Adam immediately took advantage of the bear's vulnerability, punching it a few more times on its now-exposed stomach. Literally not taking this assault lying down, the beast proceeded to flail, smacking the younger Druid and tripping him onto the ground. Taking advantage of the now-stunned man, the creature recovered quickly and lunged at Adam. The latter realized what was happening as it happened; his opponent had managed to bite his midsection, and it was even more painful than the last attack.

The red-eyed man wasn't going to just sit there and die though. Instead, he used the bear's proximity to himself to his benefit and forced his fists into his enemy's eyes. Roaring in agony, the animal pulled back, giving the nature magic user the chance to go on the offensive. And that he did; Adam proceeded to charge at the beast, assaulting him with a relentless flurry of fists, using his pain as fuel to finish this fight once and for all. At some point, the fisherman suddenly stopped his attack. The bear was still alive, but the younger Druid knew he was no longer in danger and pulled back. 

The bear submitted, staying its hand. It stood on all fours, looking at Adam. The bear then bowed its head in respect and went over to its master, licking his face lovingly. The red-eyed man smiled, knowing that the creature was sincere. After that, it turned back into a ghostly spirit form, and Adam felt the spiritual power surge within him as his body absorbed the Black Bear spirit animal. He had completed the trial. He now had the power to shapeshift. Gilligan also bowed his head in respect. "It's done," the old elf said softly.

"What did I tell you!? Pointless distraction!" Old Gilligan sure knew how to ruin a moment. "Back off."

MacKensie did as she was told and backed up a couple of steps, but her mood was not swayed by the hermit. She was still laser-focused on the fight, her fists in front of her face with with excited anticipation as Adam and the black bear traded attacks. Adam's clever maneouver with the dirt put him back on the offensive and he seemed to grow in confidence as both combatants increased their ferocity.

And then, it was over. So suddenly. The bear stopped and... did it just bow it's head? It was all a test. A potentially lethal test, but a test all the same - MacKensie remembered that now as she watched the bear lick Adam's face. She smiled. When the bear turned back into a ghostly form and went into Adam, the Ranger didn't need Gilligan to speak to realise that it was over.

"Adam." MacKensie ran over to the Druid and gave him a congratulatory hug and kiss on the cheek, before realising that she may have been squeezing the wounded man too tightly. Not wanting to hurt him, she let go and smiled, relief and admiration on her face. Subconciously, she was now looking at Adam in a totally different light, but she would not realise this until a later time. "That was amazing." She looked down at all his injuries. "We need to dress those wounds. Come."

She put his arm over her shoulder and her own around his back, to give him a little assistance walking. Then she addressed Gilligan. "Sir Druid, may we please have some hot water and bandages, or something like this?"

Whether it was begrudingly or not, Gilligan allowed them into his home and fetched some things for MacKensie to attempt first aid. She wasn't really qualified in this respect, but she tried all the same. With a soaked cloth, she gently washed the slash and bite wounds on his chest and waist. "You were so brave out there. To fight a bear...?" She shook her head, at a loss for words. "I cannot believe what I just witnessed."

With some instruction from the annoying old hermit, she managed to do a decent job, finishing up by tying up some bandages around his torso, then she retrieved his shoes, shirt and jacket to hand them to him.

Where he in his normal mindset James would be sweating bullets right now, the situation had escalated very quickly and further than he had intended, truth be told he had just heard that someone was accepting challengers and he volunteered Zell before even seeing the other guy (Which again, were he sound of mind he would have thought of as stupid).

"Hahahaha" As it was however he found himself laughing and swaying alongside Zell.

The fight had been unexpected and James had a new headache to deal with... but that was a problem for sober James, right now he was still riding high on the adrenaline of the fight. "You should have seen his face!" Maybe making fun of the people they had insulted, beaten, and cheated was wrong but at this point, he really didn't care, this was perhaps the first time he felt truly relaxed since he landed in this place, no worries about the target on their back, about people getting killed by his fault or the approaching quest. Right now the only thing concerning him was having a good time with one of his pals.

Speaking off.

He chanted the command for one of the new spells in his library, Lesser Restore on Zell, It was quite weak in comparison to the more powerful Hesling Speed but against the bruises and cuts on Zell's body, it served wonders. Of course, it did nothing for the alcohol already in his system but really, why would anyone want to lose their buzz?

It was amidst their drunken walk that they came across a stable and with excitement in his eyes James turned towards Zell "Yo Zellman, you ever ridden a horse?"

Old Gilligan grumbled to himself as he grabbed the things MacKensie needed to patch up Adam. But he did so a little more quietly than usual. And a little more softly. He also handed her a potent healing salve to apply before the bandages. Then he went to the fireplace to sit down, adjusting his chair to make sure his back would be completely to his unwanted guests.

After getting a fire going, he sat back, ignoring the chatter from the youngsters.

"Don't even think about asking to stay the night because it's not happening," he told them randomly. "When you're hale enough to walk your skinny little behinds back down my mountain, you can scram."

