Chương 712: 675. Common Problems II

Jurot, Kaygak, and Kitool were all Iyrmen. They all had their reasons to fight, the first reason, and perhaps the main reason, was that they were Iyrmen. Warriors who fought for glory, not for themselves, but for their families. Each were eager to go into the fray, but there was only one creature which would bring them the greatest glory. It was obvious to each Iyrmen what they should kill. Phantom shone under the late afternoon sun, almost blinding the great wolf as Jurot slashed against its side.

A pained howl filled the air as Jurot faced the creature in combat. Its maw clamping tight against the side of his body, managing to pierce through his near iron like skin. It would have killed any normal man. The great wolf's eye shifted upwards, meeting the Iyrman's empty, rage filled gaze. Kitool's staff crashed against a wolf, crushing its skull into a dozen pieces, before her staff blurred and struck another wolf, causing it to fly backwards, and it crashed against a nearby tree.

Jaygak's blade silenced the wolf for good. A wolf snarled towards Kitool, leaping up towards the unarmoured Iyrman, but its head landed bounced behind her, its body falling slump in front of the young Iyrman. Jaygak paused for a moment, surprised at how she had easily bisected the wolf, as though she was wielding a hot knife and had carved through butter.

'…' Attack - Wraith D20 + 10 = 11 (1) Critical miss! Attack - Wraith D20 + 10 = 14 (4) Hit! Mana: 21 -> 20 Ability: Divine Smite 2D6 + 2D6 + 9 = 23 (2, 6)(3, 6) 23 damage! A wolf snarled towards Kitool and leapt up towards her, but Adam struck it across its side, his axe flashing white hot for a moment, and dropping the wolf instantly. He turned towards the greater wolf, which was currently trapped beside Jurot.

'Did they see me whiff it before it leapt up towards Kitool?' Adam thought, flushing red at the thought of his miss. The trio waited for Jurot to finish with the larger wolf. The greater wolf clamped harder against Jurot's side, but still couldn't pierce through the tough skin, before Phantom shone against its eyes, and it dropped. The great wolf's head landed behind Jurot, while its body slumped in front.

'I have to be careful,' Adam thought, having almost healed the villagers around.

'They said no magic…' Victory! XP Gained: +100 XP: 10 200 -> 10 300 The older man stared at the four who had so easily killed the wolves. He watched the young man flex his body and crack his neck, before he calmed from his rage, and glanced around.

"Who are you?" the old man whispered, still in shock from the scene before him.

"We are Fortune's Steel," Jurot said, thinking of their original party name, but shifting it.

"We work as mercenaries, of sorts, but we are new across this land."

"I see…" The old man wondered why they were here. If they wanted to make a name for themselves, then they'd want to head to a larger town away, not stay in this random village here.

"Where are you from?"

"Very far away."

"I see…" Adam cleared his throat.

"Well, we've killed the wolves." He looked to the villager to the side, who had been mauled quite harshly by the wolf, though Kitool had put an end to it swiftly.

"He going to be okay?"

"Yeah," the villager replied through a pained grunt.

"I'm going to be just pears."

'Pears?' Adam thought, before his mouth began to water.

'Pears are good, yeah.'

"Allow me to thank you for your assistance," the older man said, nodding his head.

"I'm Old Jim, the chief of the village." Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

"Jurot," Jurot replied.

"Kitool."

"Jaygak."

"Adam." Jim nodded his head, before glancing back towards the villagers who had come.

"Well, you did exactly what we asked. I suppose we can't really stop you from coming to our village either way."

"Okay," Jurot replied, simply.

"Alright." Jim led them back, with Jurot carrying the dead great wolf back, and the others carrying the smaller wolves. Adam carried one in each arm and Jaygak doing the same, while Kitool followed with the heads of the dead beasts.

"How much are you offering your services for?" Jim asked.

"How much would our services typically pay?" Jurot asked.

"We are not used to this land's customs, so we would like some information as part of the payment."

"Your services?" Jim glanced between them all.

"I'd say at least a few gold each day. A minimum of two, as high as ten, depending on who you work for."

"How much will you pay our group?"

