[1404] – Y06.304 – Troublesome Journey IV
“Do you feel it too?” Rook asked, the young man adorned in his full plate, his helmet, shaped to the face of a hyena, settled at his side. A familiar blade hung to his side, the kind that had been auctioned in Red Oak in years previous.
“I do,” Vasera confirmed, the woman adorned in full plate, brass in colour, the woman standing tall and firm, her blade unseen, or rather, seen, through the slightly thicker brass gauntlet over her right arm. The half elf had certainly changed, the visage of the jester a ghostly memory, faded to time. Vasera thought about his twins, his troublesome daughter, his sweet son, and then the red skinned boy who was without a doubt a demon.
‘Did they deserve to die?’ the half dragon thought.
Rook stepped forward first, rolling the blade over the back of his hand. “I will face you first.”
“There’s no need for that,” Adam said, holding up a pair of fingers, beckoning them both. “Both of you come at me at once.”
Vasera narrowed her eyes, but her lips twitched slightly. She held out her hand, the brass of her armour melting into the shape of a sword, long and slightly curved, the pair of Oathsworn standing side by side, stepping slightly outwards in order not to get in each other’s way, while forcing Adam to concentrate on two flanks.
Battle Order
D20 + 1 = 12 (11)
Fighting Spirit: 3 -> 2
Seventh Sky: 1 -> 0
Attack: Seventh Sky (Advantage)
D20 + 10 = 23 (13)
D20 + 10 = 29 (19)
Critical Hit!
Mana: 34 -> 31
Ability: Divine Smite
8D6 + 8D6 + 8 = 62 (24)(30)
62 damage!
Attack: Seventh Sky (Advantage)
D20 + 10 = 16 (1)
D20 + 10 = 19 (18)
Hit!
Mana: 31 -> 28
Ability: Divine Smite
4D6 + 4D6 + 8 = 44 (24)(12)
44 damage!
Onward Soar: 1 -> 0
Attack: Seventh Sky (Advantage)
D20 + 10 = 15 (5)
D20 + 10 = 22 (12)
Hit!
Mana: 28 -> 25
Ability: Divine Smite
4D6 + 4D6 + 8 = 41 (12)(21)
41 damage!
Attack: Seventh Sky (Advantage)
D20 + 10 = 30 (20)
D20 + 10 = 30 (20)
Critical Hit!
Mana: 25 -> 22
Ability: Divine Smite
8D6 + 8D6 + 8 = 61 (21)(32)
61 damage!
He was a blur of purple. Magical steel clashed against magical steel. Seventh Sky against one of the various fire blades Adam had first enchanted. As Rook stepped back to try and defend himself, giving Vasera an opportunity to press the half elf. It was an opportunity she had dared to take.
‘What?’ Vasera’s hair stood on end as the purple form in front of her blurred, the woman raising her blade high to barely deflect a blow that would have killed an Expert outright, the Oathsworn leaping backwards, but it was not from the strength of her own legs. As she stood, her blade shook violently within her hand, her ears ringing.
Vasera blinked, only to find Jonn in front of her, causing her to raise her sword, but as the warmth of his magic filled her, she noted Adam crouched over Rook, whose memory had also lapsed for a moment. Her arm throbbed, pulsing towards her heart, which beat heavily.
Those who had remained to watch the fight were too stunned to surrender their coin or collect their bets, their eyes firmly glued to the large figure in purple, who had managed to defeat the Golden Savage and the Laughing Hyena at once.
“I see,” Vasera said, flashing a wide smile towards the half elf, who had, in the span of a couple of years, had propelled himself towards the top of the mountain. “If you're this strong why do you need us?”
“I can't be in two places at once,” Adam replied simply, far too seriously for all those around him. He pat Rook’s shoulder, holding out a hand, assisting the warrior up who shook his head, trying to regain his composure.
“Let’s discuss some business then,” Vasera finally said, motioning a hand to her companions.
“Let me go have another bath, this thing makes me sweat like a damn pig,” Adam said, feeling the tingling all against his back.
“Do pigs sweat?”
“…” Adam shrugged his shoulders and stepped. As he did, he caught Bael’s gaze, a tiny smile slipping onto his lips, winking playfully at the half dragon.
Bael grinned wildly in return, peeking towards the half elf as he stepped away, before his eyes fell to Kizwolima.
“Mister Adam is strong,” Kizwolima said, her brows raised, half in surprise, as though she hadn’t seen him defeat the likes of so many great figures. However, seeing as he defeated not one half dragon, but two? ‘Wow.’
Tanagek’s eyes followed the sight of many of the figures who slipped away, no doubt many wishing to spread all this information for a pretty silver or two. It was ultimately Adam’s choice how much he wanted to reveal himself. Or, perhaps, he had no idea how quickly word would travel now that he had so visibly defeated the likes of the Golden Savage and the Laughing Hyena?
Once Adam finished with his bath he stepped out in his black robes, the Aswadic shalwar, loose, yet well fitted. The half elf wore a plain white scarf over his shoulders, which then floated down towards his lap, though it had been cut so it was rather short, so even as he sat, it barely reached his belly button.
