“Porters! To arms!” Adam excimed as the mass of bck fur charged at him, snarling at the half elf.

  Battle OrderD20 + 1 = 16 (15)

  The half elf had no time to don his shield, grabbing his sword with both hands in a tight grip, foing his magic. He could have pulled away from the charging bear, but the st time he and Jurot fought against a bear, Jurot had taken many heavy blows in his stead.

  “Not this time, you rat bastard!” Adam excimed, the heat of his rage pushing the cold of his fear which had set in for a moment.

  AttackD20 + 5 = 14 (9)Hit!1D6 + 1D3 + 5 = 7 (1)(1)7 damage!

  Adam swung wildly at the rge bear with his bde, cutting across its bare chest. He stepped between it and Jurot, fag down the snarli as it readied to snap its jaw against his neck.

  [Finally.]

  Adam narrowed his eyes, not in the mood for Bell’s quips.

  Jurot grabbed his axe a into a, hag into the side of the bear as it tried to bite Adam, instead bring its attention to him. It snarled as Jurot’s axe struck its side, with Jurot r at it, his fad body quickly turning turning red in rage.

  The bear swiped a cw towards Jurot, alsed by this new being, but seeing as he wasn’t wearing a full sheet of metal, its focus was pletely on Jurot. Its stomach growled for flesh, and as Jurot grunted in pain as he was cut by the knife like cws, he growled louder as the bear sank its teeth against his side, cutting into his flesh.

  “Jurot!” Adam wailed, clutg his bde tighter.

  Jurot grit his teeth, ready to brawl with the bear. Three javelins whistled through the air, one which struck off Adam’s shoulder, and another which pierced the bear’s side, causing it to roar in pain. It shuddered in pain as aruck the back of its knee, causing it to drop to the side, letting Jurot go.

  Attack (Fnking)D20 + 6 = 25 (19)Hit!1D6 + 1D3 + 5 = 12 (4)(3)12 damage!

  Adam stared down into the bear’s eyes as it tried to pull away. “You shouldn’t have e here,” Adam said, gripping the hilt of his sword above his head, the sword tip right against the bear’s skull. He forced the bde into the bear slowly, never leaving the bear’s gaze as he pierced through its thick skull, into its brain, and then through to the ground behind its skull.

  Victory!Bck Bear+40XPXP380 -> 420

  The sword remained within the ground, Adam pushing it down. He shook slightly, uo trol his anger. He remaiaring down at the bck bear, his eyes glued to its dead form.

  “Adam,” Jurot said, resting a hand on the half elf’s shoulder.

  Adam inhaled deeply. He pulled out his sword, exhaling as he did so.

  “You don’t like bears?” Jurot asked.

  Adam turned his head to look at Jurot. “No,” he said, his voice quiet. “I don’t.”

  Jurot nodded his head slowly, as though he uood.

  Of course, he didn’t.

  No one did.

  Adam stepped away for a moment. Nobby stared at the half elf’s back, twiddling his thumbs. He approached cautiously, oep every few seds.

  “Um, mister?” Nobby called out, feeling his thoughts eat out his chest. His father always told him that a man had to be ho, and to live with iy.

  “Yeah?” Adam asked, turned back to look at Nobby quickly.

  Nobby flinched. “A-about the fight before…”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “About what?”

  “I threw the javelin… and it hit you.”

  “Oh, that?” Adam looked at the whimpering titan. “Don’t worry about it. Sometimes it happens when you’re in a fight. Nothing bad happened because of it, so don’t think too much about it.” Adam walked over and pat the boy’s shoulder. “You did a great job ag so quickly as you did.”

  Nobby tio frown, still ashamed of what he did.

  “Look,” Adam said. “This is your first time. You were really stressed out. You did amazing when it came to sying the Giant Boar, and not so amazing when it came to the bear. That’s just how life is sometimes. ime, we’ll do better. Right?”

  “Okay, yes,” Nobby said, nodding his head slowly.

  Adam looked to Jurot and the other porters. “I’m gd we brought you all along. How much does a bck bear go for anyway?”

  Jurot stared at it. “Thirty gold.”

  “Nice,” Adam said, thinking about how much gold he’d be able to make. “We’ll split that properly with everyooo. Let’s start heading back soon, before another bear es cmbering towards us.”

  Jurot had mostly finished with the Great Boar, so the porters went about fitting it in their various ste.

  “You alright?” Adam asked Jurot, pg a hand on his shoulder.

  “I’m fihe Iyrman replied back.

  Adam was sure that Jurot would have said the same thing if he was oh’s door. “I’m sure you are, but let’s not hurry into death, shall we?”

