Omen: 2, 9

‘Two days in a row?’ Adam thought, wondering how his Omens were so poor.

Adam went to enchant his Greater weapon that day, deciding against taking a break so soon after his previous break. When he returned back to the shared family estate he found Nobby and Brittany were settled between the Iyrmen, with Raool speaking of his family’s tales. He glanced around, noting that his triplets weren’t around, but he didn’t dwell on the thoughts.

“Are you two having fun?” Adam asked, pouring them each a drink.

“Yes,” Nobby replied.

“Yes…” Brittany replied, looking down at the cup.

“What are you thinking?” Adam asked, taking a sip of his own fruit wine.

“I’m weak.”

“Yeah.”

Brittany frowned. The words were blunt, but they were true. “I wanted you to train me so I could be free, but…”

“You can’t be free when you’re weak,” Adam said, sighing. “Even if you are strong, there’s a limit to the freedom you can achieve.”

“I wanted to be able to explore distant lands,” Brittany admitted. “Not just South Aldland or Central Aldland, but further beyond. North Aldland, East Aldland, West Aldland, Aswadia.”

“Well, Aswadia, or Aswadasad?” Adam furrowed his brows. “Either way, it’s at war, so you probably shouldn’t explore that place just yet.”

“I always thought being an Expert would allow me to travel around, but…”

“Yeah.” Adam bowed his head. “You’re still young. For now, work under me, and once you become an Expert, you can figure it out.”

Brittany could already feel it. She had grown stronger, stronger than even the image of herself in her daydreams. Yet, even if she grew into an Expert, the amount of monsters in this land, those who were Human or otherwise, were more than she would have ever expected.

“I always thought Iyrmen were the strongest,” she said, recalling what that old monster had done before he had fought Adam and the other Experts. “Mithril Ranks can live a life of freedom, I thought, but even two of them together aren’t enough.”

“That’s true enough. Two Mithril Rank Iyrmen, or seven Bronze Rank Iyrmen, can’t go around fighting the greatest threats in the world. Though, what about seven Gold Rank Iyrmen? Is there a singular threat in this world they couldn’t face? No, nevermind Gold Rank Iyrmen, what about Paragons? Seven Paragons together could no doubt come together to face against any singular foe.”

“Really?”

“Seven wolves could probably kill a tiger,” Adam said. “Seven tigers could probably kill a…” Adam paused to think. “No. Probably not a Dragon, I suppose.”

Brittany frowned further. “So if I want freedom, I need to have an army?”

“Something like that.”

Brittany sighed, sipping more of her drink.

“Is it freedom you want, or do you want to explore?” Adam asked. “If it’s freedom, then you’ll need to become a Paragon and make your own unit of warriors. If it’s exploration, adventure, then you don’t have to worry. Just stick with me and you’ll have plenty of exploration and adventure. I plan on exploring the world too, and it’s not like I’m going to go and do that alone.”

Brittany sighed again, sinking into her thoughts. She learnt that life was full of compromise. Even though she was stronger than before, she felt more restricted by the knowledge she had gained.

“How’s my number one enforcer?” Adam joked. “Have you been helping with moving lumber, and all that, about?”

“Yes.”

Adam nodded his head. “Do you have anything in mind?”

“No.”

“You sure? No worries you want to mention? Dreams you want to chat about?” Adam sipped more of his fruit wine, before pouring them some more.

“No.”

“Alright,” Adam said. Nobby had been someone Adam had brought in thanks to Jurot, who had fallen for those powerful muscles of the young man’s. “Now that I think about it, aren’t you sixteen, Nobby?”

“No.”

“What? You’re not?”

“No.”

“Didn’t you turn sixteen…” Adam paused, thinking about when Nobby had turned sixteen. “Hold on. That was last year.”

Intelligence Check

D20 + 3 = 16 (13)

“The ninth of the ninth, wasn’t it?” Adam asked. “Oh, mate. That’s my bad. What was I doing on the ninth of the ninth?”

“Walking to the Iyr,” Nobby said. “You found your babies the day before.”

Adam crossed his arms, falling into thought. ‘Right. We found the kids on the eighth day of the ninth month. So that means Nobby’s birthday was the day after?’ “My bad, Nobby. I was really stressed out at the time and completely forgot.”

“It’s okay.”

“At least your birthday is easy to remember. I missed your seventeenth birthday, but I won’t miss your eighteenth birthday, alright? I’ll get you something nice.”

“I want to be strong,” Nobby said.

“Strong? Well, don’t worry about that.” Adam pat Nobby’s back. “I’ll get you something good on your birthday, don’t you worry about that.” Adam chuckled quietly to himself. “Ah, right. I should probably send some coin to your parents for the next year. We’ll probably head out some time in dawnval, so I’ll…” Adam thought for a moment. “I’ll pay your wages up until the third month of dawnval. Yours,” Adam said, before looking to Brittany, “and yours too. I’ll send money for your sister’s education too.”

