Adam’s mind was abuzz. 

‘Damn, there’s something about dropping down hundreds of gold every month to pay for Guards that makes me want to spend my entire life making magical weapons,’ Adam thought. ‘Though, I’m not sure I could afford so many.’

“Why did you offer only fifty gold a month?” Jurot asked.

“There’s more that we can offer him than gold,” Adam said, but kept more to himself, not wanting to say so much in public. 

“Do you really wish for a keep?” Jurot asked.

“I don’t know,” Adam admitted. “I do want something, though. Something which will make a stable income for the future. I can’t remain an Adventurer forever, it’s too dangerous, and too unstable. Once I reach Gold Rank, and you’re Diamond Rank, we’ll need something to retire back to.”

“The Iyr?” Jurot offered.

“If it continues to welcome me, sure, but what if I have kids?”

“Will they not be children of the Iyr?” Jurot asked.

“I don’t know,” Adam admitted. “I hope that the Iyr is kind to them, but… I don’t know if I want to raise them exactly like Iyrmen.”

“There is no better place to raise children,” Jurot said.

“If you want to be an Iyrman,” Adam said. “Not everyone wants to be a great warrior whose name goes down in history. The Iyr has a great many things, but what if my children want freedom?”

“There are some Iyrmen who chase freedom,” Jurot said. “They leave the Iyr behind to do as they please.”

“They do?” Adam asked, surprised.

Jurot nodded. “The relationship between the Iyr and those Iyrmen is appropriately distant, and appropriately close.”

“When you start speaking in riddles, I know I shouldn’t ask more,” Adam joked.

“So whose this Nobby?” Lucy asked. 

“You’re going to love him,” Adam said. 

“Ew.”

“He’s built better than Jurot,” Adam said.

“Really?” Lucy asked, swallowing the drool which was forming. “Let’s go meet him then!”

“Relax.” Adam chuckled.

They returned back to the Adventurer’s Guild, where they caught Emma giving Adam a look. 

“Yeah?” Adam asked, walking over to her. “What’s up?”

“There is someone who wishes to speak with you,” she said, motioning to a woman to one corner who wore splint, and carried with her a shield painted with a symbol, and a mace at her side. There was a scarf which wrapped around her lower face and neck. 

Adam walked over to her and waited, not wanting to interrupt her prayers.

“You must be Adam,” she said, finishing her prayer. “I have heard so much about you. Sir Vonda Eastlake.” She held out her arm. 

“From the East?” Adam asked, shaking her forearm. “Sir Vonda?” Adam wondered if this world was that progressive, but recalled how there was another woman called Sir. ‘Is it a Noble thing?’

“Yes,” she replied, simply.

“Adam, Son of Fate,” Adam said. 

“Does anyone dare to claim to be the son of Fate?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Adam said. “I do.”

She remained silent for a moment. “And are those the members of Fate’s Golden?” she asked, looking past his shoulder. 

“Yeah,” Adam replied. “That’s Jurot, son of Surot, and Lucy.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, I am Sir Vonda Eastlake.”

“Eastlake? You are related to the Tenseas family?” Jurot asked.

“Trust an Iyrman to know such things,” Sir Vonda said. “And this Elf and Devilkin are your companions?”

“Only half,” Adam corrected.

“I see.” She glanced between them all. “I wonder how that has come to be.”

Adam smiled. “Fate.”

He brows raised in surprise for a moment. “Fate? Yes. Perhaps it is Fate which has brought us together.” She looked to Jurot. “I follow Mother Soza, Goddess of Life. I hope that is not an issue.”

“No,” Jurot said. 

“Are you sure?” Adam asked. “I mean, you and I follow Baktu, so…”

“The connection between Lord Sozain and the Iyr is well known,” Sir Vonda said. “I hope that my presence will not disturb anything.”

“Life and Death are two sides of the same coin,” Jurot said. “Mahtu may not hold much power within the Iyr, but we respect her all the same.”

“Well said.” Vonda nodded. 

“So what’s this all about?” Adam asked. 

“I was informed that we may be working together from the Vice Master.”

“I should have figured that out,” Adam said, chuckling. “What, uh, spells can you cast, Sir Vonda?”

“Those of the Second Gate, though I am not far from reaching the Third Gate.”

“Oh, cool. We three are Experts, so you’re in good hands.”

She nodded her head slowly.

“We should probably do a quest to see how well we mesh together,” Adam said. “We usually go and hunt beasts, so…”

“Escorting is my preferred method of question,” she admitted. 

“So I suppose we’ll have to wait for that?” Adam said. 