  Mana2 -> 1SpellHealing Word1D3 + 3 = 6 (3)

  Jurot felt a warmth suddenly invade his body. The cw wound against his torso, and the bite wound against his side began to heal. He looked at Adam with a raised brow. “You heal?”

  “One of my few spells,” Adam said. “e on.” Adam lifted the bear up, grunting slightly as he did. ‘Damn, it’s pretty heavy.’

  Jurot grabbed the bear, helping Adam carry it. “If something es, we will drop it and run,” he said.

  “Right,” Adam said, smiling.

  The journey back was fraught with dahe danger of absolute safety. Adam remained on guard, his eyes snapping this way and that way. The porters’ eyes were also sing across the forest, though Nobby’s eyes were barely focused on finding danger, but following an imaginary line along the branches above.

  When they finally reached the road, they sighed in relief, all but Jurot.

  “Almost there now, d,” Remy said, staring back at Nobby. “Are you alright?”

  “I’m okay,” Nobby said. He was sweating profusely as he carried his box, his feet ag too, but this was a normal feeling for a hard day’s work. It was the gold which fuelled his steps every forward.

  “By the gods,” a guard said.

  “Isn’t that the Iyrman again?”

  “It is!”

  One of the guards left his station, quickly approag the party of five. “Are you alright?”

  “Fine,” Adam said, huffing out as he marched forward with the bear over his back.

  “You’ve been w hard, haven’t you?” The guard helped Adam by lifting the bear from his other side.

  “Yeah,” Adam said. “We’ve been w quite hard.”

  Jurot nodded his head. “We ate a lot of bread.”

  The guard had heard about how they had fed the beautiful red haired sisters earlier in the day. “Is that right?” The guard chuckled.

  “Let’s take a quick breather,” Adam said ohey had approached the gates. They dropped the bear on the floor before the gates, and Adam dropped down onto his back. He panted for air, feeling the ache in his entire body. It was a dull ache, one from being in the same position for too long.

  “Is that a Great Boar?” a guard asked.

  “I think it is,” the other said.

  “It is,” Jurot said.

  “And a bck bear.”

  “In one day.”

  The guards whistled, nodding their heads. “And you’re just Copper Ranks?”

  “It is an Iyrman.”

  “With another adventurer, and three porters.”

  The guards looked at Nobby, who had pced down the boxes so that he could rest his back.

  “Damn, you’re a big boy.”

  “Have you thought about joining the guard?”

  Nobby looked at the guards. “Yes,” he said.

  “You should, with a build like that.”

  Adam stared up at the guards. “We cimed him first,” he said. “Jurot and I.”

  “Oh, e on now. You Iyrmen have plenty of powerful warriors, save some for us.”

  “You think guarding is easy business?”

  “We have to stand around at the gate, making sure there’s nothing untoward ing.”

  “When the Beast Wave and the undead e, we’re there fighting on the front lines.”

  Jurot bli them. “We fight as well,” he said simply.

  “Well, that’s true, but…”

  “Yeah, but…”

  The guards looked between one another. It was true that being a guard was quite dangerous, but it was also true that adventuring was far more dangerous.

  “Well…”

  “But…”

  They fumbled to try and find an argument.

  “Either way, we still need capable men like that youngster.”

  “Anyway,” Adam said. “We’ve got the gate fee.”

  “I will pay too,” Jurot said, referring to the payment for the porters.

  “It’s fine.” Adam stretched out his back. “I’ll o split some silver for some copper at the guild.”

  “Save us some boar meat and we’ll waive the gate fee,” the guard said. “If you won’t give us the boy, give us a little meat then.”

  “Yeah, the slop at the mess hall is…” The guard shuddered.

  “Alright, alright. We’ll tell the guild to save you some meat, and you guys pick it up.”

  “he guards said, elbowing one another.

  “You guys do have the authority to do that, don’t you?” Adam asked, making sure so he wouldn’t get into trouble.

  “Paying with meat is fihough we ’t do it too much.”

  “Huh. Good to know.”

  The five were on the move again. Adam was dragging his feet as they approached the Adventurer’s Guild.

  The adventurers looked their way when they ehere were easily seven different parties here, each of them glued to the Iyrman and the heavily armoured man, as well as the porters carrying in a Great Boar in pieces.

  “Whoa, ain’t that a Great Boar?”

  “Seems like we’ll be having some good meat tonight!”

  “Don’t get too excited,” a younger man said. “The half elf might’ve poiso.”

