Adam gasped for air as the world began to move again, and once more his eyes burned as the sun pierced his eyes. He brought his arm over his shield his eyes, before the burniion soothed.

  Through his teary eyes he could see a ruione wall all around him, though it only went up a metre and a half at the highest. He was in the process of rolling onto his front, but reached up to grab at the wall instead, and hoisted himself up.

  Looking over the ruined wall he saw he a hill, one which overlooked a rge forest around it. However, off to his left was a wall which wasn’t ruined, surrounding a rge town.

  “Whoa, that’s so much bigger than Red Oak,” he said, whistling. “Red Oak was what, ten, fifteen thousand people? What did they feed this town?”

  Intelligence CheckD20 + 3 = 11 (8)

  “Must be at least double the size,” Adam said, sure that he was correct.

  Wolves howled in the distance, and Adam took that as a sign that he should get his butt moving.

  He checked his pack to see if he had everything which he had picked, form his ons to his tools, before he realised something.

  ‘It’s really cold.’

  He looked down to see he was butt naked.

  “…”

  ‘Won’t the guards arrest me like this?’

  Then he checked his pack again. “And I don’t have any gold? Hey, Bell! Did you stiff me?”

  [No, the rest of your items are iher ruin.]

  Adam threw a look aside to the other ruined wall nearby, and then climbed over towards it. There he found his mail, a rge pile of clothing, a set of smithing tools, a pouch full of , and the hilt of a sword.

  He first ged into his clothes, and then froze. “Hold on, Fate Born didn’t give me ara proficies for tools.”

  [That’s because you are the tool.]

  “…”

  [You may choose two additional tools.]

  “Also, I realised something else.”

  [What?]

  “I fot to take the best trick, Tricks.” Adam ged visibly, biting his lower lip. It was the best trick, and he half cursed himself for taking Guidanstead of Tricks.

  [I ’t ge that now.]

  “You ’t?”

  [I , but I won’t.]

  “…”

  Adam finished ging into his clothes and armour, attag his sword belt around his waist, tapping the pouch which was at his side. With that, he was ready to start his adventure.

  [You’re not going to pick your proficies?]

  “I’ll make you wait for it.”

  […]

  With that, Adam tinued along his path. He made his way through the forest, rushing through it so he could get to civilisation. He found a dirt path which led generally towards the town, so followed it until he was out of the forest and then out onto the road.

  He leapt onto the road, feeling the hard stone under his boots, and looked towards the town. “Man, it feels good to be alive!” He whistled as he jaunted over towards the rge town.

  The town walls were thid hard, made of heavy sto was easily five metres high, with a few small towers running along the perimeter. At the front was a thick, wooden gate, and a pair of guard in mail, carrying spears at their side. They also wore tabards, coloured red and there was a tree imprinted onto it. Adam didn’t think anything of it as he approached them.

  “Hullo,” the guard called out. “What brings you to Red Oak?”

  “Good mor-“ Adam looked up to judge the time quickly.

  Survival CheckD20 + 1 = 11 (10)

  “Good afternoon,” he said, correg himself. “Well I’ve e to Red Oak…” He stopped. ‘Red Oak?’ He blinked a few times at the guard, w if it could be the same Red Oak that he knew. “Uh…”

  “Yes?” the guard asked, taking off her helmet to reveal her beautiful face. She was strongly built, with long brue hair, and a handsome smile. Her eyes were a deep, pierg green, like the most entig field that you would find in a musical about romahe female lead pressing herself against the loree which appeared from o speak about her forbidden love.

  Adam wasn’t sure why, but he could definitely feel that she rolled a fifteen on her hotness check, what with her pearly white smile aiful eyes.

  “She gets that a lot,” the uard smiled as she took off her ow. She wasn’t quite as pretty, but that didn’t mean she could crack mirrors. She looked very simir to the uard, with her brue hair and pierg green eyes, but her face was slightly maunt, and there were small scratch marks against her cheek.

  “Shut up,” the beautiful guard said, jabbing the woman beside her with her elbow. “So what brings you to Red Oak?”

  “Adventure,” Adam said. “I’m here to join the Adventurer’s Guild.”

  “You want to pave your own path, is that it?”

