Chapter 363: 344. Vonda’s Quest II

Omen: 2, 11

Jurot and Vonda had taken the lead the next day. Vonda held the map, which assisted Jurot slightly. However, even with Vonda’s map, Jurot had realised he had been moving in the wrong direction. It was confirmed when the group came across them. 

They were tall and large, easily dwarfing even Adam, and they were thick with fur. Bears, one may have called them, but they moved on two feet. Their fur was a deep red, almost like bloodied rust on a blade. There were a half dozen of them.

Jurot stared at the Bearfolk and wondered if they were a group the Iyr had made dealings with. A half dozen of them meant that they could threaten the group, but Jurot was sure that they would think twice about trying to fight. 

“Jurot,” Adam whispered. “What are those?”

“Barmun,” Jurot explained. “Bearfolk.” 

“Are we cool?” Adam asked, placing his finger tips at his shield. Even though his axe was in its ring form, he still wore a warhammer at his side, one of Dwarven make. 

There was a low growl, but the Barmun stepped backwards, away from the Iyrmen. Adam raised his brows in surprise, since the growl was Iyrspeech. It was a warning to Adam’s group, telling them they were in the wrong lands. 

Once the Barmun had disappeared, Jurot led them around, heading leftward for some time. He and Kitool checked the scenery around the area, and Jaygak decided to keep out of their way since they knew the signs to check. 

“We should be fine,” Jurot said, before he continued.

That evening, they made up camp as usual, creating a small fortress. Adam thought about taking a trick to help the process, but he still came to the conclusion that it was best to use one’s body.

Omen: 4, 7

“We should leave soon,” called Jurot. 

Adam’s eyes were narrowed, almost his entire body was submerged in the hot bath. ‘Damn it.’

“What’s wrong?” Vonda asked, noting how sour Adam was as they were trekking through the dangerous forest.

“I feel unlucky today,” Adam said. 

Vonda threw a look to Dunes, who shrugged his shoulders. Only Adam would be upset and annoyed that he was unlucky in a forest which held a myriad of things which could kill them.

Jurot stopped, noting a mark on a tree branch, before he turned his head slightly. Kitool had spotted the same mark, and with some help, so had Jaygak. 

The trio drew their weapons, causing the rest of the group to do the same, and soon they followed Jurot and Kitool, who walked cautiously twenty paces ahead of them. 

Ahead of them was a stone statue, which stood in front of a stone temple. The statue was cracked in multiple pieces, with only a single arm, and the temple fared little better. The temple was long, though much of it had sank into the earth below.

“Is it your temple?” Adam asked.

Before Vonda could answer, the statue creaked, and turned to face the group.  

Adam blinked. “Excuse me?”

Battle Order
D20 + 1 = 8 (7)

Fighting Spirit: 3 -> 2

Attack - Wizard’s Axe, Flanking
D20 + 8 = 24 (16)
D20 + 8 = 27 (19)
Critical hit!
Mana: 18 -> 17
Ability: Divine Smite
4D6 + 4D6 + 5 = 35 (1, 2, 5, 6)(2, 4, 4, 6)
35 damage!

Attack - Wizard’s Axe, Flanking
D20 + 8 = 16 (8)
D20 + 8 = 18 (10)
Hit!
Mana: 17 -> 16
Ability: Divine Smite
2D6 + 2D6 + 5 = 18 (2, 5)(1, 5)
18 damage!

Jurot was first to move, grunting towards the group, and soon the others followed him. Jurot’s axe swiped across the stone statue, before he managed to cut into the statue’s thigh.  

‘Too light,’ Jurot thought. Though he had managed to find the creature’s weak point with his axe, Phantom was made to deal great damage to the mind, but this creature held no mind. 

Lucy wailed with joy, screaming like a banshee as she leapt into the air and slammed her axe into the statue’s face, causing it to miss its blow. 

Dunes called forth his magics, summoning a group of blades around him. “The Good Lady smites you!” he chanted, his floating blades tearing into the statue, causing it to crumble. 

