Omen: 4, 5

‘Seriously…’

[Would you like to spend XP to empower the weapon?]

‘Sure,’ Adam replied.

XP: 15 500 -> 15 000

Adam finished finalising the enchantment on the weapon, smiling at the magic weapon’s statistics. It was a decent enough weapon, he supposed.

When Adam returned,, leaving the staff with Elder Zijin, he froze in place. His children swarmed him, but he stared at the table, where Jirot sat, her greatfather’s hand supporting her back.

Adam inhaled deeply, but first lifted up his triplets, hugging them tight. “You silly little boy and girls, did you miss your daddy?” Adam asked, showering them in his affection, before he placed them down. Their tails swayed from side to side as they smiled up at him.

“You have finally returned?” Jarot asked, a small smirk on his face.

Adam narrowed his eyes, sensing how badly the old man wanted to start a fight with him. Adam wouldn’t have fallen for the provocation, but this was about that thing.

“Since when did my beautiful little girl become so strong to sit up?” Adam asked, approaching the table. The girl’s eyes scanned the area before she saw her father’s face. She stared at him for a moment before she smiled wide, giggling at him. She sucked against her hand, her eyes adventuring across her father’s face. “I can’t believe I missed it, my little Jirot.”

“Yes, you did miss it,” Jarot said, sitting up tall and straight, his lips forming a wider smirk. “I was here to witness it.”

“Are you starting a fight?” Adam asked.

“I have already fought you,” Jarot retorted, his thumb brushing the back of Jirot’s head.

Adam lifted baby Jarot up into his arms, the boy squirming and twitching, before nestling his head against his father’s shoulder. His body was still hot to the touch, as children’s bodies were, even during nightval.

“Isn’t it so sad your babo bullies me even though I’ve given him so many cute greatchildren?” Adam asked, rubbing his son’s back.

“Five is not enough,” Jarot said. “You must give me five more every year.”

“I would prefer my story doesn’t involve a harem.”

“Why not?”

“They say that daughters are scary, but they’re only scary because their mothers are terrifying,” Adam replied. Adam thought about the triplets mother, which only caused him to nod his head at his own statement.

Jarot decided against saying anything.

Omen: 10, 17

Mana: 18 -> 17

Enchanting Check

D20 + 7 = 22 (15)

Omen: 2, 7

“Ooh? Where’s daddy gone?” Adam asked, covering his face. He pulled apart his hands, gasping as he revealed himself. “Here he is!”

Jirot giggled up at him, and baby Jarot smiled, before he fell into a giggle beside his older sister.

“Oh!” Adam gasped, hiding his face once more, causing the babies to stop laughing. “What?” Adam revealed himself again. “Daddy’s back?”

The twins giggle once more, constantly falling for their father’s Ninth Gate spell of Peekaboo, which caused him to disappear and reappear at will, a most wondrous spell. The children were eventually taken away to be fed, all the while Adam thought about what he should do that day.

“Sir Vonda?” Adam asked.

“Yes?” Vonda asked, breaking apart a piece of bread to feed Lanarot.

“How does Mother Soza feel about people sparring?” Adam asked.

“To gain strength is not something she is against.”

Adam slowly nodded. “It’s been a while since I sparred, so I thought maybe I should spar someone, but at the same time I thought it might be offensive to do so.”

“Dunes is more eager than I about the matter of sparring, but I sparred from young to gain some of the strength I possess,” Vonda admitted.

“Yeah, I heard that your Order was pretty well respected by the Iyr for its combat prowess.”

“We are grateful for the Iyr’s words, though we pale in comparison to many of the Orders within the land.”

“Well, say what you will, but if the Iyr respects you for your ability to fight, then have to respect you for your ability to fight. I mean, you were about as strong as Jurot and I, while being exactly the same age as us, and yet you weren’t an Iyrman, or a guy with a…” Adam thought about the words he should use. “You aren’t me.”

“Yes,” Vonda replied, understanding his point. “We do not continue to fight later in our years like many from within the other Orders. We have our path in life figured out for us, and so we do not need to crave greater power, just the ability to save life, and the wish that we are no longer needed.”

“Yeah, a bit awkward, isn’t it? You have a job if life is terrible, but if life is good, no one needs you.” Adam chuckled, but seeing the sadness in Vonda’s eyes, he quickly cleared his throat. “Let’s pray that your Order isn’t needed any… I mean…” Adam narrowed his eyes, wondering what he was trying to say. “Here’s hoping that you…” ‘Wait, what?’

As Adam continued to fumble his words, Vonda smiled.

“I’m going to go beat up Fred,” Adam said, quickly standing and excusing himself.

Vonda frowned. ‘What?’