  “Something like that,” Adam said. “I’m Adam, Adam Fate.”

  “Marie,” the beautiful guard said, before motioning with her head to the uard beside her, “and this is my sister, Mary.”

  “Marie and Mary?” Adam asked.

  “Mom wasn’t very creative with her names,” Mary said.

  “Not that our father was aer. Harold, Harry, and Harri. you imagine being called Harri?”

  Adam could hear the iion at the end, and he assumed how it elt. “Right, uh…”

  “Right, sate fee is a copper .”

  Adam reached into his poud pulled out a gold . “Do you have any ge?”

  The guard looked at the gold . “Do you only have gold on you?”

  “Yes,” Adam chuckled nervously. “Sorry.”

  “Well, we’ll get you some ge. It’s always a good idea to keep a few denominations of lower currency.”

  “Thank you.”

  “A polite little one, isn’t he?” Mary said. “Usually you guys are a little rougher.”

  “Us guys?”

  “Adventurers.”

  “I’m still you. My face is round, my bde still not yet wet by the blood of my enemies.”

  Currency15GP -> 14GP

  “I’m sure you’ll be sying plenty of enemies,” Mary said as her sister went to get some ge. “You like to use a sword and shield, do you?”

  “That’s right. Something romantic about a sword, you know?”

  “I know, but a spear is easier to use. Easier to make, and cheaper to buy too.”

  “The best on to arm a few hundred people with,” Adam replied back with a nod of his head. “Also useful to hunt with.”

  She hadn’t expected Adam to be so eager to agree with her. ‘This guy is pretty strange, but quite likeable.’ “Where are you from?”

  Adam smiled. “I’m from very far away, a po one has heard of, that’s for sure.”

  “Really? You came all this way to join the Adventurer’s Guild?”

  Adam wasn’t sure how much he should give up. “I heard that it’s a nice pce.”

  “You bet,” Mary said, nodding her head. “Red Oak’s the best. Beautiful trees, great crafters, and not to mention our adventurers.”

  “What’s so special about your adventurers?”

  “Red Oak has created almost half the Mithril Rank adventurers iire Kingdom.”

  “It’s about to be half once I join.”

  Mary almost snorted with ughter, reag up to hide her toothy grin. “Right, right.” She jabbed Adam with the butt of her spear. “Be careful out there. Don’t let yuard down.”

  “I don’t pn on it,” Adam replied back with a smile. “I’ve already died twice.”

  “Really? How did you die twice?”

  Adam looked up towards the sky. “The gods decided my time had e.”

  Mary nodded her head. “Death es to us all.”

  “They say only two things in life are certain.”

  “Death and what else?”

  “Taxes.”

  Mary snorted with ughter, c her mouth. She tried to calm herself, but was too busy shaking from the silent ughter. Tears formed in her eyes, which was quite unfortunate for Adam.

  Marie had returned, and watched as her sister was keeled over and shaking. Adam caught the look in her eye.

  ‘Uh oh.’

  Charisma SaveD20 + 4 = 14 (10)

  “What happened?” Marie had one hand ch around some s, and the other firmly gripping her spear.

  “I said a very funny joke,” Adam replied baly.

  “What was the joke?”

  “The text behind it is more important. ime I swing by, I’ll try and make you ugh too.” Adam tio smile ily up at her.

  “Uhuh. Alright, here.” She handed him his ge. “Make sure you stay out of trouble, okay?”

  Currency14GP -> 14GP, 9SP, 9CP

  “I’ll do my best,” Adam replied, patting his much fuller pouch. “Is there an inn you reend?”

  “If you’re heading to the Adventurer’s Guild, you bunk there for the night. They take good care of newbies. You good at using the sword?”

  “I’m det.”

  “Humble as well? Are you sure you want to be an adventurer?”

  “It’s an adventurer’s life for me.”

  “Good luck. If anyone gives you any trouble, be sure to call fuard. Don’t take matters into your own hands. I’m sure I didn’t o tell you that.”

  “No ma’am,” Adam said, nodding his head.

  “Alright, well don’t be a stranger.”

  The gates had been open for some time, but Adam had been trating owo guards ahead of him. However, now that he was making his ast the guards, the bst of him like a truck.

