Omen: 10, 20

Mana: 18 -> 15

Enchanting Check

D20 + 7 = 17 (10)

Omen: 10, 20 -> 10

20 + 7 = 27

Adam plucked a Thread of Fate, and thus Fate was forever changed.

Though Adam had enchanted the staff thrice, it still needed to be enchanted for a while longer. ‘The shield didn’t need to be enchanted for an entire week…’ Adam let the thought go. He didn’t need to know why the shield didn’t need a week’s worth of enchanting as he had no plans to enchant shields for some time.

Adam stepped out of the shrine to note the whiteness which had fallen against the Iyr. The gentle dropping of snow fell across the Iyr’s land, bringing with it a coldness which it had not experienced in some time. He exhaled, noting the visible vapours which appeared in front of his face. The shrine itself had been protected against the elements, though he recalled there had been a time when shelter had been provided.

‘So many little things to think about, but so little time,’ Adam thought, before making his way home.

Konarot stomped towards her father, snow covering her entire back. Kirot and Karot lay in the snow, purring quietly, half asleep. Though they wanted to greet their father, the snow had called for them.

Adam lifted Konarot up, feeling the snow which was glued to her back. He wiped the snow off the back of her head, before planting a firm kiss on her forehead. “Hello, Princess. Are you enjoying the snow?”

Konarot purred affirmatively, nuzzling into his neck, before she squirmed out of his arms. She grabbed his hand and led him to a pile of snow which had been piled up, before she pointed to him, her expectant eyes pressing down against her father.

Adam lay against the snow, which caused him to shudder, and Konarot lay beside him. The coldness seeped through his body as Kirot and Karot crawled their way to their father to lay near him, taking their place in the snow.

Sonarot stared at Adam, who was shuddering in the snow, wondering when he would reach his limits. Then, it came to her. “Konarot, Kirot, Karot. Come. It is time to eat.”

The triplets forced themselves out of their daze, beginning to crawl towards their nana, before they eventually dragged themselves by their feet to her. Adam sat up, snow stuck to his back, unable to feel it. He shuffled his way to the fire, sitting near it to deal with the cold which had completely overwhelmed his back.

Sonarot draped a blanket over his back. “You have been slain by a God twice, will you die to the snow?”

“Die?” Adam asked. “The me from back then and now are different, Aunt. Back then, if I had such cute children, I would have been unstoppable.”

Adam wondered if he could gain the same strength he had possessed in his previous life. Back then he was well above that of a Paragon, though barely a year had passed. It was partly because he had taken a cheat which had doubled any XP he had gained, but also because the Levels were based on separate Class Levels rather than a total Class Level. So he could take Level One in many classes, each for the same price, rather than how it was now, where every Level increased by thousands of XP.

“How was your enchanting?” Sonarot asked, filling a hot bowl of soup for him.

“Pretty good,” Adam said, smiling to his Aunt. “I had a good Omen.” He chuckled at his joke, before feeling a muscle in his back twinge from the coldness, and he sipped away at his soup. ‘Though, I am pretty poor now…’

Once he had warmed up, he played with his children, letting them piled up the snow, before they wrestled against it. He tossed snowballs around with them, and buried them in the snow, though kept an eye out to see if they were going to feel sick. Eventually he swapped places with Jarot, taking a moment to rest as he looked after Jirot and Jarot, who were bundled up within their blankets, their faces exposed to the air.

Lanarot grabbed onto Adam’s leg, pouting up at him. “Papa.” The girl stared up at him, on the verge of tears.

“What’s wrong Lanababy?” Adam asked, picking her up, brushing her hair with a hand.

“Is papa,” the girl replied, sucking on her thumb as she cuddled up against Adam.

“Did you miss me?”

“Yeh,” the girl replied, pouting up at him once more.

“I’ll play with you more too,” Adam promised, hugging her close. He had been spending less time with Lanarot since he had gained five children. Whereas he would spend hours with her in the evening with his full attention, he would only spend a few minutes now and again with her alone, but usually played with her alongside the others.

“Do you want to read with papa?” Adam asked. Lanarot pulled her thumb out of her mouth and smiled. Adam smiled, nuzzling her nose. “Okay, you can sit on my lap and we can read, okay?”

“Keh,” the girl replied, before babbling up at him excitedly.

The second month of nightval began with Adam receiving several amber gems, each worth a hundred gold.

“What is this?” Adam asked, his curious gaze catching Zijin’s eyes.

“Your payment.”

“My payment?” Adam asked.

Elder Zijin remained silent for a long while, thinking it was a joke.

“Oh!” Adam said, his cheeks turning red from embarrassment. “Yes. For the enchanting. Right.” He had counted two thousand golds worth of gems, twenty ambers. He thought back to the previous month, realised it was probably because he enchanted twenty weapons.

Zijin smiled, and bowed his head. “The weapons have been prepared for you this month.”

“Thanks,” Adam said, staring down at the gems in the pouch. ‘Two thousand gold a month. That’s a lot of money. I’ve made the money back from enchanting the Greater Enhanced weapon.’ Adam hummed quietly to himself in thought. ‘How much should I save for the children?’

