Adam was quick, bolting towards the fight. He was swifter than lightning, the environment around him blurring as he raced past. He moved quicker than ever before, too quick to even trip. The path ahead of him disappeared as quickly as it arrived.

How exhilarating!

‘Is this how it feels to fly?’ Adam thought, though was unable to hold onto the thought as the figures were growing larger.

He had no time to think about how far away he was from his allies, as he moved over thrice their speed towards the strangers and the constructs, which were locked in a might battle. The strangers hadn’t yet noticed him as he ran to their aid, until he finally leapt into the fray, blade in both hands. 

“Hello there,” Adam said, his heartbeat thundering within his chest.

Battle Order
D20 - 1 = 8 (9)

Adam had expected to watch the constructs and the strangers to go at it, and yet he was able to circle around the lumbering giants. 

‘Wait, what?’

One of the constructs was covered in scrapes and dent, its stone and metal chipped in a number of places. He rushed towards it, his dwarven blade ready to sing with the bloody hymn of death.

“Don’t mind me,” Adam said, his face painted with a battle-junkie grin.

---

Attack
D20 + 9 = 21 (12)
Hit!
D6 + 9 = 11 (2)
11 damage!

Attack
D20 + 9 = 26 (17)
Hit!
D6 + 9 = 13 (4)
13 damage!

Mana: 37 -> 35
Spell: Spectral Weapon

Attack
D20 + 5 = 22 (17)
Hit!
D6 + 2 = 6 (4)
6 damage!

Attack
D20 + 9 = 13 (4)
Miss!

---

He slashed the creature deeply into its knee joint, feeling the resistance of the stone and metal for an instant, before they gave in to his dwarven blade. The giant mass of stone and metal stumbled, dropping down onto a fist as Adam continued his assault. He brought his blade upwards, sending out a shower of rubble and scraps into the air. He wasn’t done just yet, he still had a few more tricks up his sleeve.

The creature tried to turn and face him, since he was now the bigger threat to its psuedo-life. He stepped aside and pointed up his sword towards it, feeling the magical energy surge through his body. He envisioned a second blade appearing behind the giant creature.

“Come to me, Excalibur!” Adam incanted. The magic coursed through his veins, and a blade shimmered to existence behind it. The translucent blade swung down towards the construct’s shoulder as it tried to attack Adam, causing it to shake violently under the assault, allowing Adam to step beside it.

Even after assaulting the creature, Adam could feel his body jitter. No, he wasn’t quite done yet. His heart was pounding wildly, rushing his blood and adrenaline through his entire body, begging him to move. He rolled between the creature’s legs and slashed at its inner thigh, his blade sparking against the metal, not finding purchase within its joints.

“Stranger, be careful!” The woman that had exclaimed stepped forward with her blade in hand, piercing through the back of the creature’s knee, twisting her blade as she tried to make it tumble. 

“Lady Elowen!” The dwarf beside her reached a fist up, shaking it towards the construct. “I call upon thee, Roksodan!” 

The construct continued to spin until it dropped down beside them, striking the earth heavily with its lifeless form. The ground shook as it dropped, though the fight was not over yet, as two arrows flew overhead, glancing off the metal of the creature behind them. The arrows left a set of marks, before a Bolt of Ice struck right where the arrows had a moment ago.

Adam turned to face the other, more fresh construct, which had only just taken some blows. As it turned, Adam noted how the marks were slowly disappearing, as though the stone and metal were being filled in. 

“It’s healing?” Adam asked, confused. 

“It has some form of regeneration, be care-” The dwarf was interrupted by a heavy blow as the creature struck through his shield, causing him to stumble back. The dwarf let out a grunt of pain as the heavy fist wailed against his shield a second time, though this time he managed to hold on, digging his stalwart boots into the earth underneath.

“Right back at you,” Adam said, stepping around the construct to position himself better against the powerful creature.

---

Attack
D20 + 9 = 17 (8)
Hit!
D6 + 9 = 11 (2)
11 damage!

Attack
D20 + 9 = 29 (20)
Critical hit!
2D6 + 10 = 15 (2, 3)
15 damage!

Attack
D20 + 5 = 12 (7)
Miss!

Attack
D20 + 9 = 24 (15)
Hit!
D6 + 9 = 10 (1)
10 damage!

---

“I’ll handle this!” Adam pierced the construct’s knee, tearing out pieces of metal and stone, which began to shower the dwarf and the woman. “Take a breather, I’ll sort this chap right out.” The adrenaline was getting to Adam as he managed to strike the creature with a heavy blow, though he did not regain any Health.

‘Damn it, of course I face robots after I enchant my weapon with life stealing…’

As the construct turned to face him, he motioned with a finger for his spectral blade to fly forward, though it flew right beside the creature’s head. The construct reared up a fist, though Adam poked its armpit with his sword, stepping aside so the blow wouldn’t land on him.

“Redboulder, get back!” Elowen, the woman, slashed into the creature’s thigh, causing it to stumble aside, allowing the dwarf to pull away, remaining fairly close near her, but not within immediate danger. 