  Adam chuckled. “Do you hear that, Jurot? He thinks your senses are so dull that you wouldn’t notice me poisoning something right beside you.”

  The adventurer’s face flushed with heat. “No! That isn’t what I said at all.”

  Jurot turo face the adventurer, narrowing his eyes. “This Great Boar was butchered by me. I did not put in any poison.”

  The adventurer pulled bato his chair, with the woman beside him spping the top of his head. “What did I tell you about causing trouble?” she whispered.

  Emma cleared her throat. “Shall I?” she asked, heading towards the back. Adam and Jurot dropped the bear, and Adam almost dropped himself.

  “That was rough,” Adam said. “I ’t imagine carrying such heavy things daily.” He looked to the porters. “You really are worth every copper.”

  “It bees easier the more you do it,” Remy said.

  “Only a little,” Jeremy added.

  Once Emma had assessed the creatures, she smiled at them. “I’m gd to see you both w hard, though you should be careful. A bck bear and a Great Boar in a single day is quite the achievement. You should slow down, though, otherwise some of the adventurers might think oddly of you.”

  “I might take a rest tomorrow, I’m not sure.” Adam shrugged his shoulders.

  Quests pleteGreat Boar HuntingBck Bear Hunting

  XP Gained+180XP420 -> 600

  Stamps Gained+25 -> 7

  Currency Gained+40GP +5SP24GP, 11SP -> 64GP, 16SP

  “Right,” Adam said. “Could I get some copper pieces? Also, we promised the guards some meat from the boar, if you sort that out.”

  “Uood,” Emma said, making a note.

  Currency16SP, 4CP -> 15SP, 14CP

  Adam looked at Jurot. “How much should we pay the porters?”

  “I’ll agree with whatever you choose.”

  Adam nodded his head. “Due to the fact that we’re flush with gold s, let’s pay the cousins five gold s, the youngster fold s. I think they deserve that much.” He didn’t want the cousins to feel slighted that they were paid the same as their nephew.

  Jurot nodded.

  Currency64GP -> 57GP

  The porters stared at the gold s.

  “Are you sure?” Remy asked.

  “This is more than we expected.”

  “How much did you expect?” Adam asked, chug.

  “Two gold s each,” they said.

  Adam ughed. “I think you’ll find that we might be feeling too eted today. We might not pay you such a rge bonus ime. It’s partly because you introduced us to a star porter.” Adam patted the boy’s shoulder. “I hope your father feels better soon.”

  “Thank you.” Nobby nodded.

  “Will you be w again tomorrow?” Remy asked.

  “Probably not. I think we finally deserve a break.” He looked to Jurot. “Right?”

  Jurot nodded. “I would like to buy a battleaxe.”

  “Ha cutting it?”

  “Yes. I would like a meatier on. Handaxe is also good for throwing.”

  Adam thought about what he o do. He had panicked when he saw Jurot take a beating from the bck bear. “I have something I o buy too.” He smiled. “We’ll call for your services aime then,” Adam said. “However, it is time for jam buns.”

  Adam followed Jurot to pay for the jam buns. Pam was there, cheg on the various bread they had left. When she spotted the adventurers, she blushed slightly. “Wele back. How did it go today?”

  “It went great,” Adam said, ing his arm around Jurot’s shoulders. “We slew a bck bear and a Great Boar today.”

  “Wow! Really?” She looked to Jurot.

  Jurot nodded.

  “Jurot was hit pretty bad, but since he’s an Iyrman, he’s alright.”

  “That’s right!” Jurot decred, nodding his head.

  “I’m gd to hear that,” Pam said, seeing the marks on Jurot’s side. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

  “I’m fine,” he said.

  Adam pced down a few silver s. “Give us whatever red tiger bread, jam buns, and tarts you give us for this much.”

  Currency16 SP -> 11 SP

  “ing right up!” Pam also grabbed some more buns and tarts than she should have. Her eyes sometimes fell to Jurot’s side and chest, where the obvious traces of his meeting with the bear were.

  “Oh? Very generous today,” Adam said.

  “It’s because you’re our valued ers,” Pam said.

  “We feel valued!” Adam bit into a jam bun, holding out some for Jurot.

  “Please do e again!”

  “We’ll e by during the quest. Probably in a few days, since we’ll be taking a break.”

  “I’ll be waiting patiently.” Pam smiled.

  The porters all shared in the jam buns and tarts. Adam made sure that they had some to take bae too, giving them the bread too. He ate a single jam bun with Jurot, before bathing airing to his bed in the Adventurer’s Guild.

  He yawned, ying atop his bed. “Bell, you owe me two proficies, right? I know what I want.”

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