“You are a Master?” the guard asked, cracking his fist, and seeing how Jurot was standing, essentially as though he had not been struck by a man as large as a carriage, he was fairly certain Jurot was someone at least the realm above him.
“Yes,” Jurot replied, simply.
“What is your name?”
“Jurot.”
“Roh? You know of Giaroh?”
“He is my ancestor.”
The large blue monster of a man’s laughter began to bounce off the walls, threatening to burst the eardrums of the large crowd. A large hand fell upon Jurot once more, patting his shoulder. “If you are Roh, we are like family. I am Sal! You may know of my father?”
Adam’s lips slowly formed a wider smile, for it was at that moment he understood how they were friends, glancing aside to Jurot, who nodded in return.
“Who is this?” Sal asked.
“My brother, Adam.”
“Oh? Your brother? Mo, many greetings.” Sal stood taller, looking down at the half elf, who wore strange tattoos, and seemed to hold such a playful smile upon his lips.
“My greetings to you too, Sal,” Adam replied, still chuckling lightly.
“You are a man of humour, I see?”
“My humour is poor, but at the same time, you have no idea why that was so funny, ak.”
“Ah? I do not?”
“My ahm knows your father.”
“I am sorry for your ahm,” Sal replied, though he grinned wide like a beast. “I hope he is in good health?”
“Considering how he has beaten your father before, he is.”
“Your ahm has…” Sal laughed once more, his entire chest shifting with his bellows. “I am certain! Your ahm has defeated my father! My father, who is so weak!”
“How can one suggest that Sully the Mountain is so weak?”
“He must be so if your ahm can defeat him?”
“You know of my ahm, for I am certain you have met previously.“
“I have met this ahm of yours, Mo?”
“I am certain you are able to guess considering all the hints,” Adam replied, his eyes glistening with a playfulness.
Sal furrowed his brows, considering the Mo’s words. How many figures in the world could this half elf call his ahm? His ahm, was he an Iyrman? A half elf? How many had defeated his father? “I do not know.”
“He was a gladiator too,” Adam informed, and noting Sal’s eyebrows suddenly raise in alarm, the mountain of a man fell deep into thought once more. “He was a gladiator, but… now that he’s gone, I suppose the Mountain has become a King?”
“…” Sal tilted his head. “Your ahm is the Lion King?”
Adam’s smile threatened to blind Sal. “Yes! So he is! Since I have gifted him such a fine spear, he shouldn’t deny it.”
“You are… so funny, Mo!” Sal laughed once more, and as the half elf thanked him, he turned, grabbing the beaten man, who was undoubtedly on death’s door. “”I must leave now, but shall we meet again my friends?”
“You should bring your father to come and meet us this evening, since I’m sure ahm has missed your father cursing him.”
“Is Lion King truly your ahm?”
“Yes,” Jurot finally said, causing Sal’s eyes to widen, and the guard nodded. After Jurot informed the guard of their residence of stay, the large mountain of a man stepped away, carrying the half dying fellow within a hand as he drunk his wine.
“I am surprised neither of you fought him,” Korin admitted, watching the large silhouette begin to disappear, though even as the crowd blocked the world ahead of him, his wide back and powerful shoulders were hard to claim even by a crowd.
“I try not to fight guards,” Adam said, though his head snapped to the side. “Don’t look at me like that. I know what you’re going to say, but I’m going to remind you that you were the one who threatened them.”
Jurot had made to speak, but as he thought back to it, he was fairly certain his brother was right.
The trio continued their adventure through the capital, doing nothing in particular, instead just enjoying the afternoon to themselves before they returned.
“Did you enjoy your day with your aila?” Adam asked as the twins rushed up towards him.
“Yes!” Jirot declared. “We went shopping with aila and kakos!”
“Oh, isn’t that so lovely!” Adam nodded towards the pair of demons, noting how they were essentially wrapped up from head to heel, their eyes revealed through the single slit. ‘I guess actually they probably can step out except when they meet Oathsworn?’