  There were hundreds of boots hitting the stone floor as porters carried various goods, men and women carried home their groceries.

  “Carol! We’re making baskets ter!” a woman shouted to another as she carried a basket of ropes and twigs.

  “Okay!” the other woman shouted iurn.

  Horse hooves struck the ground as the beasts pulled along carts and carriages of some fellow or another, a rhythm sound which caused people to step aside to give space.

  He could smell the industry from afar, the wafting st of street food, and the smell of hard bour as people carried sacks full of various vegetables, grains, and materials.

  Everything hit Adam, causing him to pause as he looked at the hundreds of buildings ahead of him, uo see passed the crowd towards the towre. He hadn’t seen a rge town like this in a while, not since he was in the giant town, which was built for many tens of thousands of giants, though it couldn’t be pared to a human town.

  Quest: Join the Adventurer’s GuildReward: +100XP

  The words shone ahead of him, causing his eyes to twitch around them, before they faded away.

  ‘Well, that was the pn…’

  He marched forward, a warm feeling of excitement carrying his steps. The electricity of adventure rushed through him, spurring him passed the thin, tall buildings of Red Oak. They were made of wood, of course, and some had bits and pieces of red oak. A window frame here, a door frame there, and some just had a single pnk across the front, right above the door frame.

  Perception CheckD20 + 2 = 5 (3)

  He also noticed the walking sticks some people carried, made of red oak too. Most people also wore a club at their side, and now and against he found someoh a club made of red oak. He hadn’t noticed the various other tris people carried with them, or their red s which very few people wore.

  As he walked past certain shops, he also saw sign boards made of red oak, with either the name or a symbol etched or painted into it. The designs were of varying levels of intricate, but instead of getting lost in them, he shook his head and tinued forward through the bustling main road, dodging and weaving his way to the tre of the town.

  “…”

  He stepped aside towards a side road, realising a mistake he had made. He had no idea where the Adventurer’s Guild was. He looked about, trying to find someone who could help him, before seeing an older man sitting at his doorstep and smoking. His pipe was made of red oak, obviously.

  “Excuse me, do you know where the Adventurer’s Guild is?” Adam asked, not approag too closely. He was a rge half elf, adorned in heavy armour, with various ons at his side. He uood that he didn’t give off the frie impression.

  “Right I do,” the old man replied, nodding his head. “You head to the tre, take a left on to Labour Road, and follow it down. You ’t miss it, not unless your eyes are as bad as mihe old man smirked at his joke, sug at his pipe and half ughing and choking on the smoke.

  “Thank you, sir,” Adam said, reag into his pouch.

  The old man held out a hand and shook his head. “o worry about that, d. You take those s and buy yourself a nice drink, you hear?” The old man looked to Adam in his fairly shiny armour, his bde gleaming. ‘Look at this whipper snapper. I bet he’s only just stopped sug on his mother’s teet. At least she raised him well.’

  “I will.” Adam chuckled. He nodded his head. “Thank you again.” ‘Wow, everyone’s so nice here.’ He hadn’t expected that the people here would be so kind and helpful. Even the guard hadn’t tried to stab him after walking across the sight of seeing her sister keeling over as though she had been struck.

  He followed the instrus, marg towards the towre where there were buildings made purely out of red oak. He could see that each had a guard standing outside of it, making sure no ooward was stepping into the buildings.

  There was a fountain iown square, where people refilled their waterskins, and others dropped in s to pray food fortune or for the demise of their most hatred enemies.

  “Please make Billy fall over,” a young boy said, having spent his hard earned allowance.

  Adam could only respect the youngster’s faith, and wondered if the gods were listening in to trip over Billy. He thought back to the gods he had met. ‘More than likely.’

  There was ane building off to one side, made purely of wood, though Adam only barely g it as he found the sign he was looking for. He looked along Labour Road to see a rge number of crafters, from woodworkers to leather workers.

  ‘Why’s it called Labour Road and not Crafter’s Road?’ He shrugged his shoulders. ‘Not like I’m in charge of naming roads.’ With that, he followed the path along for a few minutes.

  Perception CheckD20 + 2 = 16 (14)

  He narrowly dodged a pick pocket, spping their hand as he tinued along. It was the same little shit who had made the prayer earlier. “I hope you trip over,” Adam whispered to the young boy, but tinued along his way to the Adventurer’s Guild.