He would however, explain anything Adam asked about the transformation, including that it would cost him a lot of energy to activate it until he gained more experience and passed further trials. Once a day would likely max him out until then, and he wouldn't be able to hold his shape-shifted form for very long. He also warned that the first couple of times he did it, he would struggle to think rationally and logically, and be himself mentally. But with practice, he would soon learn how to keep his mind human, and at higher levels, he would even learn how to speak common tongue.

And last but not least... "That was no easy task for a new Druid. Well done."

It was an odd sort of peace felt by Adam Phillips after gaining the power to shapeshift. And pain. Yes, the pain was still present also. Something greater than either of those feelings emerged though when the object of his affections ran over to him and kissed him, telling him how he did great and that he needed to deal with his wounds. All he could do was smile and nod as she helped him walk. A few significant questions had been answered just now, and now he felt this whole ordeal had been worth it even if he had never learned the magic he had just been taught.

MacKensie spoke as she cleaned the younger Druid's wounds. "You were so brave out there.  To fight a bear...?" She shook her head, at a loss for words.  "I cannot believe what I just witnessed." 

"Part of me doesn't believe everything that happened either," Adam responded. And more than you'll ever know, he thought before speaking once more. "It was quite an experience. It's tough to put it into words just what it was like. It was terrifying, yet it kind of felt like…fighting myself? And now I feel more complete, if that makes sense?" He shook his head before continuing, this time speaking with absolute conviction. "Tough as it was though, it had to be done. There's too much at stake to sit around while people are in danger." When the Ranger finished her work and handed him his clothes, the red-eyed man smiled serenely as if he hadn't just been in danger of losing his life. "Thank you MacKensie. I couldn't have done it without you."

And the mood of the place did a total 360 thanks to the old elf that lived there. "Don't even think about asking to stay the night because it's not happening. When you're hale enough to walk your skinny little behinds back down my mountain, you can scram."

"...of course," the younger Druid evenly replied as he put on his clothes. "Before we leave though, could I ask you a few questions?" Gilligan obliged, telling Adam about various things he should know about his new ability. It was concerning that he wouldn't be in his right mind the first few times he used this power, but if he could fight the bear physically, he could do so mentally. In the end, the grumpy teacher complimented his student, prompting the latter to thank him. "I appreciate you taking the time to help me. I'll be sure to use this ability for good." And with that promise, Adam was ready to leave the mountain. Unless MacKensie needed to do anything beforehand, she and the red-eyed man would proceed back down the trees and start walking back to the city. "You might need to guide me a little this time. I've had a busy day," he said with a chuckle as he pointed to where the bear had slashed him.

"I didn't do it alone," she quickly said. "It was a team effort."

Barracker listened intently, he did not interrupt. As a monster hunter he was intrigued to understand any details she was willing to give. This would later help him take down Cerberus possibly.

“We all did our part, I attacked from one side with my spear while it was blinded by a spell and the others attacked from other sides as well. There is no way that beast could be slain by one person alone. I can tell you one thing." She leaned in as if she wanted to let them in on a secret. "I can tell you he smelled really bad. I was up close and phew" she waved her hand in front of her nose. "Be glad you weren't there."

The kids laughed loudly and even Barracker let a little chuckle out himself, full well knowing how monsters could smell. One time, a while ago, Barracker had hunted down a pack of Drowners and tracked them to their lair. At the time he was inexperienced, so if it wasn’t for his vampire constitution, he would surely have vomited while fighting. The smell of rotten corpses and fish littering the cave, was a tough stench to stomach.

Barracker spoke, “It is very true kids. A beast of that calibre should never be fought by a single person alone.”

Eren spoke next, “but don’t you hunt down monsters,” Eren aimed the question to Barracker, who he knew worked alone.

“Yes, but never that size and strength,” Barracker started to think of Cerebus when suddenly it got brought into the conversation by tyrion.

“Fenna,will you help Barracker hunt down a beast named Cerberus”.

Barracker shook his head lovingly at Tyrion's sincere request, then waited for Fenna to respond and then said. “Kids, they always have the best interest of others. He always tries to look out for me.”

After speaking for some time, moments later Eren said he was going to get some shots in, wanting to make the most of this opportunity. The young boy smiled at Fenna, then ran to queue up again.

“What are your plans after this?” Barracker asked Fenna. “We will be sticking around until the end of the archery session, then I will be taking the kids back to the orphanage, then heading to The Mended Drum to book a room for the night. You are free to join me, if you’re not busy after this.”

Once he had Fenna’s answer, he nodded, then brought his attention back to Eren who he watched shooting until the end of the practice. He noted with approval that the young boy was getting very good and knew he would make a fine Ranger one day.

"Ridden a horse?" Zell stopped with James in the street. "What the fuck do I look like, to you, Mac- err, James...?" That disguise really needed to go. "...some kind of country bumpkin?" Then Zell realised that the excited light in James' eyes was like the light-bulb signal of a bright idea. He looked around and saw the stable. "Mate, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"

"Come on." James headed towards the stables. Zell watched him go, drunk indifference on his face, then sighed and shook his head.