"The four of you?" Jim eyed them all up again, thinking deeply. Of course, he could have tried to cheat them, but that would lead to some resentment if they ever found out. He looked around towards the villagers, who numbered a little over one hundred, with more than half being children.

"We won't be able to pay much. We can house you, feed you, and pay, about… a hundred copper coins for each day? That's a hundred copper coins split between you all. You can keep whatever you kill, but that's all we can offer."

"Okay," Jurot said.

"Okay?" Jim replied.

"Okay," Jurot stated, once more.

"You will spread news of our good work to the nearby settlements." Jim narrowed his eyes once more, slowly nodding his head.

"Okay."

'Sun Father, who have you sent to us?' the old chief thought, rubbing one of the metal discs to his side. It had long been worn by his constant worrying.

"You may keep the wolves," Jurot said.

"We will take their teeth, and the larger wolf's fur, but you may keep the rest." Jim raised his brow, unsure why the group were being so nice to them.

"Alright. Thank you kindly, strangers."

"Considering us strangers after all that?" Adam asked, shaking his head.

"You're an awfully untrustful bunch." He chuckled, before Jaygak elbowed him in the side.

"Sorry about him, he's an idiot."

"I wouldn't say that, but I won't disagree with you neither," Jim stated, not wanting to offend either of them.

"See? He doesn't disagree."

"He's just saying that because he's scared of you."

"And he's not scared of you?"

"No, of course not. I'm a charismatic fellow."

"You are?"

"Of course! How else could I become-," Adam quickly swayed backwards, dodging Jaygak's slow hand, which had aimed for the side of his helmet.

"What are you doing?"

"Stopping you from being an idiot," Jaygak said.

"Why did you dodge?"

"Do you want to fight, Jaygak?"

"Adam, Jaygak," Jurot called. He stared at them blankly.

"Sorry," Adam replied. Jaygak glanced Adam's way, thinking if she should push her luck, but eventually deciding against it. The group were situated into one of the long houses, which had been cleared out for them. Adam placed down his pack, and checked his items. He had brought so much, and he realised that most of them would have gotten wet during them submerging themselves. That's when he realised how light his pack had been. Most of the stuff was missing.

"Hey, Jurot," Adam whispered.

"Half my stuff is gone."

"Yes. It was replaced."

"Replaced?"

"Yes."

"Did the Iy-""Adam," Jurot called, raising a finger right in front of his own lips. Once Adam was quiet, he slowly lowered his finger.

"Your items are safe."

"Alright." Adam continued to rifle through his pack. He hadn't checked it since he had arrived, not needing to. Jurot had handed Adam some of the rations he had brought, some nut balls which left much to be desired, but were packed full of calories. Thankfully, the village was currently cooking food for them, as the smell of bread wafted through the air.

"We should spend a month here to gain coin," Jurot said.

'Yeah, they took away our coin, which is a bit awkward,' Adam thought.

'Gems too. Well, except for the…' Eventually they stepped out towards the central fire, where many of the villagers had gathered. The villagers seemed to stare at them awkwardly, but as time passed, and drinks were brought out, they all loosened up. Adam bit into the fresh bread, which tore apart like meat, requiring some effort, and he tasted the soup, which was slightly salted, and full of vegetables. The wolf meat was being cooked in butter and spices.

'The food in the Iyr tastes so much better,' Adam thought. As the night approached, the villagers began to retire for the night, all save for three, who began the nightly watch. Adam wondered why there was a nightly watch, but he didn't ask, instead going to bed.

"Keep your weapons close," Jurot said, nodding his head to Adam.

"Always do," Adam replied, smirking slightly. The group spent many days within the village, protecting it from all manner of threats. Mostly, they walked around and helped out the villagers, Adam finding it awkward to do nothing all day. Jaygak and Adam wore their breastplate, since wearing their entire armour intimidated the villagers. Jim wondered if he should ask them to wear their plate mail, but the pair seemed more comfortable without their entire set of armour.

One of them always remained back at the long house to keep an eye on their equipment, just in case.

'We really should get ourselves some kind of magical bag that holds things.' Adam thought.

'Then we can move around with all our stuff with us.' The day after the new moon, the bell rung within the village.