“What is that?” Adam asked, squinting his eyes as he stared into the distant plains. There he could see giant bull-like creatures, though they were much bigger than a typical bull, with bulging muscles. Their necks were so thick, and their shoulders thicker still. They had two large horns, which jutted out from the sides of their skull, and tiny spikes that grew out from the front of their faces, like a path made of tiny pebbles.

Andal squinted his eyes, as though moving his eyes in such a way formed binoculars. “Aurochs, I reckon. We should expect more once we move further north.”

“Aurochs…” Adam replied. The creatures were massive, even from the distance they had spotted the creatures from, Adam could see how large they were. He recalled that he faced some skeletal aurochs before, and they seemed so much smaller in comparison, more like typical bulls.

“The southern dwarves have aurochs too. Dwaurochs,” Andal said.

“Dwarf aurochs?” Adam joked.

“That’s right,” Andal said, nodding. “We use them as our draft animal, and we've bred a few for our cavalry."

“Oh.” Adam had really only meant it as a joke. He waited for Andal to say it was a joke, but Andal continued on, keeping an eye out on the aurochs. Adam wondered how small the dwaurochs were.

“We could probably slay a few for meat and a reward at the guild,” Jay said. “They’re worth some coin.”

“On the way back,” Andal said. “We have a mission ahead of ourselves, don’t forget.”

“Right,” Jay replied. “Think we can take them on?”

“I’m sure we can.” Andal nodded. “As long as we don’t fight more than four.”

They continued to move, leaving the mountains behind them.

Earlier in the day they had replenished their items, and then made their way to the tunnel. It had taken an hour to reach the tunnel, and a few hours to walk through it, before they welcomed the rest of the world again. There had been a small contingent of soldiers on either side, about fifty soldiers on each side, who lived in a small outposts outside the tunnels.

They had been allowed to move unmolested. Andal had a tin metal sheet, like a guild token, which he handed to the soldiers. They had taken it away for a few minutes before returning it back to Andal. Adam wondered how many people were allowed to use the tunnel.

There were plains beyond the mountains, untamed plains filled with life. There was a trail that went towards their right, roughly north-west.

Adam was surprised with how much life there was in the area. There were so many auroch about, but also a number of flying creatures that flew atop the mountains. He often glanced back to see if he could see anything else.

 

Perception
D20 + 5 = 19 (14)
Success!

 

In the distance, near the peaks of the mountain, his half-fey eyes could catch the gleam of red scales of some kind. The creature had a long body, like a worm, but with large wings.

“Andal, do you see that?” Adam asked.

Andal turned around, following Adam’s sight. He squinted. “Nay, I cannot.”

“Oh!” Imma gasped, following the line of sight.

“Is that a wyvern?” Jay asked, raising a hand to shade his eyes.

“I think it is,” Imma replied.

“A wyvern?” Adam asked, quietly. A wyvern? As in a draconic creature? Not quite a fully fledged dragon, but enough of a dragon that one could be threatened by them.

“Let’s hope we don’t meet it,” Andal said. “There’s no need for us to face such a powerful creature whilst on our mission.”

“I’m not sure if we could handle one…” Imma clutched her staff closer to her chest.

“It would be fun though,” Jay replied, smiling.

Imma stabbed him with the end of her staff. Jay laughed.

Adam could only wonder what the distance between them was. Not just the physical distance between he and the wyvern, but the distance in power level as well. Was the wyvern stronger? Weaker? How much so? Everyone else seemed worried. Well, all but Jay.

‘Guess that means we won’t be fighting a wyvern…’

The group eventually came across a camp site to rest at. It was similar to those of the Iyrmen, with half walls that provided some protection against wind and creatures, an area to set up tents or bedrolls, and a fire pit in the centre.

Evening was going to set soon, and as they made to set up a small fire. A flash of blue-white light filled the area. Within moments the adventurers and the dwarf were ready for combat. Adam had grabbed his shield, and so had the shield. Imma had taken her position between Jay and Kay.

They looked around to see nothing, but then another flash and they could see the source. In the far distance, barely touching the horizon, there was a beam of light that fell from the heavens for a moment.

 

Perception
D20 + 5 = 22 (17)
Success!

 

“By the divines!” Imma exclaimed. “What is that?”

“Something is falling from the heavens,” Jay said, shifting uncomfortably from boot to boot. “Trouble.”

“No,” Adam said. “It’s not something coming from the heavens.”

As the light flashed again, just for a second, Adam noted something peculiar. “It isn’t coming from the sky, it’s coming from the land.”

They looked up towards the sky and then another beam of light flashed again, heading into the clouds. It was hard to see, since it travelled so quickly, but it definitely originated from the land.

“The beams are not from the same place either,” Adam said. “They’re shooting out from near enough the same area, but not from the same thing, or the thing is moving.”

“What could it be?” Imma asked.

“Nothing that concerns us,” Andal said, his jaw growing taut. “We will leave it be. It won’t come bother us if we don’t bother it.”

“Do you know what it is?” Imma turned to face the dwarf.

