“Thank you for the sword,” Amira said, p Adam a cup of tea.

  “Why are you thanking me? You should thank the Enter.” Adam smiled ily, noting the way Amira was looking at him, slowly sippiea as their eyes remained focused within one another’s. Adam gowards Dunes, raising his brows.

  “I trust her,” Dunes replied, trying his best to remain fident.

  Adam slowly nodded, smiling a little wider. “Wele aboard, Manager Amira.”

  “I am a Maoo?” Amira asked, though it hadn’t been the first time she had been informed she held such a rank within the business.

  “I’m not stupid enough to treat you less than a Manager.”

  “You are smart when you o be?” Amira joked.

  “Something like that.” Adam sipped the tea gently, rexing within the fort alongside the rest of his panions.

  ‘Greater Enhanced,’ Fred thought, sitting by himself in the er. He stared at the sword in front of him, uhing the bde, noting the faint runes against the bde, before running his finger along the etal. It was almost ice cold. The bde was different than Lifebde in many ways, mostly due to how much more offensively focused the bde was. He had already used it a few times, and he had sliced through the beasts like a hot khrough butter, or he supposed, a cold khrough… something. He was able to strike harder three times per day, the cold seeping into his enemies.

  ‘Not much different than the Duchess’ on?’ Fred wondered how simir the bdes were, keeping the other thought in the back of his mind. ‘He isn’t crazy enough to create the ‘xact same on for me.’

  The time in the fort became more lively, mostly thanks to a pair of troublemakers.

  “I am not mommy, I am not daddy, I am Demon Load,” Jirot stated fidently towards the other children.

  “I am Load Stokmah,” little Jarot said, not quite as fidently as his elder twin.

  Alex blinked. “That’s not how you py the game.”

  Jirot inhaled deeply. She gowards the demon who was rexing on the side, the girl’s eyes being her for support.

  “Jirot, if you want to be the Demon Lord, e py with me,” Lucy said, finding the anxious eyes of the children far too much for her soul. ‘I’m not even that scary! It’s not fair the Iyrmeo move around peacefully but they look at me like this.’

  Jirot darted towards Lucy. “We ot puhy Demon Load chess.” The girl narrowed her eyes towards the Demon Lord.

  “Okay.”

  “No?”

  “No.”

  “Okay,” the girl firmed, while Jarot smiled up towards Mara shyly.

  Mara smiled iurn, reag out to take little Jarot’s hand within her own.

  As the days passed, more beasts appeared, though Adam remai the fort. He blinked as a beast turo red mist.

  “I didn’t realise you were that scary, Lord Morkarai.”

  Morkarai crushed more earth between his hands, before he tossed the ball made of earth towards another beast, like a onball it spttered the beasts it smmed through. “It has been a while since I’ve fought.”

  Wow!

  Tariel tapped at her book. It was the first time she had seen the giant’s famous artillery, which had formed from their great raw strength.

  ‘Giants really are scary,’ Filliam thought, pushing up his gsses.

  It was especially useful against the undead which began to rise during the Twilight Month, with the business fellows moving out to fight against the creatures, including Dunes and Vonda. The pair did not use their magics, though it wasn’t needed, not when the boulder smashed into the bones of multiple skeletons in one go, causing shards of boo rain around them.

  “Did you see?” Adam asked. “Ray Vonda fought so well, didn’t she?”

  “Load Mohkahrye,” Jirot said, pointing at the giant.

  “What about us?” Adam asked.

  “I am Demon Load Mohkahrye,” the girl said, huffing out with pride.

  “How strong,” the Prince replied, feeling Adam’s gre against him.

  “Yes,” Jirot replied, a wide smirk across her lips.

  Adam sighed. ‘At least we cleared the undead before the wedding.’

  A gentle chill fell across the air. The gentle rush of the river sprayed a soft mist against the peoples at the bank of the river, while those who stood on the bridge stood with their arms crossed behind their backs. The Iyrmen roamed nearby.

  Ted reached up his eyes, pressing his finger and thumb against the outer ers of his eyes, wiping what little wetness gathered. ‘A Ray is speaking the oaths for my son’s marriage.’

  Annie blew into a cloth beside him, uo tain her emotions, while their daughter remaianding at attention, holding the ring tightly within her hand. The ri so hot within her fingers.

  Adam stood awkwardly nearby. He hadn’t realised he was teically one of the closest to the groom, though as his boss, and the one who had gifted him so much, he o stand on the groom’s side of the bridge, which was towards the Iyr as they were outsiders marrying into the vilge.