"You're barmy, son," he commented before following after his friend.

James was not shy, he didn't hesitate a step, unlatching the gate and boldly going right up to the nearest horse. Zell decided to keep lookout. The Englishman had never even seen a horse close up before, let alone ridden one, so he couldn't help but be surprised at just how big they were, in person. "Blimey," he muttered as James led one out by the reigns.

"That's it, boy," James whispered to horse, keeping it calm. "We're just going for a ride, me and you."

"Have you done this before?" Zell whispered loudly.

"Maybe," was the reply.

Once it was out into the street, James reached a foot up onto a stirrup, then Zell helped boost him up onto the horse. Zell then used the stirrup himself, but at that moment the lights came on in the building next to the stable, and the front door opened where a man in his night gown looked furiously at the horse thieves.

"Oi!"

"Shit." Zell jumped up and managed to get his body over the back of the horse, lay across it, belly down, like some kind of kidnapped victim. "Go!"

"Stop!"

"Yar!" James snapped the reigns and the horse charged off down the street.

"This was a bad idea!" Zell yelled as he bounced up and down on his stomach in what to be the most uncomfortable position he could have possibly put himself in. His view was of nothing else but cobblestone street flying past at great pace and all he could do was try his best hold on. Three streets later, he was losing the battle to keep himself atop the horse. "James, slow down, you twat!"

But it was too late. He slipped off and went flying like a bullet into someone's garden. "Shiiiiiiiiit!"

Crash.

So apparently neither he nor Zell could really ride horses.

"James, slow down, you twat!""Shiiiiiiiiit!"

"HAHAHAHA!" He really, really should be more worried or concerned but watching Zell go flying into that parcel just tickled his funny bone in that special way that he just couldn't resist. Which of course meant that was the moment the horse decided it had enough of the belligerent rider and decided to make its best imitation of a bull

"Omph!"

The result was James getting launched in a manner similar to Zell, the only difference was that one landed on a garden while the other had the unfortunate luck of landing on an active well.



"Ugh!" Rubbing his head Zell stood up, nothing felt broken but he felt a dull ache in his noggin, looking around carefully he noticed the lack of horse, man, and more importantly, Ma-James was nowhere to be found "James? Where are you mate!?"

"Over here!"

Zell blinked, the voice sounded close but where exactly was it... that was when his eyes fell into the well. He almost dismissed it instantly before thinking more about it "Surely not...", making his way he took a look inside.

Then bent laughing.

In the well was James who by luck more than skill had managed to extend his arms and legs in such a way that it prevented him from falling further into the well, sadly such a position also made it very difficult for him to climb out of it. Suddenly an idea sprung to his head, and with mirth in his voice, he intoned "Oh James of the well, tell me your wisdom"

"Stop fucking around and get me out of here!"

Still chuckling he started to lower the bucket attached to the top for a quick rescue.

Fenna turned to Tyron when he asked his question. Help Barracker hunt down a beast called Cerberus. There were so many things to consider, and the boy looked at her with such innocence and hope. "I'll see what I can do," she said. It wasn't something she could decide alone and the main mission was to return home, but since Barracker would help them, it was only fair if they would help him as well. If it wasn't on the other side of the world. "I'll bring it up to my team leader," she added.

She smiled when Barracker said kids had the best interest at heart for others and agreed to that sentiment, stating Tyron was a good kid.

When Eren went back to the shooting range and smiled at her, she decided to stay a little and watch him shoot arrows. When she noticed Barracked addressed her, she turned to him. "I don't have any plans, I'd be happy to tag along for a bit. We're staying at the same place tonight." She paused as she watched Eren practice. He was improving, but it'd take more training to be good at it. It was a joy watching him, and Tyron was adorable as well.

When Tyron moved a bit closer to Eren to encourage him, Fenna stood next to Barracker. "Maybe you can tell me more about Cerberus on the way to the Mended Drum," she said to him.

Sil circled over the shooting range and flew down to the tree closest to Fenna. She settled there and watched for a moment, ready to fly up when she would start walking.

She found herself stood on a meadow. She had all her ranger gear and weapons. There were periodic gusts of gentle wind, making the grass and her hair dance in unison. She slowly looked all around. She was alone out here. The sky was bright and blue. The sun made the air warm. It was nice.

And then she blinked. And there stood Zell next to her. He smiled at her and it made her feel good. She smiled back. She blinked again. Now Adam was stood on the other side of her. She returned his smile too, and the unmistakable warmth of good feelings resurged. They each offered a hand to hold and she gladly accepted.

But her hands grabbed nothing but air as both men suddenly disappeared. MacKensie, surprised, searched her promixity for a trace of them but there was nothing. And then she blinked again. They'd appeared again. Only this time they were several yards away from her, each in opposite directions. Not too far. She could still see their warm eyes - their smiles. But far enough to be out of reach.

Again they both held out a hand to her. Now her warmth of good feelings were replaced with a flood of anxiety. Why did it have to change? Why could it not be like before? Each of them beckoned her silently, their expressions still happy. But she was no longer happy. And she was rooted to the spot.

