‘What! What do you mean I don’t have enough experience to level up!’

Adam stared at the level up screen for a long while. He could level into several of his classes, but Warrior was greyed out. Did it require more experience? Was it ten thousand experience? 

It seemed as though he’d need to level Wizard up first. Though he could wait for the level into Warrior, since he’d receive a new bonus in his class. 

Once he checked the bonus, he decided to level into Wizard. Even though sixth level in Wizard wasn’t the best, the feature was very minor, the pair of spells he received from levelling was more than good enough as a reason. 

Level up!
XP (9270) -> (4270)
Level (21) -> Level (22)
Wizard (5) -> Wizard (6)
HP (222) -> HP (230)
Mana (37) -> Mana (40)

The next morning Adam awoke bright and early. He and Imma had both agreed to start their transcribing shortly after dawn, and after a quick breakfast, the pair were sitting in a larger room they rented out. Kay was also nearby, sitting down on the bed, watching the pair of them work. 

Adam began to transcribe Haste and Longstrider into his spellbook. Ten hours of transcribing later, the pair were exhausted. 

"Thanks for swapping spells with me," Adam said. "These spells are going to be invaluable to me once I start adventuring solo." 

"It's a boon for me too, since I'll be able to have more spells at my disposal." Imma stretched as she spoke. "Are you going to join Lady Elowen and her party?" 

"For now," Adam said. "Once my business with them is done, I'm going to take a month off. I'll be glad to see the Iyrmen again." Adam thought about bringing back a souvenir. He also needed to make that axe for Lanarot too. 

"What are you, exactly?" Imma asked, her voice quietening down.

"What?" Adam replied, alarmed by her question. 

"You're extraordinarily powerful. You're not a god or a dragon, by your words, so what are you?"

Adam thought about how he could respond to such a question. He couldn't tell her what he really was, an otherworlder gifted some cheat abilities, but he also couldn't tell her he was just a normal half-elf. 

'What do you think?' Adam asked the still owl atop his head. 

'Say whatever you want!' 

"Truth is, I was sent here by the gods to bring upon everlasting peace by learning every single spell known to man and then hiding myself in a tower so my knowledge will be lost forever." 

"..."

"I'm just Adam," the half-elf said, smiling at her. 

“Are you sure about that?” 

“I think so.” Adam shrugged. “I would hope that’s enough to put you at ease.”

“I’m just curious. You know how our type are, we enjoy learning about these kinds of things.”

“What kind of thing am I?”

“You’re someone that’s beyond our comprehension,” Imma said. She turned to Kay. “Isn’t that right?”

Kay nodded and peering at Adam. Her eyes were filled with curiosity, and Adam’s mind flashed back to how many people had given him that look. 

‘God damn it.’

“Well, there are things like that in this world. Perhaps I’m just one of them?”

“Perhaps.”

“Well, we should probably get something to eat,” Adam said, trying to change the topic. 

The guild was alive with the boisterous adventurers. It seemed that several parties had come to Ironhall today, the liveliness of the guild had increased by at least three parties. A few seemed to be intermingling with one another, having moved the various tables and chairs together. 

Perception
D20 + 5 = 8 (3)

Adam tried to see if there were any higher ranked adventurers, but the way they sat together was a little too awkward. Dinner was still being served, so Adam and Imma ordered their own meals. Luckily for them, Andal was still paying for their room and board for a few more days. 

Adam realised they still hadn’t handed in the quest yet. He had only gained experience and stamps for Vandra and the guardians, but not for the frostamber quest. He decided against speaking with Andal about it, he trusted the dwarf to deal with the matter. 

Dinner was dragon meat again. Though he had eaten the meat for a few days now, the dragon meat was more than welcome to enter his mouth. The meat was so good that he could eat it every day and he wouldn’t mind at all.

Adam looked over at Andal, who was drinking his third mug of ale. The dwarf sighed at the end of his drink, throwing a look to Adam. 

“Busy day?” Andal asked. 

“A little,” Adam replied. “Transcribing spells does take a lot out of a man.”

“Aye, I can drink to that.” The dwarf knocked the drink back. “Making potions for hours does the same thing to a dwarf.”

“The healing potion?” Adam whispered.

Andal nodded. “I won’t be done for a few more days, such a potion takes a long while.”

“How long?”

“For a dwarf? Three days at most.”

“That sounds quick,” Adam replied. He wasn’t sure if that was quick, but he assumed it was the case. 