Another two arrows whizzed by, though shattered against the lumbering giant’s metal skin. They were followed by another Bolt of Ice struck, splintering off into tiny ice shards, which were whisked away into the air. 

Yet, as their blows chipped off the stone-metal flesh of the construct, the wounds began to close, filling with new material. It swung a mighty leg towards Adam, who rolled underneath it with his increased speed, and then threw out his sword to strike it again. 

---

Attack
D20 + 9 = 20 (11)
Hit!
D6 + 9 = 13 (4)
13 damage!

Attack
D20 + 9 = 22 (13)
Hit!
D6 + 9 = 10 (1)
10 damage!

Attack
D20 + 5 = 17 (12)
Hit!
D6 + 2 = 4 (2)
4 damage!

Attack
D20 + 9 = 27 (18)
Hit!
D6 + 9 = 10 (1)
10 damage!

---

His blade sunk deep into it’s thigh, and Adam forced his weapon deeper still. He could feel the burning sensation of effort as his sword pierced into stone and metal. His spectral blade shot down into the hole he had created to widen the gap, and he pushed his enchanted sword further inside. 

“Almost!” Adam exclaimed, seeing how the construct was beginning to shake under their blows. “Just a little more!”

Elowen pushed her blade into the same leg, trying to cross Adam’s blade with her own. Another arrow pierced the construct’s shoulder, causing it to turn around. Then a final Bolt of Ice, this one much larger than any that had come before, struck its head, encasing it in ice as the creature shook. It rocked once, the sounds of its body slowly giving into death echoing through the landscape, before it tumbled onto the earth. The creature crashed beside them, and then all fell silent.

Adam turned to check the other construct, in case it had regenerated back to life, but saw it was as still as death. 

---

EXP Gained
2x Guardians
+6,000
Shared with Party
-5,000
Otherworlder Bonus
+1,000
EXP Total
2,000
Current EXP
4270
Level up available!

---

“Thank you,” Elowen said. “You were of great help.”

Adam nodded as the dwarf stepped beside Elowen, a hammer still in hand. “Aye, ye were of great assistance. Redboulder,” he said, reaching out his hammer.

Adam reached out with his sword. “Adam.”

“This be Lady Elowen,” Redboulder said, placing his hammer at his side. “Our companions are Rojer, and the other half-fey’s Ylra.”

“I’m sorry stranger, but we don’t have much time to talk,” Elowen said, quickly following the fey with the bow, who rushed off up towards the rocks to the top of a cliff. The mage followed shortly after, and Redboulder brought up the rear. 

Adam watched them leave as Bandlor circled overhead. ‘Frostamber!’ Bandlor thought to Adam. ‘Lots of it!’ He continued to circle up ahead. ‘Is that Goldarb?’

‘Goldarb?’ Adam thought.

Nature
D20 + 4 = 23 (19)

Goldarb was an extremely rare herb, usually found on mountains. The magical essence within the herbs are able to heal the most debilitating wounds and ailments. Each herb can sell for a thousand gold pieces, though have been known to sell for greater amounts during certain times of need.

‘Whoa.’

“Adam, are you alright?” Imma called out. 

“Yeah I’m fi-” Adam’s entire body locked up, his muscles seizing together. He couldn’t breathe nor swallow, before the moment passed and he grabbed onto his knees to stabilise himself. ‘Right… forgot about that.’ The downside of the Haste spell was that he would be vulnerable for a short time after.

“What are those?” Jay asked as he kicked one of the guardians.

“Guardians,” Andal replied. “Constructs that are assigned to protect an area. It’s rare to see more than one at a time.” Andal then looked up towards the cliff where he could see the strangers, who were bickering between one another. Andal led them up the cliff towards the noisy group.

As they trekked up towards the cliff, Adam noted the mass of frostamber that painted the landscape. There were dozens of clusters, each with a handful of the plant. There was more than just frostamber, though he couldn’t really make out the other plants at this distance, for some were almost identical even under a keen eye.

The group finally arrived to see the half-elf, Ylra, and the dwarf arguing, pointing at one another, accusing each other of all sorts. 

“Ah knew it! Yer nothing but a knife-eared cow licker!” Redboulder exclaimed, raising a clenched fist as though he was going to knock the lither woman out. 

“Watch your tongue, gem sucker! I’ll have your head at the bottom of a latrine!” Ylra yelled back, stabbing the air with her finger. 

“Aye,” Andal called out. “What seems to be the problem?” 

The group turned to face him, and before they could respond, the sounds of a child crying filled the air. The groups both froze as the mage, Rojer, opened up his backpack. He pulled out a small bundle, which was a thick blue blanket wrapped around something. The blanket was covered in runes, silver and gold, which glowed under the sunlight. Adam couldn’t quite make out each rune, but did notice a few which fell under the domain of protection.

Rojer pulled the bundle close to his chest, and drew out his wand, dangling it above the bundle. A tiny arm appeared, with blue-grey, reaching for the wand with its webbed hands. Adam stared at the arm for a long moment. 

