Omen: 2, 17

Adam gathered his party over breakfast, where they shared the food the Kan family had cooked.

“I spoke with the Great Elders, and Chief Iromin gave me some good news. I should be able to, in the next couple of years, begin the business, which will be on Iyrman’s lands.”

“That is good news,” Jurot replied, glad that the Chief had accepted the deal. It had been an unlikely deal, but not an impossible deal. If the Chief had refused, Jurot would have gone to speak with him to inform him of the Eldritch threat.

“In a few years?” Vonda asked.

“The Iyr’s… going through some stuff.” Adam wasn’t sure if he was even allowed to say that much, but considering what they had seen, Adam was sure it was fine. “In a couple of years I should be able to make a small fort in the Iyrman’s lands, and that’s where the headquarters will be.”

“I can’t believe you’re actually doing it,” Lucy admitted. “I thought that you’d just keep going on and on about it without doing anything.”

“Gee, thanks.” Adam rolled his eyes. “Anyway, I’m just letting you know, if you guys want to retire or you want a different job other than adventuring, you’re always welcome.” Adam nodded to Fred, who remained silent.

Jonn remained quiet too. He had followed Adam all this time, watching, waiting, and he hadn’t come to a firm conclusion about the young man. He was too… queer. He had promised to swear his Oaths, but he wanted to be firm in his conviction. ‘Just a little longer…’

“Nobby, Brittany, you two take it easy for now. We’ve been rather busy, and neither of you managed to spend much time with your families.” Adam had noticed how Brittany hadn’t spend much time with her family when they visited the village over the past year they had travelled.

“Okay, mister boss,” Nobby replied.

Brittany nodded. After the previous quest, she was happy to have some time remaining within the Iyr.

“I should get to work,” Adam said. “The Iyr is… I’ve got some work to do for the Iyr.”

Mana: 18 -> 17

Enchanting Check

D20 + 7 = 19 (12)

Omen: 2, 17 -> 2

17 + 7 = 24

Adam plucked a Thread of Fate, shifting the Fates of the three young creatures, and thus Fate was forever changed.

“Look at you,” Adam said, picking up his sister, who had been drawing on the ground with some chalk. “What are you drawing? Is that papa?”

The drawing was a mess of chaos, though Adam hoped it was just chaos, and not Chaos.

“Are you hungry, my little chubby sister?” Adam asked, kissing her neck, and blowing a raspberry into it.

Lanarot squealed. “Papa!” She reached up to grab his hair, laughing at him.

Once they were fed, Adam sat down with a book, and began to read to her. Turot joined them too. Adam read, using his fingers to show where they were. When he started to change the page, Lanarot reached forward to change it for them.

“Wow, good girl,” Adam said, kissing the top of her head. “Look at you. You’re such a smart little baby.”

“Good girl,” Turot said, brushing her hair from beside, before returning back to his own book, following along as Adam read. “This is good story.”

“Is it?”

“Yes,” Turot said. “Jirot is very strong, and she kills th-,”

“Turot,” Adam said, quickly. “You can’t spoil the story.”

Turot looked up at him. “You do not know the story?”

“No,” Adam replied.

Turot blinked. “Okay.” He had forgotten that Adam hadn’t grown in the Iyr.

Adam continued to read, but before he could find out what Jirot had faced, Lanarot yawned.

“Ooo. Seep?” Lanarot asked.

“That’s right,” Adam said, kissing her forehead, brushing her hair. “It’s time for sleep.”

Jurot stared at his little sister. He recalled a time she could only babble, but now she could talk. He understood what it meant to cleave through a Dragon, but to watch a child grow, that was something else. ‘My sister is a genius.’

Adam made sure everyone kissed her properly before he set her to bed, laying down beside her, allowing the girl to hold his finger. She sucked on her thumb, her eyes slowly closing. Though she lay beside him, she would be climbing all around him during the night, either placing her feet on his stomach, or she’d nestle her head beside him. Adam wondered if it was bad for children to do that, but the Iyrmen didn’t seem to mind.

Omen: 7, 20

“You are feeling lucky?” Sonarot asked, seeing the look on Adam’s face.

Adam nodded. “Very lucky. I think I can start making a greater enhanced weapon…”

“Not a shield?” Sonarot asked. “Your weapon is good, but you do not have a magical shield.”

“Mighty Roar is a good shield,” Jurot said. “A good shield will serve you well.”

“Mighty Roar?” Adam looked to Jurot’s shield on the wall. “Oh yeah, I enchanted it, didn’t I? How come you never use it?”