“Yo!” Adam called, waving his hand towards Fred. The young man was currently with another family, their Guest for the week, spending his days speaking of and listening to various tales, before reuniting with the other Guests to relax for the evening.

“Adam,” Fred greeted.

“Hi everyone,” Adam said, nodding his head towards the other Iyrmen, before realising he had rudely interrupted them. “Sorry about that, but I was hoping that Fred and I could spar today.”

‘What?’ Fred blinked.

“You are Unrivalled?” an Iyrman asked, noting his puthral breastplate.

Adam sighed. “Yes.”

The Iyrmen shot their looks at the back of Fred’s head, his shoulder slunk from the pressure of their gazes. ‘What did I do to deserve this?’ Fred donned his armour, and Adam donned his shield, which would provide him with a decent Defence. With his breastplate and his magical shield, he held about as much Defence as Fred.

“Why have you come to spar with me?”

“I thought I needed to spar with someone, and realised you were probably the best fit,” Adam said, stretching out his arms, swinging his axe around. “I actually though Jonn would be best, but I would feel annoyed if I lost to him. If I lost to you, I wouldn’t mind as much.”

“You, losing to me?” Fred asked.

“I think we’re actually about even,” Adam said. Without his full plate mail, and with no magical weapons, Adam was certain that Fred would be a decent fight for him. It had been some time since he fought without much magical gear, especially not a magical weapon, which was one of the greatest item one could possess to punch above their weight.

‘What did I do to deserve this?’ Fred thought once more.

Battle Order

D20 + 1 = 8 (7)

Fred leapt into the fray immediately, not wanting to lose in a single round against Adam. He wanted to see how high he could reach when Adam was at his weakest. He did not possess Phantom or Wizard’s Axe, and he was not in his full set of armour.

He forced Adam back with Lifeblade, the same blade Adam had created for the young man, and had handed over when they fought against Shama. He had yet to use the magics of the blade yet, so still was unsure if it was a weapon with a temporary enchantment.

Upon forcing Adam back, Fred slashed wildly again, though his blade caught Adam’s magical shield, and he stepped back. Adam was about to swing when Fred’s blade struck against his side, and he quickly deflected the last blow, realising that Fred had overcome his limits for a moment as he typically did.

Health: 65 -> 50

‘This isn’t going too bad for me,’ Fred thought.

Adam inhaled deeply.

Fighting Spirit: 3 -> 2

Health: 50 -> 55

Attack - Axe

D20 + 6 = 19 (13)

D20 + 6 = 25 (19)

Critical hit!

Mana: 18 -> 17

Ability: Divine Smite

2D6 + 2D3 + 4D6 + 4 = 23 (3, 6)(1, 2)(1, 2, 2, 2)

23 damage!

Attack - Axe

D20 + 6 = 10 (4)

D20 + 6 = 11 (5)

Miss!

Adam’s mind went blank as he focused. He allowed his body to move freely, like water, and slipped through Fred’s defences with his blows. His first blow struck Fred across his shoulder, which flashed hot with the divine magics of Adam’s abilities.

Fred stumbled back, feeling the pain fill him, but upon seeing as he was still up, a though crossed his mind, only for it to disappear as he raised his shield against Adam’s second blow.

‘I’m still up?’

The thoughts within Fred’s mind passed like a picture show, gaining more confidence as the seconds passed while he clashed with Adam.

‘I can do this,’ Fred thought.

Onward Soar: 1 -> 0

Attack - Axe

D20 + 6 = 11 (5)

D20 + 6 = 20 (14)

Hit!

Mana: 17 -> 16

Ability: Divine Smite

1D6 + 1D3 + 2D6 + 4 = 17 (1)(3)(3, 6)

17 damage!

Attack - Axe

D20 + 6 = 17 (11)

D20 + 6 = 26 (20)

Critical hit!

Mana: 16 -> 15

Ability: Divine Smite

2D6 + 2D3 + 4D6 + 4 = 25 (4, 6)(1, 3)(1, 1, 2, 3)

25 damage!

As Fred pressed forward, he walked right into Adam’s axe, which struck him cleanly, and felled the young warrior. He dropped, unable to think any longer as he was brought down.

The Iyrmen who watched the bout clapped their hands as Adam fell into thought.

‘Alright, so I can probably take on most Experts pretty handily, even without a magical weapon,’ Adam realised. It was something he already knew, but this bout with Fred had solidified the knowledge. ‘If they have magical weapons, it will be a little more difficult, but it should be okay. Thanks to all the…’

Adam dropped down and stabilised Fred, just in case, before realising what he had done. ‘Isn’t this bullying?’

Victory!

Fred

XP Gained: +200

XP: 15 400 -> 15 600