I’ve seen Silver Dragons, well, one Silver Dragon, but it didn’t look anything like this. Doesn’t look like a Blue or White Dragon, either.” Adam squinted at the Dragon figure.

“Are you certain?” the merchant asked, raising his brow curiously.

“Pretty sure. I accompanied some Iyrmen about, and we managed to slay a White Dragon and a Blue Dragon just the other year, last year, in fact.”

The merchant tried to keep the doubt away from his eyes.

“Look, I’m just saying that I know that it doesn’t look like the three kinds of Dragons I’ve met, I’m not trying to catch a bargain.” Adam sighed. “Do you have any other Dragons?”

“No Red Dragons, but I’ve got other kinds.” The merchant placed more Dragons on the table.

“Ah! That’s a Silver Dragon, that’s a White Dragon, and that’s a Blue Dragon,” Adam said, pointing to each Dragon. Silver Dragons were fairly slim, and White Dragons were thicker and larger, with brutish horns, and though Blue Dragons looked similar to White Dragons, their faces were generally more squarish. “I’ll buy one of each of them.”

“To buy all three, I’ll charge only five gold for a Dragon Slayer,” the merchant said, far more enthusiastic about the purchase. “I also have some Dragon scales for sale.”

“Which colours?”

“Blue and White.”

“Ah,” Adam said. “I’ve got plenty of those scales, so I’ll be fine, but thank you.”

“What a shame. I will try and procure some other scales for the next time I arrive in Red Oak.”

“Oh?” Adam said. “Really?”

“I am usually in Red Oak during late dawnval.”

“Perfect,” Adam said, placing down six gold. “Bring those dragon scales to me and I’ll be sure to bring a heavier pouch! Any time of dragon trinkets you find, I’ll most likely order them from you. I’m trying to be sensible with my money right now, but next year I’ll be sweating gold coins.”

A bell was rung nearby.

“Ordah! King’s Ordah! Gold! Blood! Glory! Able bodied men join the army! Gold! Blood! Glory! Ordah! King’s Ordah!”

Adam glanced aside to see a young man who was adorned in fairly simple clothing, with his hair cut neatly. He rung his bell, bellowed his words, before moving along, ringing his bell again.

“Eh?” Adam said, looking at the young man, before looking to Vonda. “They’re recruiting for war?”

Vonda narrowed her eyes. “It appears to be the case.”

“Must be the islands with Aswadia?” Adam pondered. “War must be going poorly.”

“No,” Jurot said, once they had returned with their gifts to the guild. “That war ended at the beginning of the year. They are recruiting in preparation of another war, a different kind of war.”

“Oh?” Adam said, looking to Jurot. He had returned back to the Iyr at the beginning of the year, but it seemed he knew about the war.

“I have heard the islands hold many great resources, many of which are useful,” Jurot said. “They seem to hold some resources which will bring them mountains of gold too.”

“Oh.” Something scratched at the back of Adam’s head, as though he were missing something obviously. “I wouldn’t know anything about that.” The Brit then sipped his tea.