Y03 – 720. The Village
On: 13, 19
“Oh,” Adam said, looking upon the isle between the rivers, where roughly a hundred Iyrn were beginning to outline the walls, using various poles and strings to asure the walls. ‘Right, they said it was going to be done around noonval so I guess they would start pretty soon. A fort in four and a half months? That’s pretty cool.’
They approached the small fenced village across the river, the villagers nearby noting the arrival of the Iyrman and the queer half elf in the Iyrman’s purple steel. An older woman approached to greet the group. She was short, barely reaching Adam’s chest with the top of her head. She wore thick furs around her body, as well as a set of scale around her chest, which also fell down her waist, and a belt wrapped around her front to keep her armour pinned to her. An axe hung against her belt, though she wielded her trusty spear in hand.
“I see you’ve decided to co out of hiding,” Chief rl said, flashing a smile towards the group.
“I never said I was a smart man, chief,” Adam replied, flashing his own smile back towards her. “How have you been?”
“Well, thank you. The Iyr has sent so many warriors to protect us during the last few months. I thought the closed gates would have caused us to worry, but the Iyr has always watched over us.” She motioned a hand for them to enter the village.
Adam reached into his pouch, but rl reached for his hand, slapping it away from his pouch. “What? My leaf ear coin no longer good enough for you?”
rl tightened her hand on her spear. “Stop it, you!” She raised her brows in shock, but they shifted, as though daring him to continue.
“I’ll just have Nobby slip a gem to your granddaughter, surely she won’t refuse the gem from her future husband.”
“They should have married last year so I can see my great grandchildren,” rl stated, nodding her head as she led the group towards the centre of the village. Though the village held the sa population as the Iyr, the air was so different. The wooden fence, the commonfolk working lightly in the fields and their gardens, with very few rushing to anywhere in particular.
“Does rl still want to marry Nobby?” Adam asked.
“That was the deal she made.”
“I’m not one to enforce that sort of deal,” Adam replied, clearing his throat. “If she has soone else in mind, she shouldn’t be forced into marrying Nobby.”
“She’ll be quite lucky to marry Nobby.”
“That she is,” Adam replied. “That she is.”
“Are you taking him out to make him a Master?” rl asked, her eyes playfully teasing the half elf.
“That’s harder to do in a single year,” Adam admitted. “I’m not even a Master yet, even I I can probably take one in a fight.”
rl continued to smile, though it faltered for a mont, realising Adam was probably serious about the statent. Who else but Adam could say sothing that ridiculous and an it? “You lost against the King’s Sword’s daughter, didn’t you?”
“I surrendered after I beat her up, yeah,” Adam corrected, smirking slightly.
“…” rl had heard the tale a few tis, at least ten tis in the last month considering the arrival of those Iyrn. Her eyes fell to the other subject of their tale, Jurot, the one who had placed first within the Noonval Tournant. Then it flashed between Kitool, who had placed second, and Nobby, who placed first in another segnt. ‘…’
“So this is where you’ll all been hanging out,” Adam said upon seeing the group of Iyrn. “This entire ti your…” Adam’s eyes then fell to Bavin. “Hey, Bavin.”
“Hello,” the Iyrman replied.
Adam could barely recognise the young Iyrman, who had short dark hair, and carried an axe at his side, the Vin family weapon. Adam swore the young man had grown at least an inch, and his body was thicker with muscle. He was no Nobby, even if the pair were nearly identical in their ekness.
“I didn’t expect…” Adam smiled warmly, patting his shoulder gently. “I’m glad to see you, Bavin.”
“Okay.”
Adam chuckled, before greeting the rest of the Iyrn, shaking their forearms. “The sa rules apply this year.”
“Lanarot is Cutest In The Whole World,” Nirot said.
“No marriage,” Naqokan stated.
“Make sure to listen,” Faool said, bowing his head lightly.
“No dying without your permission,” Laygak added.
After a long pause, Uwajin spoke up. “Be kind to one another.”
“Man, I’m so good at rules,” Adam whispered, nodding his head. “We’re getting rid of rule number one because we need to change it, but it’ll beco way too long.”