“I would like to test out our abilities before that,” Jurot admitted. “Even without Sir Vonda, we should test our teamwork and strength.”

“You’re right,” Adam said. 

“We should head to the deadlier forest and test ourselves.”

“The deadlier forest?” Vonda asked. “The Red Wood?”

“Yes,” Jurot said.

Vonda remained silent for a long moment. 

“What’s up?”

“Nothing,” she said. “I should retire for the evening.” She bowed her head. “It was a pleasure meeting you all.”

“Yeah, you too.”

She left them be, and Adam sat down to order some food, before Emma walked over to him. “Vice Master Paul wishes to speak with Fate’s Golden.”

“Sure,” Adam said. He grabbed a jam bun and ate it, before heading up to a private room with the others. 

Sir Vonda bowed her head towards the trio as they entered, all the while Paul was pouring tea.

Adam raised his brows at her. “Long time no see,” he joked.

“I apologise for meeting with you so soon after retiring, but there is a need for this,” she said.

Paul sat down between them. “Sir Vonda hoped that you would be willing to assist her with a quest.”

“What kind of quest?”

“A quest which requires absolute secrecy, and those who the Guild considers trustworthy,” Paul said, glancing to Lucy. “I trust Jurot and Adam enough, but you…”

Lucy shrugged her shoulders. “Trust me or don’t, I don’t care.”

“Please don’t mind her,” Adam said. “She just hates the Iyr so much that she doesn’t want to return back to it.”

Jurot looked at Adam curiously, but Lucy quickly shut up and placed her hands on her knees. 

“Anyway,” Adam said. “A quest?”

“You have to accept beforehand,” Paul said.

“Mnnn,” Adam replied. “I can’t.”

Paul looked to Adam. “Can I trust you to keep it a secret?”

“Yep,” Adam said.

“We Iyrmen are good with keeping secrets,” Jurot said.

“I’ll be good,” Lucy said, quietly.

Paul caught Sir Vonda’s questioning eyes.

He sighed, but nodded.

Sir Vonda placed down her ring and muttered something quietly in a language Adam didn’t understand, before the ring unfurled into a map.

“Nice,” Adam whispered, causing the others to look at him. “Let me admire the magic in peace.”

“There is a small ruin within Red Wood,” Sir Vonda explained. “It contains an artefact of great power, one which belonged to our temple. I would like to return the artefact back to its rightful place.”

“So…” Adam said, glancing between them all, “about the loot.”

“You would loot an ancient temple?” Sir Vonda asked, staring at Adam. 

“Oh, my bad,” Adam said, clearing his throat. “How much are we getting paid?”

Sir Vonda cleared her throat. “We are willing to donate half the gold and gems within the temple.”

Adam narrowed his eyes. “Half of everything other than the artefact. I know how temples are. You don’t keep your wealth only in gold and gems.”

“Half of everything?” Sir Vonda asked, cautiously.

“We get to pick the half too,” Adam said. “Since this is a dangerous quest, it’ll have to be after the escort quest with Sir Londan.”

“Sir Landon,” Paul corrected.

“Don?” Adam asked. “Any relation to the Champion guy?” Adam looked to Jurot.

Jurot shook his head. “It is a coincidence.”

Sir Vonda looked to Paul. ‘They’re trustworthy?’

He sighed, but nodded.

“Very well,” she said. She needed to find strong Adventurers, but not those who were so powerful that they could take more than half the temple’s wealth, but also those who were trustworthy enough.

“Actually, how close is the temple?” Adam asked.

“It would require at least a week of searching, perhaps more,” she said.

“Then there is no way we can do it right now,” Adam said. “Plus, it’s Nightval, so it’ll be worse for us. Chances are, we might have to do it in Duskval.”

“As long as it remains a secret,” Vonda said, nervously. 

“Lucy,” Adam said. “You hear that?”

“What? Why are you looking at me like that? I won’t tell anyone.”

“Oh come on,” Adam said. “Considering all the things you want to reveal to the world?”

“Like that she is a Demon?” Vonda asked.

Adam remained staring at Lucy for a long moment. ‘Oh, right.’

“I will keep that secret if you keep mine,” Vonda said.

Lucy rolled her eyes. “As if you need to-“

“Lucy,” Adam warned.

“Whatever.”

“I can see you’re bored. Let’s go and kill something tomorrow, yeah?”

Lucy smiled.

Sir Vonda cleared her throat. “You should not be so casual about death.”

“Sorry, but we’ve got family to think about,” Adam said.

“Family?”

“How adorable would my little sister look in some bear furs?” Adam asked, smiling at the thought.

Vonda looked back to Paul.

He sighed, but nodded.

 

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