“Don’t bully the young man,” another Iyrman said, a Kan. Adam would have guessed she was a Kan because of how beautiful she was.

‘What the hell are with those genetics?’ Adam thought.

“My children speak so highly of you,” she said.

“I speak quite highly of Damokan and Kalokan too,” Adam said. “They always keep out of trouble and are very polite.”

“They are?” the Iyrman asked, looking down to his children. “I hear they’re quiet, but whenever they’re with me, they’re always bullying me.”

“Damokan and Kalokan?” Adam asked. “Really?”

The Iyrman smiled, extending a hand. “Halikan,” she said. “Do not mind Kaygak, she is just protective of Taygak and Saygak.”

‘Saygak,’ Adam thought. ‘That was his name.’ “They’re good kids, though I haven’t really spent much time with Saygak.”

“We went Ranging together,” Turot said.

“It was very fun,” Saygak said.

“Raool,” the bald Iyrman said, holding the same tattoos as the Ool family. However, he was made of pure muscle, mirroring Nobby.

“A pleasure to meet you,” Adam said, shaking his forearm. “I expected all of the Ool family to be like Kitool, but I didn’t expect to see someone who makes me look like a little baby.”

“You do that by yourself,” Kaygak said.

Halikan cleared her throat. “Sonarot gushes about you so much, I would have thought you were her son.”

Sonarot smiled.

Adam pushed away the red at his cheeks. “I am very lucky to be her Nephew, so I’m not sure I should fly so close to the sky.”

Halikan furrowed her brows, confused.

“I should really bring the stories from my home to this place, otherwise no one will get how much of a genius I really am,” Adam said. “However…” Adam looked back to Jurot, smiling at him. “We have quite the story to tell you.”

Jurot crossed his arms and closed his eyes, trying to meditate in order to not blurt out what he wanted to say.

“Oh!” called a familiar voice. “You’re finally back.”

“Too bad I didn’t bring you guys any gifts,” Adam said, greeting Jaygak and the others. “Did you miss me?”

“You really didn’t bring back any gifts?” she asked. “Wow! That’s so rude!”

“Well, I did bring something back for you specifically,” Adam said. “A gift, and that is the feeling of pure, utter envy.”

Jaygak raised her brow. “If you killed a Dragon without me, I won’t forgive you.”

Adam cackled manically, before noting the looks from the children, and Kaygak, who was shooting daggers at him.

“So,” Adam said, his eyes glancing between his previous party and new party. “Allow me to introduce everyone.”

“Sir Vonda,” Dunes said, shaking her forearm. “A pleasure to meet you.”

“You as well, Dunes,” she said. “Order of Black Mountain, correct?”

“The very same,” he replied.

“Wow!” Jaygak said. “You’re a Tinkerer? What do you make?” Jaygak shook Filliam’s arms a little too rigorously.

‘Help me,’ Filliam thought, looking to Adam.

“You certainly are like my uncle,” Kitool said, looking at Nobby, nodding her head.

Nobby looked to Raool, who was built like an ox like him. ‘Big.’

Jonn and Fred exchanged a knowing glance between one another, getting a sense of hopelessness from one another.

“So, we finally meet once more,” Adam said, staring down at Nirot.

Nirot did not reply, instead smiling. She squatted in front of Lanarot, with her arms out, before Lanarot crawled to her.

“So you’re going to challenge me, her older brother, for the spot of number two?” Adam asked, before holding out his arms. “Lanarot, come.”

Lanarot looked up to Adam, having heard her name. She smiled up at him, and looked at his arms. She looked back up to Nirot, and then up to Adam.

Omen: 3, 9

‘Damn.’

“Lanarot?” Adam called, his voice gentle like a feather. “Come.”

“You want to stay with me, don’t you?” Nirot said, kissing the baby’s forehead.

Persuasion Check

D20 + 5 = 21 (16)

Lanarot babbled quietly, but eventually held out her arms to Adam, who she was beginning to remember.

Adam lifted her up and held her in close to his chest, kissing her forehead all over. “You’re a hundred years too early to take my sister from me.” Adam rocked with his sister in his arms.

Nirot grit her teeth and clenched her fists, trying to calm herself. “I cannot believe my cousin has fallen for the likes of you!”

Adam couldn’t help but bully Nirot, smirking down at her as he rubbed his cheek against Lanarot’s. He didn’t reply, but his eyes teased the young Iyrman.

