Battle Order
D20 + 1 = 16 (15)

Warrior Spirit: 3 -> 2

Attack
D20 + 8 = 24 (16)
D20 + 8 = 27 (19)
Hit!
Phantom: 3 -> 2
Mana: 18 -> 15
1D6 + 4D6 + 4D6 + 6 = 43 (5)(1, 2, 3, 5)(4, 5, 6, 6)
43 damage!

D20 + 8 = 13 (5)
D20 + 8 = 28 (20)
Critical hit!
Mana: 15 -> 14
2D6 + 2D6 + 4D6 + 6 = 36 (1, 4)(3, 5)(3, 4, 4, 6)
36 damage!

The Knight was full of rage as he charged forward towards Adam, who was more than happy to play with him. As the Knight swung his blade, Adam stepped forward, inhaling deeply as he filled with great focus. 

His axe struck the Knight across his plate, managing to press the Knight back as Adam’s axe flashed white hot with his smite, before he swung again, his movements like a dancer’s as he slipped under the second swing of the Knight, striking him through his armour at his thigh, cutting into flesh, and almost tearing through to the bone, as the magic of the axe and Smite flashed through the Knight’s body.

Adam exhaled, sheathing his axe as the Knight dropped behind him, close to death. 

Sir Landon stared at Adam with uncharacteristic shock. His Knight had charged against Adam, and within moments, had fallen down on his knees, half dead.

Paul sighed. “You left him alive, right?”

“I think so,” Adam said. “Want me to heal him?”

“Would you mind?”

Mana: 14 -> 13
Spell: Healing Word
1D3 + 3 = 4 (1)

“Up you get,” Adam called from afar, his voice full of healing magic. “If you die, how will I get my one hundred gold?”

“The axe at your side is magical, isn’t it?” Sir Landon asked. 

“Yeah,” Adam said. “Isn’t it such a nice magical axe? I acquired it in the Iyr.”

“It would have been polite for you to have stated that beforehand,” Sir Landon said.

“Is that sword magical?” Adam asked, motioning to the sword which the Knight had picked up. 

“I understand your point,” Sir Landon replied, nodding his head slowly. “You are stronger than I thought, I’ll give you that much credit.”

“Your credit is nice, but that one hundred gold is much nicer,” Adam said, looking down at the Knight, who had managed to stand on his own two feet. He stared at Adam, his eyes full of confusion as he stared at the Half Elf, unsure of what had happened. 

“You used magic,” the Knight said.

“I smote you down, yeah,” Adam said. “I asked Paul if it was okay, and he said it was fine.”

“Without your magics you would have fallen,” the Knight growled. 

“If you want, I don’t mind grabbing the rest of my armour and an axe,” Adam said. “You can heal up and we can fight again. No magic, including no magical sword. I want to see if I really would lose against you.”

The Knight gripped his blade tighter.

“There is no need for that,” Sir Landon said. “You defeated my Knight and have earned your one hundred gold.”

“Finally,” Adam said, though he quickly stopped the rest of his words. “I mean, thank you.” ‘I need to cool it with the Nobles otherwise they’ll put me on some kind of list. They probably already have me on some kind of list because of my ears.’

Adam felt the heaviness of the gold, which he quickly swapped out for gems. Obsidian and tiger eyes were proving quite useful to keep on hand, and it would allow him to act cool in the future whenever it required. 

“We will be heading through the Forest to find an Elder Wolf,” Sir Landon said. “The more we slay, the more satisfied you will make me. The more satisfied I am, the greater the gold you will earn. If you can allow me the last blow on the Elder Wolf, I will pay you handsomely.”

“Sir Vonda, will you cast Aid on the trio of Nobles, and then Bless on yourself and the three Nobles whenever we enter a fray?” Adam asked.

“That is more than acceptable,” she replied. “I have the ability to cast Aid thrice, and Bless four time.”

“That’s fine,” Adam said, nodding his head. “I know that your healing abilities are greater than my own, but I can cast my healing spells a few times to lighten your load.”

She bowed her head. 

“If things go sour, I’ll pull out a Fireball from my pocket and we can all run away,” Adam said. “As much as killing these Wolves might be our goal, we can only do it if we’re alive.”

