Elder Gold waited at the carriage for the half elf, whht all of his children. Her eyes fell down to the items in the children’s hands. Hydra scales, strips of cloth, and even small rings of copper.

  Konarot stumbled up first, holding out her hands, in which y a single hydra scale. “Thank you, Elder Gold.” Her tail swayed lightly behind her.

  Elder Gold dropped to a knee, reag out to hold the girl’s wrist, brushing along it with her thumb, plug the hydra scale from her hand. “You are wele, Konarot.”

  The girl bowed her head lightly, flushing slightly, before she retreated back to her father, hugging his leg.

  ‘My kid! She’s too cute!’ Adam almost gave in to his daughter, but remaianding tall and firm. “Kirot, Karot.”

  Kirot and Karot each handed over their own gifts silently, each accepting a ruffle of their hair from the Great Elder. It was then Adam inhaled deeply. He waited, watg as the tiny goblin girl stood tall and firm.

  “Elder Gol!” Jirot decred. “Look, is so shiny!” Jirot held out her ring to the Great Elder.

  “It is,” Elder Gold said, plug it from her fingers, feeling the warmth of the child who had clutched it so dearly. She brushed the girl’s cheek, causio close her eyes and smile, enjoying the wrinkled hand of the older woman.

  “Shiny,” Jarot said, holding up the cloth for the Great Elder.

  “Salifi Gold?”

  The boy nodded his head, smiling shyly.

  Elder Gold paused a moment, before reag up to the back of his head, rubbing along the back of his skull tenderly. She took the cloth from his fingers, but tio rub his head, not allowing him to leave. “You are well behaved, not like yreatfather.”

  Little Jarot flushed, before he finally ran back to his father, clutg at his leg. He peeked out from his father’s leg to see Elder Gold was staring at the gifts she had received from the children.

  “Jirot,” Adam whispered.

  Jirot blinked, and Adam nodded his head, causio return a nod of her own head.

  “No, you smelly girl, the gifts!”

  “Oop!” Jirot gasped. “Waiting! Waiting!” Jirot said, holding up her hand to the Iyrmen. “Waiting!” She reached into her pockets and charged towards the aides, holding up both of her hands, each clutg a gift. One a ribbon, the other a hydra scale. “Good job, good job, okay?”

  “Okay,” the aides replied, each accepting their gifts from the girl, before the rest of the children handed over their gifts to the aides too.

  “Say thank you properly now,” Adam said, bowing his head lightly.

  “Thank you,” the children each said, their words mostly following one ahough Jirot had taken in a breath to shout a moment ter.

  ‘He really is a father,’ Elder Gold thought as the carriage rolling out of the fort, taking the Great Elder and her aides, led by her magical steed. She eyed up the gifts from the children, eao doubt gifted to them by their own father, and perhaps their uhe hydra scales were no doubt from the hydras their father had sin that year, the cloth from the time he fought iour, the copper ring, probably from the other world he had been allowed to visit.

  “He’s more dangerous than I expected,” an aide said, staring down at her gifts. The Iyrman, one of the Iyrmen who were tusked, reached up to tie some of the gifts into her thick hair.

  The other aide chuckled, pg his gifts within his tunic. “At least he is raising his children well.”

  “It is good that their mother is so wise.”

  The male aide’s ughter filled the carriage.

  Elder Gold rubbed her fingers along the gifts the you of the triplets had passed along. Kirot had handed her a small bit of hydra leather, while the boy had handed her a bracelet formed of string.

  ‘Should we kill the meraries?’

  Vasera eyed up Shaool, who sat with three of the other older Iyrmen who had appeared. ‘They say she’s a Paragon.’ Her eyes theo Marmak, who was drinking with the one known as Bil, the pair rexing together in the er, Marmak speaking of his tale.

  Yet, the most troublesome Iyrman was not within her sights.

  “Hmph!” Jarot grumbled, holding Larot close to his chest. “How could they take my greatchildren from me?”

  “It was only a few days,” Gangak said, p him a warm gss of milk.

  “A few days? I am so old, how many days do I have?” Jarot held the gss of milk to Larot’s lips, who pulled his head away. “You see! When did Larot refuse to drink milk from my hands?”

  “Always.”

  “You see? Have I fotten he does not drink from my hands? This is uable.” Jarot sipped the milk. “Did I even drink warm milk?”

  “Yrandson is fool enough for the both of you.”

  “He should kill more nobles so that he wear the title of fool as proudly as I.”

  Gangak shook her head lightly, her eyes darting to the side, towards the squealing child who rushed towards her. She hoisted Jirot up within her arms, while little Jarot waited to be hoisted up.

  “You would steal them from me even now?”

  “You do not have enough arms to hold all three.”

  “Even with his one arm of mine, I hold them all!”

  “Nano! I give Elder Gold my ring!” Jirot said, almost shouting the words.

  “You did?” Gangak replied, pg a finger upon the girl’s lip.

  “Yes,” the girl whispered. “I give shiny ring.”