“Just you wait, when you leave again, she’ll want to stay with me!” Nirot clenched her fist tight. “It’s only because you returned too quickly!”

“That’s right, I returned quickly so you understood your place,” Adam said.

“And what place is that?” called a strangely familiar voice.

Adam caught the sight of a familiar face. “Oh, hey Mi-, Aunt Mirot?”

Nirot really did take after her mother, for Mirot looked like her, but slightly older. “You are my Nephew?”

“Apparently so.” Adam brushed Lanarot’s hair gently. Mirot’s hostility was pretty high considering they had only just met. ‘Last time she wasn’t this harsh to me.’

“We should prepare for the stories,” Sonarot said, seeing how Jurot had fallen into a meditation whilst standing.

“Come, Nirot,” Mirot called for her daughter. “Let us assist with the food.”

“Mind if I drop all my stuff?” Adam asked. “We didn’t really have much of a break during the adventuring.”

Sonarot let out a soft sigh. “What else could I expect from you, Adam?”

Adam chuckled awkwardly. “Sorry.”

Seats were brought over so that the others could sit down around the fire pit. Jay’a and Kit’a rushed up to Adam as he removed his armour.

“Oh? Hello there,” Adam called out, reaching down to pet their heads. “You two have grown up so much.”

They yipped at him and panted, wanting to play with him. Adam removed his armour and lifted the pair up in each arm, before making his way back to the flames.

“It’ll be hard to win our babies back,” Jaygak admitted. “Even after two months, they’re still so happy to see you.”

“Isn’t it because I’m so handsome?” Adam asked, suffering under their licks. “Perhaps they’re into pointy ears and no horns?”

“No, no,” Jaygak said. “They lick my father’s horns a lot. The perve-“

Jogak wacked her across the back of her head. “If you keep it up, I’ll tell them how much you cried that you were not able to go.”

“You shouldn’t lie,” Jaygak said. “You managed to seduce my lovely daughter because-“

Jogak wacked her across the back of the head again. “She’s your partner, not your daughter.”

Jaygak half tackled her father and the pair began to wrestle. “Stop hitting my head, damn it!”

Adam smiled. “Jaygak’s going to cry after hearing our story.” Adam’s lips twitched as Jurot finally approached the group.

Jaygak stopped wrestling with her father, giving him the chance to slip out of her grip. “Did you really fight a Dragon?”

‘Has she really grown into an Expert?’ Jogak thought, noting how easy it was for her to take him down. ‘I should stop holding back so much.’

Jurot sat down, drinking a cup of water, before melting some cheese over some meat, before biting into it. He was slowly gaining the strength to tell the story, all the while the various uncles and aunts waited for him.

“Please do not mind sister,” Sonarot said, feeding Lanarot some pieces of softly boiled fruit from her fingers, sometimes dropping them onto the table to let her pick them up herself. “She is suspicious of you, but she will not try to harm you.”

“I didn’t expect things to be so different,” Adam admitted. “She wasn’t quite so hostile last time,” he whispered.

Sonarot slowly nodded her head. “She will come around to you. Nirot has, slightly.”

“I forgot that not everyone likes me here,” Adam admitted. “I managed to somehow not anger the Noble we were with.”

Sonarot leaned in slightly, trying to glean more, but Adam only smiled.

“You managed not to anger a Noble?” Jaygak asked. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Adam replied. “I held back.”

Jaygak furrowed her brows suspiciously. “Are you joking?”

“No,” Adam said. “Well, I’m mostly not. I’m pretty sure I made him mad sometimes. At least, I didn’t anger Sir Vonda too much, and she’s a Noble.”

“Yes, but she’s also a woman,” Jaygak said. “You’re probably going to add her to your harem.”

Adam coughed. “You sure grew a pair while I’ve gone. You must have been training hard so that you couldn’t get your ass beat by me.”

“You’ll have to wait and see,” Jaygak said. “I’m not as weak as I was when you left.”

“Just how quickly can you grow in two months?”

Jaygak raised her brow.

“Without me, I mean.”

“You should ask Dunes,” Jaygak said. “We trained hard daily.”

“I,” Jurot finally exclaimed, stopping the chatter of all the people, “fought Sir Merry.”

Lanarot began to cry from the sudden shout, delaying the start of the story.

However, the others also needed time to process what Jurot had some. Mirot had spat out the wine she had been drinking, Sonarot had dropped the fruit from her fingers, and Raool was trying not to choke on the steak he had nearly swallowed whole.