  Jirot remained within her grandmother’s arms, gng all around towards the rge mass of people who had gathered. Jarot stared at the bride and groom with his curious eyes.

  “Jirot, look,” Sonarot said, causing Jirot’s head to snap where her grandmother ointing, towards Anne whht the rings to Nobby.

  Nobby wore bright clothing, with a myriad of colours all across his attire, wearing a neckce of beads. Merl wore a simir outfit, except her clothing in, the scarf around her shoulders far more colourful and patterned. Nobby first took the neckce from himself and pced it over Merl, before plug the ring from his sister’s fingers, the girl quickly scampering back to her parents. He paused for a moment, feeling the thundering within his chest, before he slipped the ring onto Merl’s ring finger.

  Merl’s heart pounded hard within her chest, her eyes meeting Nobby’s. The pair stared into one another’s eyes for a long while, and after the ten seds passed, Ray Vonda inhaled sharply.

  “May Mother Soza bless your marriage.”

  Nobby lifted Merl within his arms, and waited until the others had stepped off the bridge before he carried his wife to the vilge’s nd, and then to the tre of the vilge where two seats awaited for them.

  Ohe couple were gathered together, the party began in full ear, with people bringing them gifts, while vilgers pyed musid handed out food.

  “Weddings are the best,” Adam said, blowing against his pe before eating it.

  “Oh fat,” Jirot said as the pe dropped onto her dress. She wiped it with her hand, before her grandmother brought a damp rag to her hand and her dress.

  “Jirot,” Adam said, raising his brows.

  The girl smirked back towards him. “Oh fat!”

  ‘I’m gd she’s so easily tricked while a kid, but fat is also a bad word.’ “If you say that word, I will not give you any potatoes.”

  The girl jolted as though she had been spped in the face. “Nooo! I did not say it! I did not!”

  “That’s right. I don’t want to hear that word while at the wedding. Mister Nobby just got married, so you o be good.”

  “Nana! Tell daddy! I always good! Always!”

  Sonarot brushed the girl’s hair tenderly. “My granddaughter is so well behaved.”

  “Yes!”

  Little Jarot chewed on his raw carrot, his eyes meeting his father’s, the pair sharing a knowing look.

  “Nobby is married?” Konarot asked.

  “That’s right.”

  “Merl is Nobby’s mommy?”

  “She’s not Nobby’s mommy, she’s Nobby’s wife. Ohey have children, then she will be a mommy to that child.”

  “Not my mommy?”

  “No.”

  Konarot nodded her head. She gowards Ray Vonda, who had taken some attention away from the married couple, the young woman awkwardly trying to deflect the attention respectfully.

  As the wedding passed, figures approached on the horizon. Several figures drew closer towards the vilge, and if they were travelling at this time of year, and with so few, it was no doubt a group of them. Except, one was not one of them.

  The Iyrme out to escort the figures towards the vilge, revealing a group of familiar faces, save for one, who Adam did nnise.

  The handsome bronze skinned Iyrman, who wore long dark hair and carried a long greatsword upon his back, also held a wild grin across his face as he reached out to shake Jurot’s forearm. “You had us rush all this way for your marriage.”

  “You could have adventured,” Jurot replied, shaking his cousin’s forearm.

  “How could I miss your wedding?” Amokan replied, before his eyes so Adam, who had greeted his father first. “I have heard you have caused some trouble this year too.”

  “What kind of trouble have I caused?”

  “We passed by Liferiver.”

  “Well, okay, but…” Adam shook Amokan’s forearm. “I don’t need someone as handsome as you pig on me.”

  “Timojin, you will o pi him,” Amokan joked.

  Timojin csped Adam’s forearm, the Iyrman no longer as bald as Adam remembered, but with curly hair which fell down to his shoulders, and a thick beard which hid his lower jaw. “We have returned.”

  “Wele back,” Adam said, shaking the Iyrman’s forearm. “I’m sure you have stories to tell.”

  “We do.”

  Adam gnced across to the Iyrman to the side. He was wholly unfamiliar, save for his tattoo. Then his eyes fell to the other two, a woman who embraced Vonda tightly, and a heavily armoured figure who caught Adam’s eyes for a moment, befng away quickly.

  “Looks like you two did me a favour.”

  “I have heard I owe you a great debt,” Amokan said, before he spotted a tiny girl with gsses. “Inakan is as cute as you said.”

  “No. She’s cuter than I said.”

  Adam's right.