“I hope not,” Andal said. “Otherwise this journey will be more difficult.”

“What is it?” Adam asked.

“Nothing,” the dwarf replied. “Nothing that concerns us.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“Most likely.”

“Could we handle it?”

Andal looked out to the distance, seeing the distant flashes. “Even if you were a group of Iyrmen, I would prefer to leave it, or them, be.”

With that the group went to bed, no longer thinking about the light beams, except when they flashed. There were about a couple of dozen beams, some shooting up miles away from the other beams.

“Wake us up if they seem to be getting closer,” Andal said, dropping down into his bedroll.

Imma took first watch, as she always did. Adam would be awoken next, and then Kay, and then finally Jay. Andal did not take a watch. Adam also left Hades, or rather, Bandlor, on watch.

‘This is so boring!’ The god-owl complained. He would always complain like this. ‘Let’s go check out what those beams were!’

‘Maybe another time,' Adam replied.

‘Come on! Don’t you want to see what it is?’

‘Not really. Andal said that he didn’t want to fight it, and I’m inclined to listen to his advice. He was pretty damn spooked.’

‘Yeah, that’s because he knows what it is.’

‘Obviously.’

‘It’s not even that bad.’

‘How do you know?’

‘I know what it is.’

Adam turned to the owl. “What?” Adam whispered from his bed roll, looking up at his owl. Then he caught Imma’s look and he quickly rolled back around, pulling up his blanket.

‘Of course I know what they are! I helped in making them!’

‘What are they?’ Adam wondered just what a god of war would make.

‘Oh? Are you interested?’

‘Obviously.’

‘What would you do for me?”

‘I would thank you.’

‘That’s it?’

Adam thought for a moment. ‘I could clap for you.’

‘Why would I need such applause?’ The owl replied, flapping his wings once. ‘Give me something!’

‘I won’t send you back to that place.’

The owl peered down at him. ‘Just you wait until I return to my divine form!’ Bandlor fell and then attacked Adam with his wings, before Adam punted the owl away.

‘Alright, alright! Sheesh, I was just kidding…’

‘I’ll tell you if you go fight one.’

‘How about this… after we finish this quest, I’ll go and slay something? Something better than just a brown bear, something fairly powerful for someone of my rank.’

‘How about a wyvern?’

A wyvern? ‘Could I fight one?’ Adam wasn’t entirely sure how powerful he was compared to one.

‘Easily.’

‘Really?’ Adam raised his brows in surprise.

Bandlor smiled smugly, or at least, that’s what Adam assumed the facial expression was. Adam wasn’t familiar with owl expressions, but he could gather that much at least.

‘Alright, fine. Does this count as my quest for you?’

‘This is a trade for the information.’ Bandlor jumped up beside him and then pecked him gently on his shoulder. ‘I know what I want you to slay, once you are powerful enough.’

Adam wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Wyverns seemed pretty powerful, but he could gather that Bandlor wouldn’t lie about that sort of thing. Just what did Bandlor want Adam to slay in the future?

‘How strong do I need to be?’

‘At least fifth gate spells for Wizard or Priest.’

So at least four more levels into either. He didn’t want to rely too much on spells and the sort, in case the creature was resistant or immune to magic, but it may be the case the creature might also be quite hard for a blade to pierce it.

‘Alright, fine. I’ll go and slay a wyvern, so tell me!’

‘It’s a golem!’

‘A golem?’ Adam replied, his mind racing. A golem? Like a construct? Walking machines of death?

‘Yes! Many of them too! They seem to be of the middling kind, though. Perhaps your group should be careful, there’s too many for you all to handle.’

‘Didn’t you want me to go alone?’

‘Alone, yes, you could probably fight one and flee once you’ve dealt with it.’ Bandlor remained quiet for a few moments as another light flashed. ‘Perhaps it is best you don’t go, there does seem to be quite a few… I wonder if they’re the leftovers from the Omir’s era?’ The thought trailed, and whatever else Bandlor was thinking, he was thinking to himself.

Omir? Adam was certain he had heard that name before.

 

History
D20 + 8 = 15 (7)
Success!

 

Omir was once a legendary hero who eventually became a god. He was the first man to create a kingdom in this land, and one of the very few who knew to leave the proto-Iyrmen alone, using them as mercenaries. He eventually transitioned to becoming one of the first adventurers, slaying all manner of creatures. Eventually, he defeated Shyrlah the Red, a great red dragon that had haunted the land for centuries. Once he had defeated the red dragon, it was said he ascended to godhood.

Adam wasn’t sure what the golems had to do with Omir, but he kept that in the back of his mind.

‘Can you tell me anything about golems?’

‘These are the golems of old, far different than the golems of this new era. These golems have powerful attacks charged by magic, a beam of light which explodes.’

‘That sounds rough... How strong is the beam?’

‘Stronger than your Fireball.’

‘Oh.’

‘You don’t want to use Fireball against some of them, some are enchanted to absorb fire and empower themselves.’