She knew instinctively that she could rid herself of this anxiety if she just went to stand by one of them again. But why did they have to move in the first place? She didn't know what to do. Why did it have to change?

She looked at Zell. He nodded, his hand still extended. Then she looked at Adam. He was doing the same.

Which way should she go?



MacKensie awoke with a deep breath. It was still dark so she rolled over and turn on the lamp, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the light. She shuffled backwards to sit up and drew her knees up to her, then rubbed her eyes tiredly, thinking about the dream that still sat vividly in her memory. She knew what it meant. Until now she'd been oblivious to the feelings that were building up for two of her friends - ignoring how they so clearly betrayed their feelings for herself too.

She shook her head and face-palmed. "Oh," she moaned. "This is all I need, right now."

Hugging her knees, she buried her face. In addition to the nagging fears regarding her ranger attributes and her apprehension about the coming gold tier mission, she now had an altogether more problematic issue. One that could not easily be ignored. One wrought with fear of the unknown, fear of getting hurt, fear of hurting someone else, fear of wrecking the dynamic within Second Chance.

This was not good.

And sunrise was right around the corner.

Sitting in his room, Adam thought about the events that had transpired today. It had been a nice day, all things considered. He had gotten to relax, spent some time with friends, and fought a mystical bear so he could gain the power to transform into one. Normal stuff for this world, and none of them were even the best part of the day. Now he sat in his room, uncertain about what he should do while he still had some energy left. Looking around the room, the Druid remembered something from the previous day and decided it would be a good idea to resume doing that. There was now a reason to do so, after all.

"Instant karma." Zell grinned down at James, choosing to watch him squirm for a moment before lowering the bucket the final foot of the way. "Up you get, then."

In the quiet darkness, the neigh of the horse several streets away filled the night air. James was back to chuckling again once he was free of the well, and the two men started off down the street once more.

"Ay, bruv," Zell said, hitting his buddy's arm with the back of his hand. "Wanna see this sword's superpower?" He said as he drew the black blade from the sheath on his back. He still hadn't seen the special enchantment himself yet, but he deciced now was as good a time as any to test it out. "Old Gildor Hammerfist says that it can cut through anything... once a day."

"Anything?" James was skeptical.

"That's what he said." He went up to streetside statue and looked up at all fifteen feet of it. Then he tapped it twice with the sword to hear the metal-on-stone sound confirming it was solid and uncuttable. He looked back at James briefly to make sure he was watching, then dropped into guard. "Take Vor, Baphomet!"

He put all his might into the swing, but perhaps he hadn't needed to, because his sword went through the statue like a hot knife through butter, spinning him around with the momementum of the swing to 180 him back to facing James. He stumbled a step, then stablized, looking quizzically at his friend. "Did it work?"

It did. The top half of the statue slowly slid off the bottom half. It was a good job James saw it in time - "Shit!" - as Zell would not have seen his most-certain death coming. The Mexican tackled the Englishman out of the way, both of them falling to the ground as the massive hunk of stone crashed onto the ground where Zell once stood. The noise was loud, prompting dogs to start barking in nearby gardens. James and Zell shared a surprised look, then looked back at the statue.

"Fucking hell," Zell exclaimed. "Thanks mate."

"Don't mention it," James returned.

...

The rest of the night, for the two mischief makers, consisted of being spotted by and subsequently fleeing from the town guard. Finding themselves at the infamous Thieves' Guild's tavern and casino: The Brass Monkey, where more drinking and gambling was to be had. Zell introducing James to the teardrop-tattoo man known as Devon, who turned out to be a henchman for a local crimelord. James having to aggressively turn away flirtatious advances from lecherous men, sometimes resorting to violence when 'Fuck off' wasn't enough. There was also a spell of vomitting in the yard outside, and more drinking. And later bumping back into the town guard who promptly arrested the pair for Grand Theft Horse and property damage.

Zell and James slept in Valhiem's jail until morning, when they paid a fine for their crimes and were released. They came skulking into The Mended Drum, feeling haggard and hungover, and went to bed for a few more hours, vowing to eachother that they'd never speak of the night's events, out loud, in front of anyone. Some things were best just buried in the past.

Barracker noticed a peculiar falcon flying around the shooting range. It seemed out of the ordinary as one wouldn’t usually be flying around the city, so close to people, but then it flew down and sat, perched on the branch of a tree. The sheer size of this specimen was a sight to behold. It was a special sight to see. What was even more peculiar was that after the archery session was over, as they walked back together to drop off the kids, the falcon started tracking their movements while soaring the skies. From this point, Barracker wondered if it was Fenna’s falcon as rangers have been known to have companions of nature on their side from time to time.

Moments have passed about talking of Eren and Tyrion. Barracker explained that he helps out at an orphanage with the kids and that he checks on the people there from time to time. Barracker and Fenna watched as Tyrion and Eren ran off ahead the rest of the way, where they were met by more than a dozen kids playing around an old elven woman. Tyrion and Eren gave a wave to their friends and gave a hug to the worker there. “Hi mother,” the kids said in sync.