“I do,” Jurot said. “When I may be losing a fight.”

“You didn’t use it during the Outbreak?”

“I was not losing a fight.”

Adam nodded. It made perfect sense. He thought about the type of shield he wanted to enchant. Thunder was good, but Jurot already had thunder, and it probably wasn’t a good idea to have something so loud. ‘Should I just make it a greater bonus? No, I want something cool. Heals?’ Adam paused.

“Aunt?”

“Yes?”

“If… I make a really big axe like Destroyer, but then I have a shield which floats around me, does that count as a shield and axe, or will it be a shame to the Rot family tradition?”

“It is fine,” Sonarot replied, simply.

Adam remained silent. It didn’t feel like it was right, it didn’t have the right spirit. What could he put on his shield? What would be useful? There were so many…

“Aunt?”

“Yes?”

“I’m a genius.”

“Yes,” Sonarot replied, simply.

Adam left, borrowing some money from Elder Zijin, who knew Adam could make it back within a few weeks at most.

Mana: 18 -> 15

Enchanting Check

D20 + 7 = 10 (3)

Omen: 7, 20 -> 7

20 + 7 = 27

Adam plucked a Thread of Fate, changing the Fate of an Iyrman with some connection to him, and thus Fate was forever changed.

Adam yawned. “Oof. I forgot how much enchanting a greater item took out of me.”

The Iyrman who stood nearby, watching the Half Elf enchant, decided to ignore what Adam had said. Adam was someone who could enchant so brilliantly, even matching Romaezi, the Iyrman’s greatest enchanter, in some regard.

After he returned to the shared family estate to eat, Adam took Lanarot to their home, and picked up the book they hadn’t finished yet.

“It is my turn to read,” Jurot said.

“Alright,” Adam said, handing the book and the girl over to his brother, before settling down beside Turot.

Jurot read the tale, continuing where they had left off, allowing Lanarot to turn the pages when it was time. The girl sat on his lap, and he could feel the weight of her. He could feel her warmth against him, and when her hand brushed against his, he could feel how solid he was in comparison.

Jurot could still feel it. The desire not to die. It ate at him, like a Demon whispering within his ear. He needn’t die any longer, for he had Lanarot to care for. What was a story for the future in comparison to the little girl? He didn’t need to die. No, why leave the Iyr at all? He should remain within the large walls of the Iyr, and-

“Jurot?” Adam called, noting the long pause Jurot had taken after Lanarot had turned the page.

“Yes?” Jurot asked.

“Are you okay?”

Jurot swallowed. “Okay,” he said, nodding his head slowly.

He couldn’t allow the Demon to keep whispering in his ear, so he returned to the story. A story which could be his, which his greatchildren would read to one another, long after he had passed. His name would forever go down in history, as an Iyrman who reached Diamond Rank, and fell to only the greatest of creatures.

Just like Jirot.

“Yo,” Adam said, at the end of the story. “Jirot was a bad… very good.” Adam tried not to curse in front of his sister and Cousin.

“Very good,” Turot said, smirking up at Adam, in the way that he did when he knew something Adam didn’t.

“What a great death,” Adam said, brushing Turot’s hair. “You must be so proud.”

“Yes,” Turot said. “Jirot was strong.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask, but… what does Jarot and Jirot mean?”

Turot looked up at Adam, his brows furrowed.

“Ja, of the Rot family. Ji, of the Rot family.”

“Yes, but… what do they mean, you know?”

“Ja, as in Jarot, who had brought the Devilkin to the Iyr. Ji, after the great Iyrman, who fell only to Demon General Balakazor, the Ancient Dragon who was swayed to the Demon Lord’s cause, to allow Jurot to save the child.”

“Yeah, but… you know, what does Ja mean?”

“Our names have no meaning, Adam. Ja represents our ancestors and their stories, and the future stories Ja will have. Jarot, the one who brought Devilkin to the Iyr. Jarot, the one who lost his arm to a Dragon to bring back his grandson. When one is brought into the Rot family, they inherit the stories of their ancestors, and when they take the name Ja, they will have the expectations of greatness, if they walk that path of life.” Jurot smiled. “I am Jurot, named after my ancestor, who fell only against the Demon Lord, to allow the killing blow.”

“Damn,” Adam said. “Iyrmen are so cool.”

“Yes,” Jurot said, smiling, pushing away the Demon whispering in his heart. “Iyrmen are so cool.”