Javelins and arrows pelted the statue, while Adam and Jaygak both dashed towards it, magical axe and blade in hand. Jaygak’s blade crackled with lightning as she cut into one leg, and Adam’s axe sank into its other, flashing white hot with his holy smite.

‘I love criticals,’ Adam thought, glad he had spent his XP on Improved Criticals. He had barely used it, but it was such a great ability in combat. 

The stone statue crumbled to the ground, and Adam looked to Jurot, who had noted a blood splatter on the wall. It was a blood splatter made by an Iyrman, that was for sure. 

“It is still dangerous,” Jurot said. He had not yet fallen into his Rage Dance, unlike Lucy. With a single foe, who was already heavily injured, there had been no need for it. Jurot stepped up towards the open doors, and peeked inside.

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The light flooded the temple from its slight angle, allowing even Jurot’s eyes to see further inside. He quickly stepped inside, and the rest followed him. 

The inside of the temple was trashed, with large pieces of stone having falling towards the end, blocking the doors. There was an old smell which clung in the air. A single skeleton lay at the end, though it was missing its skull. It had been picked clean by the wildlife, and even the clothing had barely been left alone. 

Jurot dropped down beside it, touching the cloth. Whoever it was, they had died with blade in hand. Jaygak lifted the blade up, being able to see it clearly even with the low light, which was currently being blocked by a large number of people.

“Jurot,” Jaygak said, handing the large blade over to the Iyrman. Jurot lifted it up towards the light.

The blade was made of Iyrsteel, there was no doubt about that. It wasn’t just made out of Iyrsteel, for the wood was familiar to Jurot. Jurot looked down to the bones, the skull which had been shattered. 

“It was a good death,” Jurot said, noting that there were at least three other statues, and there were several blood splatters around the area, which had belonged to at least four bodies. 

Jurot pulled out a sack from his pack, and Jaygak began to collect the bones, since she could see best in the dark. 

“What are you doing?” Adam asked.

“We must return the body to the Iyr,” Jaygak replied, simply.

“Is it an Iyrman?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.”

“Timojin’s elder sister,” Jurot said, his hand rubbing along the handle which he had worked years ago.

“Timojin? You mean our Timojin?”

“Yes.”

Adam inhaled sharply, tasting the air. It was a rancid taste, one which caused him to cough. “Damn,” he said, though not because he tasted the air.

“It was a good death,” Jurot said. “Even we would struggle against four statues, but three had been defeated before we arrived.”

“How long ago did she die?”

“She left the Iyr five years ago,” Jurot said. “This must have happened some time before I left the Iyr.” 

Kitool held the Bronze Rank tag in hand, rubbing her finger along the name which had been carved into it. Rojin. She placed it into the sack with the rest of the Iyrman’s bones. 

Adam crossed his arms, squeezing them. ‘Right. This is that kind of world. Even a group of Experts can find trouble if they come across enough monsters.’ There was a vast difference between one strong foe, and two moderate foes. Luckily, there was over ten of them, so most threats could be dealt with easily. 

Vonda and Dunes righted a statue which had fallen over, which somehow hadn’t shattered. Adam tensed up, before seeing it was in a vague shape of a woman, rather than in the more detailed warrior which they had faced. 

Vonda dropped to her knees and prayed before it, clasping her hands together. Dunes took to one knee, and bowed his head, mutter a much quieter prayer towards the statue.

Adam dropped to a knee before the statue too. ‘I assume you’re Mother Soza. I hope you’re doing well. Thank you for all you’re doing.’ They were here to help bring the loot back from the temple, half of which would go to them, but Adam felt far more awkward about it.

He placed down a gold coin before the statue, one which he would leave behind after the loot was taken away. ‘It’s probably bad luck to take everything from a temple.’

“Where are the other bodies?” Adam asked, noting that there were a few packs around, but no other bodies.

“They must have been raised during dawnval.” Jurot explained.

“Dawnval, eh?” Adam wondered why the Iyrman hadn’t been raised, but decided it would have been rude to ask. 

Jaygak pat Adam’s back. “Who would dare to claim what belongs to Baktu?”

 

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It was a good death.

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