“How was it my dears?” she said with a loving warmth in her voice, giving a hug in response. “How did you fare at the archery range? Good, I’m sure."

Eren’s nodded, beaming with a smile. Tyrion gave a nod of approval too.

Barracker and Fenna were not far behind. They could hear and see the kids with mother Anne. Barracker introduced Fenna to Anne. “This is Anne, my mother. A kinder woman there never was. She is Iris incarnate.” the two smiled at each other.

“You're too sweet.” she waved it off. “And who is this lovely lady?"

Before Barracker or Fenna could introduce them, Eren chimed in. “She is Fenna, she killed Aurok the man-eater. How cool is that!?” Anne's eyes beamed open. She was no adventurer but even she knew how impressive that was. Barracker smiled and the kids were raving in excitement towards Fenna. Barracker introduced some of their names, there were so many gathered round, but it was a little girl named Isabella who grabbed her hand and smiled with a grin, teeth showing. “I'm Isabella,” she spoke so proudly, sticking her chest out and pointing to herself.

Even the staff gathered round and listened joyfully, noting that Barracker, Eren and Tyrion had returned.

Eren turned to face Isabella. “Sorry we didn’t take you with us”.

Isabella softly slapped Eren’s arm and screwed up her face at him. “I had to do the cleaning with mother because of you.” It wasn’t Eren’s fault, the kids always had a few chores to do each week as a helping hand was needed to keep the orphanage running smoothly. Barracker knew this all too well. The kids outnumbered the staff ten to one, but this was because of the war creating refugees.

Barracker and Fenna stayed for a bit and spoke, but then, some time later, Barracker needed to go. He waved off the kids, gave Isabella and some of the other kids and Mother Anne a hug and said farewell to them all including the staff.

As they strolled off, Barracker noticed the Falcon still soaring the sky. He thought to himself that it could be a spy, but shrugged it off for now. He’d wait to see if it still followed and was there later. On the way to ‘The Mended drum’, Barracker started telling Fenna about Cerberus. She had been interested to hear directly from Barracker’s mouth about the troublesome beast that plagued his mind.

“This beast is fierce. A three headed hound that escaped hell itself,” Barracker started. “It killed my mentor, Odis Visigni, a Paladin that taught me the ways of being a monster hunter and was well-respected by ‘The Order’. He was the reason why I opted for being a Paladin.” He half smiled at Fenna, a sad distant look in his eyes. “His life was taken by that thing,” Barracker didn’t name it this time. “It was his assignment. An abandoned village now, but once named Corsica, was the monster's hunting grounds. Odis had warned me not to come on this mission. Strong headed and eager to prove my worth, I had insisted on going with him. So he tricked me into reporting our departure to 'Paladin's Respite,' then left without me. When I arrived, there was nothing but corpses. The villagers had been killed and torn to bits, I could only hope some had gotten away.” Barracker shuddered slightly, he shook it off and finished the story of that night. “It is because of that night that plagues my mind and rests on my shoulders, that I must to take Cerberus out of existence. Everyday it lives is a curse upon Mytheria.”

Barracker noticed the spear Fenna was carrying as she mentioned before about fighting Aurok The Man-Eater. “I am impressed that you wield both a spear and a bow. That's not an easy feat. You must be gifted.”

The Falcon was still in flight wherever they walked too. It raised some questions, alone he thought it a good time to ask. “Is that your Falcon, flying above us?” he hoped the answer would be yes, otherwise his suspicions would rise.

As they walked to the orphanage, Fenna listened to Barracker and the two children pointing out their favourite places, until the ran off. From what Fenna could see, the orphanage was a well-kept place and the children living here were happy. She smiled when she was introduced to Anne, the mother of this place.

Fenna waved her hands when she was introduced as the one killing Aurok. "It really was a team effort, I couldn't have done it without my friends," she reminded the children, although she realised it was a futile thing. Hopefully word wouldn't get around too far. The last thing she wanted was to be known as "Fenna, slayer of Aurok".

When one of the children introduced herself, she smiled and leaned in a bit. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Isabella.'

As the children started talking and playing among each other, the adults had a few moment to themselves. Anne was kind and asked where she was from (far away was all Fenna said) and if she enjoyed the city (a beautiful place). Fenna complimented Anne on the children and how she cared for them, adding that it was sad a place like this was necessary, but the children seemed happy. The conversation turned to motherhood and Fenna was happy to talk about her children for a moment.

When it was time to go she walked with Barracker back to the inn and listened to the explanation of Cerberus. It sounded like a dangerous beast. Would it be in the same classification of Aurok? She was careful not to make any promises. It wasn't that she didn't want to help Barracker, but could they? And where even was Corsica? She did express her compassion about losing his mentor and how awful it was so many people had died already.

"To be honest," Fenna said after Barracker called her gifted. "I had not fired my bow before today. I haven't used it in combat, I only used my spear." Again she realised how odd it was she could fight with it, even though she had never wielded one before. "I guess I prefer close combat, or, well, semi-close. Spear-lenght."

