Mana: 15 -> 12

Ability: Divine Smite

Phantom Charges: 3 -> 0

2D6 + 8D6 + 20D6 + 7 = 116 (1, 6)(1, 1, 3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5)(1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6)

116 damage!

Morkarai dropped to a knee, Giantsfire striking the ground between them. He reached down to his side, feeling the slick of wet crimson against his fingers. He was certain the axe only grazed his armour, but the pulsing wetness at his side, and the pulsing through his throbbing forehead, revealed that the blow was greater than he had imagined.

‘What?’

The single word echoed in his throbbing mind. Adam had struck him with enough force to kill the average Aldishman, meaning he would be quite the terror in the Aldish lands. However, what he had struck Morkarai with was something which could kill even great warriors from the Giant’s land. No, it was enough to kill even a fiercely powerful Iyrman.

Jurot watched, arms crossed. Adam had faced his aunt, who was greater than even himself, and had managed to defeat her in a single blow. Upon seeing the way Adam brought Morkarai to his knees, he understood how it had happened. He could feel the excitement wash over him, but he pushed it away as best as he could. He, too, wanted to face Adam with Phantom in hand.

Zijin’s lips slowly widened into a smirk. Morkarai had just learnt what the force of nature known as Adam was. ‘You’ve fought well, Adam.’

‘How strong was Morkarai exactly?’ Adam thought, feeling the darkness within him begin to lighten.

Morkarai forced himself up onto his feet and lifted his greatsword. Adam had struck him with so much force that he had almost dropped unconscious. It was now he understood what Adam was, and why the Iyr was so interested in him. Wordless, Morkarai lifted his sword, before he swung it down towards Adam, who lifted up his shield.

Health: 65 -> 11

Giantsfire struck Adam’s shield with so much force it dented the shield, and Adam’s knees cracked under the pure effort of trying to contain the giant greatsword. He coughed, trying to catch his breath from the pure effort of taking the heavy blow. He inhaled deeply and shouted, pushing the greatsword away.

He had a choice to make in that split second. Either he would heal himself using Tough Spirit, which would not heal him enough to deal with another blow, or he could pray and try to land another blow.

Fighting Spirit: 2 -> 1

Health: 11 -> 16

Attack - Phantom

D20 + 8 = 12 (4)

D20 + 8 = 19 (11)

Hit!

Mana: 12 -> 9

Ability: Divine Smite

1D6 + 1D6 + 4D6 + 7 = 24 (3)(4)(1, 2, 2, 5)

24 damage!

Attack - Phantom

D20 + 8 = 12 (3)

D20 + 8 = 19 (12)

Hit!

Mana: 9 -> 6

Ability: Divine Smite

1D6 + 1D6 + 4D6 + 7 = 23 (1)(1)(2, 3, 4, 5)

23 damage!

Adam let out a sigh, watching the Giant begin to swing his Giantsfire. It moved slowly, whereas his own body moved swifter than he even thought was possible. He slashed the Giant twice with Phantom, spending as much of his Mana he could within his blows.

Phantom flashed white twice as he struck the Giant, forming a cross against his chest. Giantsfire struck the earth and Morkarai dropped to a knee. Adam waited for Morkarai to catch his breath, ready to fight again.

Zijin’s eyes grew wide. This entire time, just like Jurot, he thought that Adam would have lost to the Prince of Giants. Morkarai was someone who would be able to fight a Paragon, and could even clash with a Great Elder. However, here he was, not just kneeling before Adam, but kneeling after falling unconscious.

Jurot’s hair stood on end as he realised what he had watched. He had bet on Adam, as expected of him, but he didn’t think Adam would have won. He had heard Adam deal with greater Iyrmen than himself, and with Phantom in hand it made sense, but there was a gulf between those Iyrmen and Prince Morkarai.

Adam remained silent for a long moment, before Zijin appeared beside the Prince, taking out a potion.

Mana: 6 -> 5

Spell: Healing Word

1D3 + 3 = 6 (3)

“Lord Morkarai?” Adam asked, his voice full of magical energies which aimed to heal the Prince.