“Thank you, mister boss,” Nobby said.

“Thank you,” Brittany said.

Adam smiled. “You shouldn’t be thanking me. It’s because of the Iyr you guys are doing so well. If you weren’t staying here then it would have been more difficult to make you into Experts.”

Jurot sat down at the table, bringing with him bowls of food for them all, as well as a tray of flatbreads. “It is because of Adam’s abilities that you have grown more powerful.”

“Right, my ability to make Rage Dancers?” Adam asked, raising his brow. “Last I checked, Nobby has your families abilities.”

“Do not underestimate your abilities, Adam,” Jurot said, his voice heavy with authority. Jurot had realised one of Adam’s abilities, something which he had revealed to the Chief, and his mother and grandfather. The hints Adam had lain for them had all but confirmed Adam’s ability to him.

“Sure, sure, but you shouldn’t underestimate how amazing you are either, Jurot,” Adam said, chuckling lightly.

‘Amazing?’ Jurot thought of the word which Adam used to describe him. He wondered if Adam realised that his ability was utterly monstrous. When Jurot had watched the fight between his brother and Lord Morkarai, he had felt something stir within him. It was as though he had faced someone in combat with his life on the line, and had beaten them. Yet, all he had done was watch the fight. The fight had pushed him closer to gaining greater insights, and he could taste the greater insights which lay within arm’s reach.

“Papa,” Lanarot called, stomping her way to Adam and Jurot, holding a freshly bitten, freshly made bread in one hand. She made a noise and held up a hand, opening and closing it as she continued to groan at Adam.

Adam lifted her up onto his lap, kissing her cheek, all the while Lanarot busied herself with making the break disappear from her hand. Once it disappeared, it would reappear again from the pile of bread to the side, and she could make it disappear again.

“Jurot, Sir Vonda was bullying me about my children,” Adam said. “She said I shouldn’t ever speak to them again, and that I should leave Lanarot to you. She just wants you to steal her away from me with those hugs of yours, and to teach her how to be big and strong.”

“Sir Vonda did not do that, and I will teach her how to be big and strong,” Jurot said.

“Okay maybe she didn’t say that, but you will not teach her how to be big and strong,” Adam retorted.

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Lanababy,” Adam called, rubbing her head. “Who do you like more? Papa or papa?” Adam asked.

“Papa,” Lanarot said, taking a bite of her bread, smiling up at Adam.

“You see? She likes me more?”

“Lanarot, come,” Jurot said, holding out his arms.

Lanarot looked up at Jurot, staring at his arms. She was still eating her bread, and was thinking. If she went to her papa, then wouldn’t he hug her until she felt sleepy? However, she was currently eating bread, and if she was sleepy, wouldn’t that mean there would be less bread to eat?

Adam smiled at Jurot as Lanarot shook, violently devouring her bread. “You see? She loves her papa the most.” Adam picked her up and kissed her cheek noisily, teasing Jurot, only for Lanarot to cough, having finished her bread, before reaching out with her arms, calling for her papa.

Jurot accepted her into his arms, and hugged her close, before the girl fell limp, almost falling asleep immediately in her older brother’s arms. Adam crossed his arms, sniffling lightly, his face entirely red.

‘Bell, how much is it for Jurot’s hugging skill?’

[100 000 XP]

‘…’

Adam sniffled again. ‘So I have to beat up Morkarai fifty times?’

[Yes.]

‘Et tu, Bell?’

[Yes.]

‘Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I last spoke with you.’

[Yes.]

‘Sorry.’

[Yes.]

‘Who are you, Nobby?’

[No.]

Adam sighed, still sniffling, before he felt a set of familiar arms wrap around him. He reached back and tickled Konarot’s hair. “What great children I have, they come to daddy when he’s being bullied.”

Konarot snorted, narrowing her eyes at her uncle Jurot, but she embraced her father tighter, threatening to choke him. Brittany and Nobby stared at the Half Dragon children, who had climbed onto their father, and were cuddling him close. To them, it was no longer a surprise, considering that he was Adam.

Jarot sat down beside Adam, his hand clutching at his knee. He had returned with the triplets only moments ago, and decided to sit beside Adam. He inhaled deeply and shut his eyes, almost meditating.

Adam raised his brows at the old man, wondering what he was doing. He hadn’t seen Jarot like this before. Sonarot placed down a bowl and some flat bread for Jarot, and Karot hugged onto the old man’s arm, pressing his head against his greatfather’s shoulders.

‘He must have had fun with his greatfather,’ Adam thought.

Jurot could see the way his grandfather was calming down, wondering what had happened. He looked to his mother, who returned his look with a smile, and he nodded his head slowly.

As a member of the Rot family, Jurot knew that his grandfather had almost split someone’s skull apart.