“So you’ve decided to assist the good Lady?” Andal asked.

“Yeah, her offer was too good for me to refuse.”

“What kind of offer did she make, if I may ask?”

Adam smiled. “A magical item for my assistance.”

Andal nodded. “That’s a good price. I assume it’s not a potion or anything of that sort, but a decent magical item, if it’s the Sansant.”

“I won’t complain about it, that’s for sure. I’ll show it off once I’m done with my quest and have received the item,” Adam joked. 

Adam went straight to bathe after his meal and then lay in his bed. He stared at the ceiling, the day’s exhaustion having left him, but he was still lethargic. 

‘Hey Bandlor,’ he called out. 

Bandlor remained silent, staring at him from the bedside table. Adam looked at him and raised a brow. 

“Are you still mad?” Adam whispered. 

‘How could you move me back to that place!’ 

‘You kept misbehaving!’

‘Misbehaving? Me?’

‘Yes! Yes, you!’

‘I don’t misbehave! This is slander!’

‘Slander is written! You mean libel!’

‘No! Libel is written!’

‘Is that right?’ Adam asked. ‘Oh… I think you’re right.’

‘Don’t you even know that?’

‘Well, I forgot.’

‘You forgot about me too, didn’t you? You left me there for so long!’

‘You needed to learn your lesson. I warned you before, didn’t I?’

‘Just you wait until I’m back in my body! I’ll deal with you!’

‘This is why I pray to Sozain and Arya.’

‘Guh! Yo-you!”

Adam pulled up his blanket, ignoring the scowling owl. He closed his eyes and let the blackness of slumber take him. 

He awoke in the morning, again having an early breakfast before he spent his day with Imma and Kay. 

Adam stretched once they were done with their transcribing. He scanned through his spells, checking to see all of the spells he had acquired so far. There was an easier way to check, but the feeling of the vellum against his fingers was just so alluring. 

“I should return to Little Grove to buy some more spells,” Imma said. “I’m sure my parents would be excited to hear about our dragon slaying too.”

Adam smiled. “Excited might be an understatement. Where is Little Grove?”

“It’s east of Ironhall, a week or two depending on which path you take.”

“How big is Little Grove?”

“A little smaller than Ironhall. Ironhall is fairly large for a town so far away from the capital, and Little Grove is much closer to Sunrest.”

“Are all the towns away from the capital so small?”

“Not all. The largest city nearby is Skorpp, which north of Ironhall. It’s twice or thrice the size of Ironhall, last I recall.”

“How big is the capital?”

“It depends…” Imma went deep into thought. “The capital can refer to Sunrest, the city, or it can refer to the City of Sunrest, which is actually a small section within Sunrest, where the typical capital used to be before it expanded.” She continued to think. “The City of Sunrest has a population of two hundred thousand people, whereas the entirety of Sunrest has almost a million people.”

Adam whistled, his brows wide. “How many sections does Sunrest have?”

“Seven, one for each council member. The royal family rules over two, the Prime Ruler is currently the Queen, and the Second Ruler is the King.”

“What’s the difference between the Prime Ruler and the Second Ruler?”

“You really aren’t from around here, are you?”

“No, I’m a village bumpkin.”

“The Prime Ruler, the current Queen, is part of the main line of the royal family, the descendants of George the Bold. The Second Ruler is the person who has married into the family.”

“I assume that most people give more respect to the Prime Ruler than the Second Ruler regardless of gender?”

“That’s right,” Imma said, nodding her head.

“The current Queen, what is she like?”

“She’s a decent ruler, that is to say that most people have different opinions. Some view her as a harsh tyrant, others view her as a gracious benefactor.”

“What do you think of her?” Adam asked.

“I think she’s a great monarch. She’s been Queen since she was sixteen years old, and has only allowed the Kingdom to prosper. She is one of the reasons why we haven’t been swallowed by the nearby empire.”

Adam nodded. “I don’t really know much about this land,” he said, his eyes darting between the pair. “I grew up in a small village, away from all the politics of the big cities.”

“Where did you grow up?”

“I didn’t learn the name of the village, so I’m not sure I can tell you much about it. We were a small community, maybe a hundred or two hundred people at most.” Adam shrugged. 

“That has its own benefits,” Imma said. “Towns and cities are so noisy in comparison. That’s why we have so many hermits around.”

“Being a hermit’s too quiet though. There should be a balance to these things.”