Morkarai’s eyes snapped open, and in the split second he took in his surroundings, he forced himself up to swing Giantsfire, only to find Zijin ahead of him, holding a potion. He stared at the Elder, before looking to Adam, who had already sheathed his axe.

‘I lost?’ Morkarai was certain he was strong. There were very few people in this entire land who could even try to clash with him, never mind those who could defeat him. Yet, here was a young man, a boy really, who had managed to defeat him.

Morkarai’s eyes fell to the axe.

Victory!

Morkarai

XP Gained: +2600

XP: 12 900 -> 15 500

‘Damn, I forgot how strong Phantom was,’ Adam thought, not realising he had not yet figured out how powerful Phantom truly was. The magic within the axe was much weaker now, though it still held a Greater bonus. ‘If I had Phantom last time…’

‘He enchanted the axe, didn’t he?’ Morkarai was certain of the thought. The way Adam spoke about it, it gave the impression of more than just a passing familiarity.

‘What a dangerous axe,’ Zijin thought. There was no doubt Adam would have done well with most weapons in hand, but the fact he had won was in large part thanks to such a powerful weapon in his hand.

Adam held Phantom up, offering Jurot the handle. Jurot had been frozen in shock, but he reached up to grab the magical axe, strapping it to his side silently. His motions were slow, as though he was resisting a river trying to press him down.

“Thanks, Jurot.”

Jurot nodded in response, still thinking about how badly he wanted to fight Adam. It wasn’t just that he wished to fight Adam, but he also wished to see Adam fight greater foes with Phantom. The axe grew heavy at his side, and Jurot’s lips pulled downward, imperceptibly so. ‘This axe should be at your side, Adam.’

“It was a good fight,” Adam said.

“It was,” Morkarai replied, feeling the pain still rocking his body. “That was you holding back?”

Adam smiled. “Something like that.”

“I would love to see you when you aren’t holding back.”

Adam let out a sigh of relief. “Well…” He shrugged his shoulders, leaving the matter alone. He didn’t want to fight Morkarai again, not when he had earned so much XP from the bout. If they continued to fight, perhaps he’d earn more XP, but he didn’t want to lose. ‘He almost wrecked me in a single blow.’

“I will take you to rest,” Zijin said, before motioning to the side for Morkarai to follow.

Morkarai wanted to speak to Adam more, but he left the boy be, allowing him to rest. His mind was too full of thoughts for him to speak, so he followed the Elder away. He could see how tense Zijin had become, and realised that the Elder was going to have a stressful time.

“Does Adam keep you busy?” Morkarai asked.

Zijin smiled. “Yes.”

Adam and Jurot returned back to the shared family estate, but Adam paused outside.

Tough Spirit: 1 -> 0

2D6 + 5 = 12 (3, 4)

Health: 11 -> 23

Adam flexed his muscles, regaining some of his Health, before stepping inside the shared family estate. The Iyrmen’s expectant gazes pressed down on him, but Adam approached his triplets, each of whom were staring at him in confusion. Adam lifted them up, grunting with effort.

“Did you miss daddy?” he asked, hugging them tight.

Jarot looked to Jurot, who was suspiciously tense. Then he looked to Adam, who seemed far too healthy for someone who had been beaten by the Prince of Giants. He narrowed his eyes, before looking back to Jurot.

Jurot sat down, crossing his arms. He knew his responsibility, but he wasn’t sure how to speak of the tale. He inhaled deeply, before letting out a long sigh. “Adam is Adam.”

The Iyrmen remained silent, but they understood the gravity of the words Jurot had said. He had all but confirmed it with those words, but they wanted to hear the tale.

“I’m going to go nap,” Adam said, yawning. The bout had still taken a lot out of him, and he didn’t want to hear the tale. He already felt the embarrassment of winning, and he didn’t want to be embarrassed further by hearing the tale.

He checked on the twins first, brushing their hair tenderly, before heading into one of the rooms. The triplets followed him in and watched as he doffed his armour. Adam’s arms hurt, but he did his best not to reveal the pain to his children. ‘Didn’t Morkarai say he could face a Great Elder in combat?’ Adam’s lips twitched into a smirk.

The triplets stared up at him, still confused.

Was he always this big?