Adam continued enchanting over the second month of nightval. He also spent the mornings and evenings with the children. He played with the older children as well as his sister and his own children.

He noted how Jirot and Jarot cried constantly, and they would only calm down when the Rot family soothed them, or the Gak family played with them. They would stare at the Gaks with a surprise look before smiling at them, their eyes glued to the Devilkin.

“Do you think they’re trying to steal my kids away from me?” Adam whispered to Sir Vonda, who had joined them to eat during the week.

“How can they steal your children away from you?” Vonda asked. “Your children adore you so much.”

“That’s right,” Adam said, nodding his head. “They can’t steal my children away from me since they love me so much.”

Vonda remained silent, looking to Jurot and the others, who had asked her for support. She wondered how she was going to do it, considering Adam loved to play with his children. Every time she saw him with his children, he seemed as though he had no care in the world.

Omen: 3, 3

‘I suppose I can take a day off in the middle of the week…’

“Adam,” Sir Vonda called as Adam returned with his children, along with Jurot and Turot. They had spent the morning in the baths of the Iyr, accepting the warmth they provided.

“Sir Vonda,” Adam greeted, letting his children down, who immediately fell into the snow, embracing the coldness. Though they had enjoyed the warm baths, it was only so they could emphasise the coldness of the snow against their skin and scales. “Sir Vonda, my children are too cute! Look at them!”

Vonda understood why Jurot and the others came to her, for she was one of the few with the patience to deal with how annoying Adam had become. “Let us talk, Adam.”

“Hmm?” Adam slowly nodded, taking a seat with her to one corner. “What’s the matter?”

“I can see that you love your children dearly,” Vonda said, pouring Adam some warm tea from clay tea pot, which an Iyrman had gifted her.

“If they were your children I’m sure you’d love them as much as I do,” Adam said, sighing with a smirk.

Sir Vonda paused for a moment, allowing Adam to realise what he had said, before noting the flush on his cheeks. “I am certain I would.”

“Right,” Adam replied, taking a sip of the tea, only to burn his lips.

Health: 65 -> 64

“I see you spend so much time with them, especially your triplets,” Vonda continued.

“Right?” Adam leaned in, already understanding where Vonda was going with this.

“I wish to advise you, if you are willing to accept.” Vonda’s eyes remained glued to Adam’s, who had fought away the blush of awkwardness.

“I trust you deeply, Sir Vonda,” Adam assured. “If you have something to say, I’m always willing to hear it, including any advice you may have.”

“I have never seen anyone who holds as much love for their children as you,” Vonda admitted. “However, there is such a thing as too much love. If you continue to favour them this way, they will not grow up well.”

“Children grow well when their parents truly love them,” Adam replied.

“I have no doubt of your words, but there is more than love which is needed. A firm hand, a-,”

“I will not hit my children,” Adam stated, firmly.

Vonda fell quiet. Adam’s words were not a surprise, but Vonda hadn’t thought about the matter. “How will you discipline them?”

“Firm words and a timeout does the trick,” Adam said. “If a parent has to hit their child to get them to listen, they are not fit to be a parent.”

Vonda, the Priest of Life, fell into thought about Adam’s words. “You would not spank them?”

“If a parent has to hit their child to get them to listen, they are not fit to be a parent.”

Vonda bowed her head. “It will be difficult for you when you have to leave them, and difficult for them too. If you spend too much time with them, there will be no chance for the rest of your family to grow with them. They only know the warmth of their father’s arms within the Iyr. When that disappears, then…”

“That’s not true,” Adam replied. “They don’t know only me and my protection. The twins were born in the rain and mud. The triplets spent a long while trying to find me, their father. Konarot still has the scars, the one on her face, the scales which aren’t growing properly at her side.”

Vonda could see it, the darkness which encroached on Adam’s face. It was a darkness she hadn’t seen before, and it was a darkness which Adam had filed away even deeper than the darkness of meeting Shama.

“I understand I’m being selfish. I’m spending a lot of time with my children, and they’re getting used to seeing me daily. They’re spending some time with their family, sure, but I know that they’re extremely close to me. We’re spending nightval in the Iyr, when we should have been out to help Dunes with his friend.” Adam held the warm cup in his hand, feeling the warmth spread through his hand. He had thought about what had happened to Konarot, those scars of hers. If those vagabonds hadn’t been killed, Adam wondered what he would have done to them.

Vonda’s face remained neutral, seeing the thoughts on Adam’s face. “I am glad they are safe, Adam.”

“Me too.” Adam sighed.

“I wish you, and your family, the best, Adam.”

“I know.”

“Your children should spend time with others, to find friends, and I wish for you to spend time with your friends too.”

“Are you telling me this because you miss me, Sir Vonda?” Adam joked, smiling slightly.

“I was asked by your friends and family to speak with you.”

“I appreciate that, Sir Vonda.” Adam sighed, realising how little time he spent with his friends now. ‘Right. It’s weird if I spend all my time with children. If my friends don’t see me, won’t they forget how stupid I am?’