Imma nodded in response. “Thank you again for all the spells,” she said.

“Thank you for taking the deal,” Adam said, reaching out a hand. They shook hands, and with that Adam left.

Adam went for a short walk around the city before dinner. The warm air caressed his cheeks, the hustly and bustle around him kept his thoughts from straying too far away. 

He didn’t know much about this land, its cities and its people. He didn’t know much about anything, even though he had spent a few months here already. There would come a time when such negligence would bite him in the butt, but the village bumpkin shtick seemed to be working for now.

Adam walked around until he could smell something wonderfully delicious nearby. He sniffed the air a few times, following the scent of the deliciousness until he came across a large bakery. Thoughts of Jurot entered his mind for a moment, recalling the treats they had shared together. 

The smell of bread struck him harshly as he stepped into the bakery. The counters were covered with bread, and the young man behind the front counter was covered with sweat from the heat of the bakery. He was a tall, wide man, with short brown hair and dark eyes. His face was pudgy yet flat, even his thick nose was flat. He looked up at Adam and nodded. 

“Hey,” Adam said, nodding his head. “Do you have any jam doughnuts?”

“We do. How much are you looking for?”

“A silvers worth.”

“Apple or pear?”

Adam thought for a moment. Apple and pear both sounded good, but even thinking about asking for both made his hands sweaty.

“Apple.”

With four doughnuts in hand, Adam walked out of the bakery. The warmth continued to splash against his back as he looked out to the moving bodies. He bit into a doughnut, though he couldn’t taste anything. If the baker had been a woman, would Jurot have fancied them for their build?

Adam returned to the guild to drink, joining Andal. The ale sparked a few of his taste buds as the sweetness filled his tongue. 

“How’s the potion making going?” Adam asked. 

“Well,” Andal replied. “It should be finished tomorrow.”

“Will you be heading back to Sunrest?” Adam asked.

“Aye, that’s the plan.”

Adam nodded. “It was a pleasure working for you,” he said. 

“It was,” Andal said, raising his mug as he sipped it. “Take good care of yourself, Adam.”

“You as well, Ser Andal,” Adam replied, raising his own mug as he drank the rest of his ale.

He spent most of the next day relaxing in his room, reading through his spellbook and speaking with Bandlor, who seemed eager to speak now that he had cooled off. 

‘Are there any libraries?’ Adam asked.

‘Plenty,’ his god-familiar replied. ‘Are you a reader?’

‘I am now,’ Adam replied. He hadn’t read in some time, and he was interested in the literature of this world.

‘Of course you are,’ Bandlor sighed. ‘Here I expected you to bring glory with your abilities.’

‘I just needed some downtime,’ Adam replied. ‘Plus, we’re heading to the north soon to meet some giant, so why don’t you give it a rest?’

‘You could have gone to slay something today! Instead you’re wasting the day away…’

‘I’m not wasting the day. I’m speaking with you, isn’t that good?’

‘Oh? Were you feeling lonely?’ Bandlor puffed out his owl chest. ‘I suppose if that’s the case, then this mighty being will speak with you.’

‘This mighty being is currently an owl,’ Adam thought to himself.

Bandlor squinted his owl eyes at Adam. ‘I could feel the disrespect coming from you.’

‘No idea what you’re talking about,’ Adam whistled innocently.

‘Once you have access to fourth gate spells I’ll be sure to give you a harsh quest!’

‘Why don’t you give me a quest that’s at my current level?’

‘Everything you can face now is boring,’ Bandlor replied. ‘I want you fight something powerful, something that will make your blood cold and your heart warm. The thrill of the fight, I want it to enter your very core!’ Bandlor flew around the room, deep in his own world.

‘What a weirdo,’ Adam thought to himself. He had awoken in the morning feeling too tired to explore, and he hadn’t heard from Lady Elowen or her group yet. 

He eventually went down to eat dinner with Jay, Imma and Kay. It was dragon meat again, but this time there were also potatoes and other vegetables. Adam bit into the soft potatoes, but then a pair sat down nearby.

“Adam,” Ylra called. “Are you finished with your tasks in Ironhall?”

“Mostly, why?”

“We were hoping to leave soon.”

“Oh,” Adam said, surprised it was happening so soon. “When do you want to leave?”

“Does tomorrow morning work?”

Adam thought for a moment. 

‘Let’s go!’ Bandlor flapped his wings.

“Alright, sounds good.”