“Fireball?” Sir Landon asked. 

“Yeah,” Adam said.

Landon looked to Paul, who nodded his head. “You are only Bronze Rank?”

“I’m taking it easy,” Adam said. 

‘A Bronze Rank who can use both Fireball and is an Expert with the blade?’ Sir Landon thought.

“So, we’ll leave tomorrow in the morning?” Adam asked. “With our three Porters? They’ll allow us to carry more Elder Wolves with us back to the Guild.”

“Yes,” Sir Landon replied, bluntly. He was too busy thinking about Adam, and what a being he was.

Adam noted the look, before he pulled away, retreating from the trio of Nobles. ‘Right. I need to take it easy, otherwise they’ll get suspicious of me. More importantly, I can’t have the world reject me.’ Adam sighed. ‘At least it’s not as crazy as last time. I was close to Level 15 or 16 around this time, probably. Or was I Level 20?’

“Hey, Sir Vonda?” Adam called.

“Yes, son of Fate?” she replied.

“How come you’re referred to as Sir?” Adam asked.

“As opposed to Dame?” she asked.

Adam nodded. 

“Though most Priests of Life are referred to as Dame, I come from a specific Order, one which is quite famous for their battle capabilities,” she said.

“The Order of Life’s Rose?” Jurot asked.

“The very same,” she said.

Jurot nodded his head. “It is my honour to meet you, Sir Vonda.”

“Likewise, Iyrman,” she replied. 

“So Sir and Dame aren’t for men and women? They’re for roles?” Adam asked.

“Yes,” Vonda replied, staring at Adam. “They were once gendered in this land, though slowly they shifted towards one’s roles. It was easier to keep track of Sirs and Dames during war time if one knew what they were like. Dames are usually pacifists, who will not use spells offensively towards an enemy. Sirs do not have such qualms.”

“Ah,” Adam said. “I see.”

“Where are you from?” Vonda asked.

“A land from very far away,” Adam replied.

“Yes?”

“It’s a land where not anyone can reach any more,” Adam said, sadly.

“I am sorry to hear that, Adam,” she said. 

“Yeah,” he replied. “Well, why don’t we all eat some lunch and get to know each other? Since we’ll be fighting alongside each other, we should probably hang out a little more with one another.”

Sir Vonda bowed her head. “I would like to pray before we leave, so I must decline.”

“Pray?” Adam said. “Oh. Speaking of which, I should probably check out the temple in Red Oak.”

“Shall we go together?” Vonda asked, wondering why Adam was so eager to stick with her. 

“Please,” Adam said.

Jurot and Lucy glanced between one another. 

‘Is it time for Adult to become a man?’ Lucy thought.

Jurot, on the other hands, wondered how he was going to explain this to Queen Silvari. ‘Did he not like Mara?’

The temple of Red Oak was huge, though not quite as huge as the temple in Jaghi. Adam had spotted a great number of buildings which were made of Red Oak, but this one the building with the most amount of Red Oak, that was for certain. 

There were a dozen statues nearby, each of different people. As Adam walked by them, he realised they were the Champions of various Gods. 

“So this is Brandon, eh?” Adam said, looking up to the statue of a large man. “They really made a statue for someone from Aswadia?”

“He is a Champion,” she said. “It does not matter where he was born, he was chosen by the Gods.”

“Is that why there’s an Elf there?” Adam asked, motioning his head to the Elf in the corner, who was kept some ways away from the other Champions, about five metres above, and hidden behind a branch which was strategically hiding her away.

“Yes,” she said. “Lady Aesof.” Vonda sighed, sadly. “She was the last of Mother Soza’s champions. We do not know how many years ago that was.”

“When was the last Champion alive?” Adam asked.

“There is a Champion alive today,” Vonda said. “The Champion of Lord Order.”

Adam stared at her. “Excuse me?”

“There is a Champion alive today,” she repeated. “The Champion of Lord Order.”

Adam blinked at her. “Are you joking?”

“Joking?” Vonda asked, staring at Adam curiously. “What ever do you mean?”

“Is… is he the only Champion alive?” Adam asked.

“I believe so,” she replied.

Adam continued to stare at Vonda, silent as the statues around them.

“Is something the matter?” she asked.

‘Fuck.’

 

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