Adam went deep into thought, and Bandlor left him be, flying up to a branch and then watching out for anything that may come. Adam fell asleep after a short while, dreaming his dreamless sleep.

Imma eventually woke him up, shaking him in his armour. “Nothing of note,” she said, nodding to him. “There were three more flashes. Still distant.” He returned the nod and walked around on watch. His eyes would constantly glance towards where he saw the flashes of light earlier, all the way to the west.

There was something. Something that he could feel. A gaze upon him.

‘Something’s watching me…’

Adam then turned to look up at Bandlor, who was staring right at him. ‘Right…’ He sighed.

‘What is the matter?’ Bandlor asked.

‘I was just wondering why you were looking at me.’

‘I’m bored.’

Adam stopped thinking to Bandlor.

The watch passed by uneventfully, only a single flash of light passed through the air. Eventually he woke up Kay for her watch, shaking her shoulders to do so. She sat up straight, in the unnerving way she always did, drawing her weapon.

“Just a flash,” Adam said.

Seeing that it was Adam, she quickly stood to her feet and then went to duty, the silent watcher that she was. She didn’t speak too often, that was to say Adam had never heard her speak once, though she was dutiful in her watch, and the others seemed to trust her.

The next morning came slowly to him, the blackness hadn’t wanted to leave him. Adam felt a little sluggish, though checked if he was under the influence of anything. He found that nothing was wrong with him, other than the fact he hadn’t had any tea for so long. He wondered if he could make biscuits for himself for such long trips.

The group moved further north, though the tension of the west followed them. They had stopped following a stone road ever since the tunnel, trekking through open plains. They wouldn’t be able to move as quickly as they had for the past six days, the plains were slightly hilly and they would sometimes need to take detours around particularly harsh inclines.

Adam kept glancing to where they had seen the beams the last night, his eyes drawn over the way due to his thoughts.

 

Perception
D20 + 5 = 22 (17)
Success!

 

Adam could spy something. It was small, like a fleck of sand, but he was sure he could see something moving. He had thought perhaps his eyes were playing tricks on him, but he definitely saw something moving, an inch at a time, across the horizon. It wasn’t moving in their direction though, but towards where they had come from.

“What do your half-fey eyes see?” Imma asked.

“Something,” Adam replied. “I’m not sure what, but there’s something moving towards the mountains.”

Imma tried to look, but shook her head. Jay walked over and tried to spot something, and he squinted his eyes nearly shut.

“What is that?” Jay asked.

“No idea,” Adam replied with a shrug.

Kay arrived. She dropped down to a knee, her armour jangling as she did, and she raised a hand to protect her eyes from the sun. She pulled back and nodded, motioning her head for them to move.

“What are you doing?” Andal asked, having noticed that the group, that was meant to be escorting him, had stopped.

“There’s something behind us,” Adam replied.

“There are a great many things behind us,” the dwarf replied. “We’re moving forward though, come on.”

Adam remained frozen for a moment. He nodded, appreciating the dry response, before he turned to continue walking.

“Did you see it?” Adam asked Kay, who nodded in response.

They moved on until the sun was beginning to descend in the sky. They came across a small woods, a cluster of sparse trees that were willing to keep them company for the night. Bandlor flew towards the top of a tree, having become used to his new form.

“Hey, check this out,” Jay said. He kicked a fallen tree, though it didn’t move. He chuckled and then dragged it away. He revealed a stone on the ground. It was not the stone of ground, but a stone slab that had been cracked in half.

The group looked at it. Kay and Andal instantly withdrew from the stone, narrowing their eyes in suspicion.

“We need to leave,” Andal said as he hoisted up his pack. Kay was also packing up what little she had unpacked.

“What’s wrong?” Jay asked.

Adam grabbed his pack and slung it over his shoulder. “We have to go,” he said, quickly. The symbol that had been cracked on the stone slab was something he could read. It was dwarven, and since dwarven hadn’t evolved too much over the many centuries since it first came to be, Adam knew what the symbol had meant.

It was a single word.

Danger.

There were very few things which would call for such a symbol, for dwarves did not write such a phrase for any little thing.

A flash of blue-white light shot out into the heavens from near them. It was loud, like a drum being slammed by a rather angry drummer. Trees scattered all about as a wave of force fell across them. Andal dropped to the ground as a tree flew past him, and there, from the mass of broken trees, a creature arose.

It wasn’t a living creature, no. It was a large statue, a statue which lay a shadow on Adam with its height. It was made of various interlocking plates, metal of some kind, which shifted and moved as though they were alive. It looked like the statue of a warrior, with its helmet which had been carved into a malicious face, and a giant sword that was taller than Adam. It’s eyes glowed blue-white, just like the beam that had pierced the sky.

It looked towards the group with its terrifying face, and the spaces between the joints began to glow blue-white.

“Danger,” Adam whispered.

“Get down!” Andal exclaimed.

The golem opened its mouth, which filled with blue-white light that formed into a small ball. Then there was the flash of light.

 

Quick Save
D20 - 1 = 10 (11)
Failure!