The moment Barracker mentioned the falcon she looked up. "Oh yes, that is Sil. She... I don't know exactly how it happened, but something clicked and now we hang together." She smiled as she talked about it, as she always did when she mentioned the falcon. It was nice having her around.

Once inside the inn, Fenna turned to Barracker. "It was nice talking with you and seeing the orphanage. I look forward to working with you."
After that she told him and any of her companions who were still in the common area that she'd return to her room, and she asked the bartender to have a meal brought to her room. The only thing she had planned was to wash up and have a final shower before leaving on their next mission the next day. She wished them all a pleasant evening and went to her room.

"How could I be so stupid?" Clarissa Shields muttered.

How could she have ignored the clues? The WellSprings temporarily dry up due to Universal Tier, top secret magical rituals being performed in Capitol City. A few days later, unprecedented, revolutionary technology is delivered to her doorstep by a party whose Ranger outright tells her that she was from another world. And now she's finding out that the Cleric who leads them is blessed by the entirety of the Quinity and their kin. Not to mention that this same party somehow managed to kill Aurok the Maneater.

"Excuse me?" Areleth asked. It was he whose instincts had led him to the highly classified library of The Academy to research the possibilities of Second Chance's presence in the city. The findings were clear.

Clarissa looked at him and shook her head, then turned to the closest subordinate in the office. "You... go down to the city and find the party; Second Chance. Take whomever you need. They must be somewhere in Valhiem. I want them here as soon as possible."

"At once," the subordinate replied and disappeared.

Mayor Pendlebury frowned. "Will somebody tell me what in the world is going on?"

Areleth bowed his head. "I'm afraid this may above all of our stations, Mayor." He then looked at Clarissa. "Mytheria hangs in the balance."



But Second Chance were no longer in the city of Valhiem.

The party had gathered together and were gone before the morning was out. Joji never did show up at The Mended Drum, but replacing him was Barracker Kassel, the paladin monster hunter. The vampire had finally been introduced to Lillianna and Second Chance were now headed towards the Temple of Hades in the local region. They had made good headway during the afternoon, using the well-kept roads of the local region.

The mission sat firmly in all of the adventurers' minds: Arrive outside the temple on the hill by nightfall, and the full moon's light would reopen the entrance. Once inside, they would find their way to the main chamber and do battle with the Greater Wraith that had taken control of the temple and enslaved it's followers. It would not be easy, but success would take them all one step closer to the answers they sought.

Eventually, the party would come across a wagon that was going the opposite way. The driver recognized the attire of the adventurers and stopped to speak to them.

"Afternoon there, adventurers," he greeted, tipping his hat. "You ain't, per chance, on business in the area, are you?" He pointed back the way he came. "The village of Cherrad's up yonder way. They're in dire straits, right now, what with Hades' Temple gone rogue 'nd all. They've been waiting for the Adventurer's Guild to send some help about that."

It had been a nice morning for Adam Phillips. Waking up on his own was a nice change from the day before, and he was inadvertently much more prepared for the mission than he expected to be. Not using any of his supplies had a way of doing that. And he felt great! Ironic, considering he had fought a literal bear the day before.

Did Zell and James appear more worn out than usual? That would be even more ironic if so, since neither of them probably battled any beasts yesterday. 

The Druid decided not to pry beyond a simple “how are you?” for each of them though unless they decided to explore the topic themselves, instead focusing his energies on ensuring the group would be safe on their journey to Cherrad. This walk would not end up like their last one, not if he had anything to say about it. Looking at his map what felt like a dozen times to ensure the very best route and keeping a constant eye on their surroundings to ensure there wasn't any danger…

In the end, these preparations ended up being completely pointless as Second Chance made it close to their destination without so much as a scratch. There was even time for pleasant conversation with his teammates. Nothing at all like the Hillocks. Still, when threats to life were possible, it was better to be prepared and not need it than the reverse. It was a shame Joji seemed to disappear after surviving that, but Adam felt a man who could do that could deal with whatever Mytheria could throw his way and that he would be alright. Speaking of conversation, Adam noticed someone approaching, so he took the time to listen to what this stranger had to say.

"Afternoon there, adventurers," he greeted, tipping his hat.  "You ain't, per chance, on business in the area, are you?"  He pointed back the way he came.  "The village of Cherrad's up yonder way.  They're in dire straits, right now, what with Hades' Temple gone rogue 'nd all.  They've been waiting for the Adventurer's Guild to send some help about that.”

“Yes sir, we're Second Chance, and we took the job from the Guild. I'm Adam, it's nice to meet you. It's too bad what's happened there. Is there anything we should know about the temple so we aren't caught off guard? We're not from here so any help would be appreciated.”

Best not to make too many assumptions about the place of worship of a faith he knew nothing about. On Earth, Hades was mainly relevant to him as a game Eric played (and would not stop talking about for a week), not the cause of trouble for innocent people.