  ‘I ’t believe he caught me!’ The boy rubbed the back of his hand, shocked that he had been caught. He was certain that he had rolled well on his dice check, if that was a thing in this world, but it appeared that Adam had rolled much better.

  The Adventurer’s Guild stood tall. It was made of stone for the first floor, and the hree floors were made of wood, getting slightly smaller as it approached towards the top, giviain roguish csses a det way to climb up, but also giving the people on the higher floors a better vantage point to see oning people.

  Perception CheckD20 + 2 = 4 (2)

  Adam didn’t see the faig oop floor, or the faint runes which created a defensive spell against any intruders.

  What he did see, was a rge field to one side, with targets far to the back, and a small field were a couple of adventurers and guards were trying out their skills against one another. Behind the smaller field was a stone building ected to the side of the Adventurer’s Guild.

  He walked up to the heavy, red oak doors, and pushed ohey were fairly pin, though he recalled that they were engraved with quite the sight iher world, in his st lifetime.

  To his right were adventurers drinking aing, a bar beyond them, and to his left were a few adventurers pying games, and a wall covered with posters for various requests.

  ‘Wow. This pce looks just like the Adventurer’s Guild I knew. Is this really Red Oak, or did the universe find that this was the greatest way of formatting Adventurer’s Guilds?'

  Ahead of him was the ter, which was currently blocked off by a group of burly men. Each were adorned in heavy furs, covered from their neck down in the fur cloak. He fidently approached the ter, standing behind the group as he waited for his time. The sensation of queueing filled his British bones, causing him to rex. He almost closed his eyes as he thought about how it made him feel right at home.

  The burly men muttered between one another, speaking in low growls and grunts in their own nguage.

  “The sheet’s all filled out, so why don’t you step around bad we’ll get the test started soon.” The voice was a familiar and feminine.

  ‘Isn’t that…’

  As the burly men stepped aside, Adam saw the sight of a tall and young woman, close to twenty or so years of age. She had long red hair, loosely draped past her shoulders, and down her back. She wore a simple outfit, a red shirt that went down passed the ter where Adam dared not to peek. Her face held ahly beauty, with sprinkles of freckles all over her face.

  “Good afternoon. I’m Emma, receptionist of the Red Oak branch,” she said, seeing as she had never seen this freshly armoured fellow before. “How may I help you, stranger?” she asked in a practised tone which was meant to sound cheerful and sweet.

  ‘Emma?’

  Adam blinked, looking through his helmet to see the familiar face.

  ‘What the hell is going on?’

  Emma smiled, waiting for him to speak. Adam was in a state of shock, and he shook his head, catg glimpses of the burly men who had stepped to the side to mutter between one another and wish their you good lu his exam.

  Adam froze. The moment passed as he half darted forward, causing the burly men to turn on instinct. One grabbed his shoulder, anrabbed at his outstretched arm and hooked it back. They had moved seamlessly, not a word passiween them, but catg him expertly in unison.

  The burly men looked towards Emma, seeing as this wasn’t their home, and they weren’t the kind to make a mess in the Adventurer’s Guild.

  Adam’s heart pounded wildly, his hand still outstretched. He was so close, close enough to touch.

  “Excuse me, what are you doing?” Emma asked, her voice cold, not matg the smile on her lips. ‘Who the hell is this kid trying to make a mess? Does he have a death wish?’

  Adam wasn’t paying attention, as his heart tio pound, thunderous within his chest. He was sweating too, a cold sweat, one ing from extreme shock. It was like he had been punched out of the blue. His throat arched, but he swallowed whatever shock he had.

  The young man, who had been stepping into the ba, had stopped when he heard the otion. He was tall and strongly built, wearing heavy furs of white and grey, trasting with his eyes, and his dark hair which fell down towards his shoulders. At his side was an axe, and tied to his left arm was a shield. On his forehead was a tattoo, a pattern of blue diamonds, and at the tre of his forehead, a single blue circle.

  Though it was tattooed, he didn’t fet that face, he couldn’t.

  “Jurot!”

  What? Whaaaaat? What's going on?

  It's the same, but different?

  Who saw it ing?