“I did not cause trouble because I do not want kakos to die,” Jirot said with sudden lucidity, her eyes staring deep into her father’s eyes with a seriousness.
“Who dares to say you can’t cause trouble? Do you think your kakos are so weak? Do you think this father of yours is so weak that someone can dare to threa-,” Adam began, and though he wished he was joking, the fire flashed through his mind, and with a sudden swiftness he tossed his daughter into the sky, the girl blinking in utter surprise, but Adam caught her with such ease. “You did well, for your kakos, they are also so troublesome, aren’t they?”
Jirot flushed slightly. “Nooo…”
“Kako Lucy is.”
“…” Jirot closed her eyes, for as an Iyrman, she was not allowed to lie.
Lucy remained silent, not even looking to Mara for support, for she would not find it there.
Since they had the rest of the day to themselves, Adam played Warriors and Wandered with the children, this time making new characters, each typical warriors, except he designed special weapons for each of them.
Jirot gasped. “Daddy! These are the Swords of the Eleven Kings!”
“Dear, how is it that you know so much about the history of the real world and my fictional world?” Adam asked.
Jirot placed her hands upon her head. “My head is so big because I have a big brain. I have a big brain because I am mummy daughter, and mummy has big intelligence and big wisdom, and also mummy has-,”
Adam pointed at the girl, for whatever she was about to say next was more than likely inappropriate, and at times like this, the greatest of Game Masters would employ the most powerful technique in their arsenal. “Roll for Battle Order.”
17.
‘Damn,’ Adam thought, since the lower the number, the more he could stall to think of something. “A hydra attacks.”
Jirot’s mouth dropped, she checked her character sheet, and then her mouth dropped further. “Daddy! We are only Level Three!”
“Tough.”
Jirot’s mouth dropped once more. “Mummy, you must beat him up.”
“I have a mace that can bring one of us back to life, and your kakos have magical axes that can deal fire damage,” Vonda said, brushing the girl’s hair.
As the afternoon began to pass, Adam prepared himself for his evening fights, but a pair of shadows engulfed the area.
He was no man. He was a mountain of blue. Even the figure beside him, a mountain of a man, could only be considered a hill beside him. His large horns curled back, and though he was but a fist taller than the one beside him, he was even wider, his bicep almost as large as a typical man’s head. The pair were adorned in white.
“Kitten Prince,” called the largest man.
“Stone,” Ashmir replied, sitting to one side, holding a chonky blue skinned girl, whose eyes fell to the large man, staring at him with surprise, blinking, for the girl was certain she saw of the man before.
“You have brought my daughter?” Sully asked, and he dared to approach, for regardless if the Iyrmen were glaring at him, they could not deny him meeting his own daughter.
“She is no longer your daughter,” Ashmir said.
“You did not adopt her?”
“No.”
“Who did you entrust her to?”
Ashmir glanced aside towards Adam, who was in awe of the giant man before him, so tall that he was, he understood how he came to be known as the Mountain.
“Who is he?”
“He is the one who killed Kal Yamas Greatwood of High Garden.”
Sully narrowed his eyes, trailing back to look at the half elf, taking him within his sights. He killed Kal Yamas Greatwood of High Garden?
‘Damn! What the hell did they feed him?’ Adam then looked towards Amal, who was staring up at the giant blue men, clutching her ahm’s collar tightly. ‘I can definitely see the resemblance.’
“You killed Kal Yamas of High Garden?” Sal asked, having taken a moment to compose himself, assuming Ashmir was just kidding around.
Adam held Sal’s gaze with his own and after each passing second, his lips began to form a smile, the kind that was full of wicked thoughts. “Yes.”
Sal swallowed. There was no way that was true. The half elf was still young, from what he could tell, though it was hard to tell his age. However, if the half elf was older, and was the kind of man who could kill someone like a Fariq who has reached Paragonhood, then surely they would have heard of him?
“It is true,” Jurot said.
Sully and Sal both looked towards Jurot.