MacKensie Trydant's morning had gone much like the previous one. She'd walked the streets in the early morning air, on the way to that grassy spot behind the warehouse, by the river. On the way she tested the magical grapplehook gauntlet on that same tree and her balance on that same single-storey rooftop. This time she hadn't fallen in any bushes, but her slow, clunky and cautious movements did not inspire any confidence. At the riverside she did her stretching exercises and tried to focus on her breathing, but her mind couldn't get away from the new problems she faced.

In all of her years, she'd never been involved romantically with anyone before. The need for an immaculate reputation in France's high society made a loose and easy exploration of such hormones and feelings an impossibility. She remembered liking one boy before. But she also remembered how that boy's eyes turned to other girls when he realised that courting MacKensie would be a longer affair than he would've liked. How that disappointment had wounded her. She'd cried in her mother's arms and questioned her desirability, been assured and comforted by her mother, then cried some more on her pillow. Even now, MacKensie's stomach turned just thinking about it.

Here she was in a different world - no weight of family reputation on her shoulders - and yet her sense of dignity and honour remained the same. And feelings remained so complicated. Adam. Adam was the type of man that, on paper, was a perfect match for her. He was well-mannered, considerate and good-natured. The type that she could confidently take home to her parents. Mother would've loved him. Zell. Zell was quite the opposite. She never would've dreamed that she could find herself attracted to such a rogue. But his eyes were full of confidence, ambition and charm. Father would've hated him. Without a doubt, the two of them were handsome, (all of the men in Second Chance were, to be fair.) Both had nice smiles, were tall, had shown they had courage and character in spades already.

She liked them both. She wished she didn't like either of them, for the easiest way out of this situation would be to firmly reject any advances towards her, and keep focus on the mission at hand. That option was still available, but she didn't want to take it. Because deep down, she was attracted to one more than the other. Conciously she was unaware of this fact, and too inexperienced in love to figure it out, but hopefully she would soon, because dragging this situation out would only result in more pain and trouble than it was worth.



During the morning, when the party were together, MacKensie found herself avoiding Zell and Adam. In fact, she was not overly talkative with even James or Barracker, at first - a dissenting voice in the back of her mind accusing her of being a flirtatious coquette. But this awkwardness did not last long as it simply wasn't who MacKensie was. She could not be anyone but her sociable and friendly self. However, once Second Chance left the city, she found herself walking the road by the side of her fellow Ranger, Fenna.

Fenna's comforting presence gave MacKensie the shelter to focus her mind on the mission ahead. "Nice to be moving forward again, is it not?" she commented to the dutchwoman. "I fear I might've lost the edge I gained in the first two days, had I stayed relaxing in the city for any longer."

Yes, perhaps the danger they were walking into would provide the necessity required to use her abilities and regain her confidence. A brave take on the siutation. One she was happy to have.

When the man driving the wagon pulled up next to them and offered a greeting, MacKensie nodded a greeting back. "Good afternoon, sir."

She was happy to let others do the talking, Adam coming up with a smart question, the answer of which interested her.

Barracker slept well, for once. Even though he didn’t need as much sleep as he did before being turned, every few days, the restless nights would catch up with him and he would be out like a log. Yesterday had been pleasant, spending the day with Fenna and the kids brought back memories of when Evelyne was in town. He had missed her presence and when he awoke, decided to pen a letter to her this morning. For some privacy, he went and sat under a tree outside ‘The Mended Drum’ and used the back of his ‘Bestiary’ book as a flat surface to write on. As always the time flew but not much appeared on the paper. Eventually he managed to write a few short paragraphs about his recent goings on and some pleasant words about herself.

Once done, he had breakfast and fetched his belongings, along with the spectre oil, from the ‘The Temple Of The Quinity’ and armed himself up in his gear.

It was a relief to put a face to the final member of ‘Second Chance’ and have all introductions out the way. Lillianna seemed very nice and he told her that having a pure wizard in the party would be very valuable on this mission, and he explained to all the group the ghostly nature of the enemies they would be facing.

“These enemies are vulnerable to elemental damage but regular weapons will not touch them,” the paladin told them all. “Unfortunately, there will likely be some innocent people who have had their minds enslaved by the wraith and stand in our way. We will have to spill blood. I know its hard but harden your hearts, because any hesitation will end in your death.”

Even after years of monster hunting it still pained him to talk so blase about taking lives. It was no easy task.

Barracker turned to Fenna and handed her a vial. “This is spectre oil, it will allow you to hit the ethereal enemies in the temple. I‘m afraid this was all I was able to make. There will be enough to coat the tip of your spear a few times.” He spoke to the others. “For those of you, who do not possess elemental magic, take care to avoid direct engagement with the spirits.”

He really wished he could have given some oil to Mackensie and Zell, but spreading the oil too thin could lead to disaster.

Barracker walked and spoke with Adam on the way towards ‘The Temple of Hades’. On their way a traveller stopped and spoke to the group. "Afternoon there, adventurers," he greeted, tipping his hat. "You ain't, per chance, on business in the area, are you?"