“Adam?” Jaygak asked, placing a hand on his forehead.
“Jaygak, if you want to fight, just say so.”
She replied with the most innocent smile while Lucy stifled a laugh. “Why do you always resort to violence?”
“I don’t want to hear that from an Iyrman.”
“We don’t always fight.”
“Sure, but that’s not exactly your preferred setting.”
“There are tis we should not fight,” Jurot said.
“Jurot?” Adam asked, placing a hand on his forehead.
“I’m not going to berate you for stealing my joke since it was a good joke,” Jaygak said, smirking slightly.
“I never said it was a bad joke, I’m just looking for any excuse to beat you up.”
“Kitool will not allow you to beat up.”
“Why do you always have to hide behind Kitool?”
“Why do you always have to threaten ?”
Adam flushed slightly, his smile faltering for a mont. “You know I’m just joking, right?”
“Are you?”
“You know I am, because I said sothing stupid even for .”
Korin leaned in to Dunes, whispering quietly. “It still surprises he is our leader…”
Dunes smiled in response but said no more, since he had long learned what the Iyrn had understood when it ca to Adam.
“Anyway, I heard you guys and the wolves have been having fun without us,” Adam said, eyeing up the younger Iyrn, who were once teens under his employ. “I hope you got the fighting out of you because other than the beasts we co across, I don’t intend to start fights with anyone.”
Adam frowned, noting the doubt within their eyes.
“You will not fight with the nobles?” Nirot asked.
Adam inhaled deeply before looking to Jurot for support. “Jurot, how can she say that to ?”
“Adam will try,” Jurot replied, though he said no more about the topic.
“I’m nice to nobles,” Adam stated, as though it were true. “Sotis. I an, I treat Sir Vonda nicely, most of the ti.”
“It is true,” Vonda said, smiling from behind her scarf.
“See?”
“Sir Vonda does not count, since she is a mber of the Order of Life’s Rose,” Jaygak said. “Who is not nice to such a figure?”
“What about Lady Sara?” Adam asked, throwing a look to the Aswadian devilkin, who had a gem embedded within her forehead. “I’m nice to you, aren’t I?”
“Adam is right,” Lady Sara replied. “One might wonder why he only behaves politely with young, beautiful, single noblewon, but that is not the point.”
“Hey!” Adam replied, flushing slightly redder. “Just because that’s true, it doesn’t an there’s anything to it. I’ve been nice to noblen too. I an, think about…” Adam thought to the nobles he was polite to, a slim list, and then the nobles who were n. “Sir Landon?”
“You’ve threatened him several tis.”
“Only now and again,” Adam replied. “Just a bit of banter, that’s all. Well, what about Lord Strom?”
“He doesn’t count, since he had given up his title at the ti,” Jaygak said.
“Okay, well, Lord Morkarai?”
“You beat him.”
“Yeah, but he’s my friend.”
“Is he?”
“That’s why he gave us that really nice shield he made yesterday,” Adam retorted. “Anyway, anyway, look. Enough ssing around. I can’t help but be cringe if you’re going to amplify it.”
Amira exchanged a look with Dunes. She had spent the least amount of ti with the half elf, though they did et when he had spent several thousand gold freeing her from working in the mines.
Dunes rely replied with the sa smile.
Once the group had gathered in the centre, the Iyrn began to speak of a tale, while Adam relaxed near the fire, drinking his grain wine mixed with fruit juice. He glanced between his companions, from the demons, to the Aldishn, to the Iyrn, to the Aswadians.
‘Right, I should probably equip them all in plate mail when I have the chance. I have enough gold for it now. Why didn’t I do that before we left?’ The young half elf pulled out a book from within his robe, writing down the note to himself for the future.
‘I need to make a deal with Chief rl too…’ Adam swallowed, thinking about his future workers. ‘I can’t just let them all starve to death. Need so drinks for them all too. Won’t they need entertainnt too?’ Adam let out a long sigh. ‘Why did I decide to be in charge? Damn it…’
I will not promise Adam will beco less cringe this year, but I promise he will try.
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