‘Is that a…’

“Aye! Ya see what yeh did?” Redboulder shook his clenched fist at Ylra again. 

“Comb your beard, it seems to have filled your ears,” Ylra replied. “This is your fault.”

Elowen, who had been watching this entire scenario play out, turned to look towards Adam and his allies. 

“Do any of you have any skills with plants and herbs?” she asked. “We have great need of such skills, and would be willing to pay.”

“Aye,” Andal said, nodding his head. “I am a herbalist. Sir Andal Bromheart, under the employ of the Kingdom of Orbyon.”

“A Sir?” Elowen asked. She then removed her helmet to reveal her face. She was a half-fey woman, one of the fire elves from the far east. Her hair was short, cut into a bob, like liquid ruby. Her ears were slightly pointed, though, the most surprising feature of all was her face, which glimmered with faint tattoos. Adam narrowed his eyes and recognised the tattoos to be runes in the language of ancient fey.

“I am Lady Elowen, of Sansant.”

“Aye, Sansant?” Andal said, apparently recognising the name. “A pleasure to meet you, my lady.” Andal bowed his head, and Lady Elowen extended a hand, which he took and bowed his head towards.

History
D20 + 8 = 25 (17)

Sansant was the name of an ancient elven family, descending from the First Elves from eons ago. They have held influence within their surrounding regions ever since, being considered as one of the Great Houses, which have affected all motions of the world since their inception. 

Adam removed his helmet as well, considering everyone else was doing it. He revealed himself to Lady Elowen, who smiled towards him. 

“I will thank the stars and sand for our fortuitous meeting,” Elowen said in their tongue. “For the many blessings you have brought me today will be forever remembered.”

Adam bowed his head. “The stars have graced me with your presence, and I ask for them to continue to grace me.”

“I had not expected a cousin,” Lady Elowen said, her eyes sparkling. She turned back to the dwarf. “I will gladly accept your help, master dwarf. We have need of the Galdarv.”

“It’ll be difficult,” Andal said as he walked over to the herb to examine it.

It was a small herb made up of a thousand hair-thin strands, silver in colour. When the sun kissed it, it reflected the rays all around it, painted the earth with bright light. The strands moved with even the most gentle of breezes.

“The last time I tried, I had cost my Queen’s coffers a thousand gold,” Andal said. “She did not blame me, for she was a merciful Queen, but I have never lived down the shame.” Andal shook his head as he dropped to a knee, many feet away from the herb. 

“We would be willing to pay you handsomely, and if you are able to create a Potion of Absolute Vitality, we would be in a greater debt.”

“Indeed, if I am able to retrieve the herb, creating the potion would be a minor matter.” Andal continued to look at the herb.

Eventually Ylra and Redboulder were done with their bickering, Ylra walking over towards the pair as they checked the herb. Adam glanced over towards the child, who was reaching out for the wand. Adam noted that the arm was covered in blackness now and again, as though an ink splotch was moving through their body. Adam narrowed his eyes.

Medicine
D20 + 5 = 9

He felt that it was something awful, but couldn’t quite figure out what it was exactly. He continued to watch as the child reached up for the wand, before finally grabbing it, and then the wand disappeared into the bundle with its tiny hand. Rojer kept an eye out on the unseen babe, whereas Redboulder took watch.

Andal eventually returned. “We’ll be staying here for the next day or so,” he said. “I’ll need some time to retrieve all the herbs. I’ll also need the rest of the day to try and unearth the Goldarb.”

Adam nodded, and the others didn’t complain. They went about setting up a small area for them to rest. Adam watched as Elowen and her group settled down a small ways away, with Ylra checking on the herb still. She was sniffing the air around it, and checking the dirt with her fingers, brushing along the stones nearby. 

Andal was currently sitting down, inhaling deeply. His mind was gone from where they were, meditating in order to calm it. Adam looked back to the herb, which was fluttering in the gentle breeze still. Then he looked over to the lifeless bodies of the guardians. 

Elowen approached. “What are you looking at?” she asked, before following his gaze. “Ah, yes. If it would please you, we can split the guardians between us. One for you, one for us.”

“Sounds like a fair deal,” Adam said, nodding his head. “The galdarv, the herb, you said need it for a Potion of Absolute Vitality. Is it for the merman child?” Adam asked.

Elowen narrowed her eyes slightly, but nodded. “It is. She is currently under the influence of a vile ailment, and we have been tasked with healing her.”

Adam wondered why a woman of her status would be tasked with healing a merman baby. He looked out to the others, the dwarf, the half-elf, and the human.

“How difficult is it to unearth the goldarb?” Adam asked. 

“It is one of the most difficult plants to unearth,” Andal said, walking towards them. He rolled his shoulders, as though ready for battle. “I will need my utmost concentration.”

“That bad, huh?” Adam frowned. If only there was some way he could help, but he didn’t really have any skill with such a thing. “It’s times like this I wish Mistress Fate would give us good luck,” he said. Knowing his luck, he’d have the worst possible combination of dice. 

Omen
20, 19

‘Oh.’