“We are,” Barracker confirmed.

He pointed back the way he came. "The village of Cherrad's up yonder way. They're in dire straits, right now, what with Hades' Temple gone rogue 'nd all. They've been waiting for the Adventurer's Guild to send some help about that.”
Barracker was silent while waiting for the traveller to respond to Adam's question. But he did know quite a bit himself about how temples of Hades were usually laid out. He would wait until they were outside the temple before relaying that information.

There was something relaxing about taking a bath.

The moment he changed back to his normal appearance (and arrived at his room from jail) he immediately threw himself into the bath provided by the inn with the intention of getting rid of the alcohol smell and trying to relax a little before the quest was in full swing. Of course, that proved difficult when his thoughts kept going back to the night before.

"Oh shit, oh crap, I fucked up"

There was a lesson in there, somewhere, something like 'don't mix stress and alcohol' or maybe 'bring a minder next time', whatever the case he just knew that it was fucking embarrassing. Oh gods what was he going to tell Mac? He forgot he was under the blessing thanks to the alcohol.

He brought both hands to his face and let out a long sigh "Shiiiieeettt"

At the very least it had been fun.

He snorted, it was the sort of night he would have had with some of his wilder friends back home if with a little more crime than he was used to but in his defense the alcohol was stronger than he had been expecting. Ah there was no use cringing about it now, what was done was done and he had to focus on the quest ahead, he had bought enough supplies (or so he hoped) his spells were charged as well as his blessings and they had a new party member.

They could do this.



It was funny, here he was, in another world with his new friends going on a mystical adventure to slay an enemy in some ancient temple and the thing he was worried the most about was letting someone know he had accidentally impersonated them while going on a blender and a crime spree, granted it was not the weirdest story he had been involved with (that belonged to aunt Maya and her Portuguese friend) but it still made him feel awkward, thankfully the person in question was deep in conversation with Fenna.

Speaking off, maybe he should find someone to talk with for the duration of the travel, he already spent a night sharing a cell with Zell -he- so it was time to find someone else which left Lily and Kass, frankly he felt the conversation with Kass was easier but he didn't want to exclude the resident mage, that and they still hadn't had even a single good conversation with each other.

Squaring his shoulders he moved until he was walking by her side "Hey Lily, how you doin?"

“Yes sir, we're Second Chance, and we took the job from the Guild. I'm Adam, it's nice to meet you. It's too bad what's happened there. Is there anything we should know about the temple so we aren't caught off guard? We're not from here so any help would be appreciated.”

...Oh?

He watched as Adam struck up a conversation with the wagon driver, he had expected any other party member (with the exception of maybe Lily and Kass) to step up but for it to be Adam was surprising, looking at him he appeared more... sure? no, that wasn't it, secure? that wasn't either...

Confident!

That was it, he was standing taller than the day before, he must have done something to gain back his confidence. Good for him really, it was a worry he could leave to rest.

He let his mind wander while listening to their conversation, they were close to their destination, which meant that they would find themselves deep in violence once again, he took a calming breath, no one was going to die he silently promised himself.

Not again.

He had spent some pretty penny on medical supplies, with luck and caution they wouldn't see use but it was better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them. "Oh right!" Rummaging through his pack he found what he was looking for, a set of 10 knives with scabbards greeted him, thanks to the whole "getting thrown in jail" thing he had forgotten he bought these, they weren't daggers or specialized knives, they were just utilitarian blades that he had gotten for his party members, in case they needed them.

One by one he passed them to their new owners "Here, a little extra something in case you ever need it"

In the end he was left with just 4 of them, one was his while the other three... the other three he would carry for some time.

The wagon driver was caught between a mixture of relief at Barracker confirming that they were indeed adventurers come to deal with the Temple of Hades, but also wariness at the sight of the vampire. The paladin was positively terrifying to look at.

"Information? Hmmm," he thought about Adam's question, his eyes searching the party as he did so. "Well, s'gotta be at least twenty cult members up in that temple, to be sure. A small army, it must feel like. They've got weapons, magic and they're not afraid to come out and use 'em on the neigbouring villages."

As he looked at Barracker again, he was suddenly reminded of something that might be useful.

"Actually... there is something you ought'a know. The village of Wensleydale, a couple'a miles on other side o' Temple Hill: A man came to the village, last week, looking for help to rescue some injured folk who'd escaped the cult and were at the bottom of Temple Hill in need of some aid and escort. Wensleydale sent ten of their men with the man to go and get the escapee 'nd bring them back to safety. Only, it turned out t'was a trap. The man was actually a cultist who was luring in unsuspecting villagers for recruitment. One villager managed to get away but told that the rest were beaten and taken prisoner." The wagon driver shook his head. "It'll give a man nightmares wondering how they manage to brainwash innocent people. Be careful adventurers. This cult is not above using deception in it's evil workings."

The wagon driver wished them luck and took his leave, continuing down the road on course for Valhiem. The party were left to their own thoughts, with the small village of Cherrad a short walk away on their route to Temple Hill.