“I didn’t expect you to care about your style,” Vasera admitted, waiting for the half elf at a seat to one side, not in a private room, but considering how far away people preferred to stay from her, it may as well have been private.
Adam dropped down opposite her, smiling slightly. “When in Aswadasad, do as the Aswadi.”
“When did you become this strong?”
“Recently,” Adam replied.
“How recent?”
Adam thought for a moment, considering his words. “Do you recall when we first met?”
“How could I forget,” Vasera replied, letting out smoke through her nostrils. “Back then, I could make the excuse I was drunk and let down my guard.”
“I just have that kind of potential. While one person may be an Expert, as an Expert, I was closer to a Master. As a Master, I am closer to a Grandmaster.”
“It seems to me you might be closer to the likes of a Paragon.”
“Without my magical equipment, I might be a touch below,” Adam replied, though he wasn’t certain, not that he thought deeply about it. He wished he didn’t think about it at all, but he supposed he didn’t have that luxury. He couldn’t not think about it, he couldn’t think about it deeply. Before the anxiety could grip his heart, he let out a soft sigh. “Should we order something before we get down to business?”
“I’ll have some tea.”
“Pink?”
Vasera nodded, and the half elf raised a hand, but instead of a typical worker, the innkeep, a woman with braided hair half hidden behind her scarf and sharp eyes.
“How may I assist the great warriors today?”
“I’d like to order some pink tea, and some kafa too,” Adam said, placing down a beht. The innkeeper hesitated for just a moment before accepting. “If we overspend, add it to our tab, and our business will deal with it before we go.”
“As you say, great warrior,” the woman said, bowing her head lightly. “May I ask, do you intend to stay long? I will prepare a bathroom for your exclusive bathroom if you wish to stay long.”
“A few days at most, I think. I intend to leave at the start of next week.”
“I will have someone clear a bathroom and place a sign,” the woman assured, quickly retreating away, going to make the tea and kafa. She had noted the exhaustion on the young man’s face, and the warmth he tried to radiate. Whoever he was, Zaynab thought he wasn’t here to cause trouble, though she wasn’t sure how to judge him. Just what kind of monstrous young man was he?
Adam thought deeply about the kind of offer he wanted to make her. It was awkward, since he wanted to offer her the same he would offer others. However, Adam’s offer was amazing when someone was a commoner, he had yet to meet anyone who matched his offer. When it came to the likes of an Expert, it seemed he paid a reasonable rate. When it came to Masters, though, he wasn’t sure how pricey they were. He imagined they were probably paid closer to fifty gold each month, but Vasera was the kind who asked for a hundred gold each month as an Expert, and people were eager to pay it, because she was a Golden Savage.
As the innkeeper brought the tea and kafa, another worker brought a platter of fruit. Zaynab then instructed a worker to remain on standby for the pair, while the rest of their group remained at the other side of the inn, with two personal workers assigned to them.
“Do you have any requests?” Adam asked.
“I would like to hear your offer first.”
Adam thought about his offer again, writing it down. It was the typical offer he offered most others, but he added a few more points at the end, the kind that would be most important to remember, since it was an offer only for the Golden Savages.
Vasera considered his points, since one of the items was extremely important, for it was difficult to procure magical armour, and since they didn’t use shields…
“I have two more requests,” Vasera began. “A yearly contract of employment, and one hundred gold each time we sign it.”
“The first contract will be for ten years,” Adam replied.
“A thousand gold for that contract sounds fine to me.”
“What if I offered a twenty year contract?”
“I wouldn’t sign it, even if I intended to stay with the business for twenty years,” Vasera replied.
“Why?”
“It’s too long a noose.”
Adam considered he analogy, but then recalled her words. “How long do you intend to stay with our business?”
“I travelled with you for some time,” Vasera said, recalling the last time they had met. She had been assigned to assist them, where she saw him come face to face with the army led by Lord Benjamin Gravesea. It didn’t matter who it was, the half elf had stood firm for the sake of protecting those children he had adopted into the business. “I won’t say it officially, but there are fewer employers across this world I would rather sign for.”
Adam flushed slightly, his eyes trailing to the side slightly. “Take the offer to your companions and ask them for their thoughts, but the contract will be ten years the first time, then I’ll be happy to make it yearly after.”
Vasera had already decided to half retire when she turned thirty, in the sense that she would choose a patron to work for. It was a short while away yet, but Adam was offering them stable work, and considering all she knew of him, it was hard to deny how tempting the offer was. They had made enough coin, and they were about to reach the heights of Masters. ‘If I had already joined you, would I sit before you a Master?’
The half dragon revealed the paper to her companions, allowing them to read it for themselves.
“What do you say?” Rook asked.
“I want to hear your thoughts.”
“You led us this far, Vasera,” Rook replied simply, speaking on behalf of his companions.
PATREON LINK
There are so many crazy fighters in my story, but maybe there aren't enough all things considered?