  “What a kind child you are.”

  “Is not all my shiny ring, just a little shiny, I still have my shiny shiny ring,” the girl whispered, pg a finger on her lips. “You ot say, okay?”

  “I will not say,” Gangak assured, causing the girl to smirk, her cag easing the air.

  Little Jarot rested his head against his nano’s shoulder, sug his thumb. He stared at her deep red skin, noting all the familiar scars upon her neck. He stared at them long and hard, noting the trast of the scars against the rest of her skin, and even how parts of her neck were darker than other parts, like those which were then hidden away by the rest of her attire.

  “Nano, you must read story,” Jirot said, narrowing her eyes as though daring her nano to refuse.

  “Okay.”

  The older Jarot inhaled deeply, but he go the side. ‘Since she has said you must read the story, you must.’ Deep within his heart he had wao read them a story, but si was Gangak, he did not pin. After all, after himself, Gangak was the one who loved the pair the most. Indeed, it had to be after him, for he wouldn’t accept the fact she loved them as much as he did.

  As the m came, the fort was far more lively, with all the new children from the Iyr, as well as their elder siblings, from Nirot to Naqokan, to their parents, some of whom held the title of Director, now within the business.

  ‘I should head to the Front Iyr to ent,’ Adam thought over breakfast, feeding his you son a bowl of pe. The boy turned his head. “If you do from my hand, I’ll kiss your face all over.” He didn’t even move his hand as Larot opened his mouth and sucked the pe off the spoon, slowly chewing before swallowing.

  ‘…’

  ‘Yeah, that’s what I thought.’ Adam gnced around towards the rest of the businessfolk, who kept mostly to themselves, eating with their families, and the other businessfolk. Elsie ate with Ray Vonda, who had taken Jirot and Jarot with her to eat with the East Portians.

  Once Dunes was doh the m exercises, Adam thought to approae of the distant Rot family members, wanting to know why they had e to the business. From what he saw, they mostly remained within the fort, but sometimes they followed him, or his children. However, he stopped as a figure approached him.

  “Rick?”

  “Executive,” Rick called, reag up to scratch his beard, which had grown in for a short while. He go the side for a moment, before he stretched out his neck. “May we speak to the side?”

  ‘May we?’ “Of course.” Adam followed Rick out a short ways.

  “reciate all you’ve done for us, truly. I was hoping to ask about the matter with our parents…”

  “The matter with your parents?”

  “We spoke previously about whether they could join the business.”

  “Oh, oh yes,” Adam replied, vaguely recalling the versation. “Do you remember what I said?”

  “You said you would allow them to stay if they were to sometimes work.”

  “Right, yeah, sounds good.”

  “It… is fine?”

  “Yeah. We’ve got… do we have enough space?”

  “We do.”

  “Yep, sounds good. Double check with…” Adam paused, w who the best person to ask was. “Manager Dunes? Ask him if we really do have enough rooms for all the parents. Ask any of the others if they want their parents to e join the business first, then calcute how many there are, and theo Manager Dunes. If we don’t have enough space, you let me know, I’ll make a deal with the Iyrmen to see if we ’t expand the fort, or if we couldn’t… I don’t know, use the Iyr’s side to create more housing.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Any time.” Adam nodded his head, allowing Rick to excuse himself. A smile remained firmly glued to the half elf’s lips as he approached the Iyrmen, whathered together while the businessfolk went about their business.

  “What’s wrong?” Jaygak asked.

  “What do you mean what’s wrong? I’m happy.”

  “Why?”

  “It feels good knowing that I’m trusted.”

  “Isn’t that normal?”

  “Normal? To trust me?”

  “Yes?”

  “Is it?”

  Jaygak bli Adam’s words. “Are you happy or are you sad?”

  “I’m happy that my workers trust me. It means I’m doing a good job, and that I’m not utter scum.”

  Lucy furrowed her brows towards the half elf. “Why would you be scum?”

  “You know, when someone bees rich, they bee evil.”

  “I was rich, but I wasn’t evil.”

  Adam reached over to hoist Lanarot up, bringing her close to his chest, pnting a firm kiss on her forehead. “Lanababy, do you hear that? Lucy is saying your papa is a liar!”

  Lanarot gasped towards Lucy, almost dropping her bread. “Why?”

  Lucy sat up taller. “I didn’t say that!”

  Lanarot looked towards her mother, her face t slightly, but Adam quickly brought a ft bread to her mouth, stopping her from pining.

  “That’s not fair!” Lucy frowned. “I’m going to tell Jirot.”

  “Five me, just this once,” Adam said, peppering his sister with kisses, brushing her hair behind her ear. “I o figure out when we go get the parents of the rest of the businessfolk. We already brought over Ted and Annie, but the rest of them want t their parents over.”

  “Do they all live in Red Oak?” Lucy asked.

  “I think so.”

  “Should we go pick them up?” Lucy then he pout on Adam’s lips. “We could take the children…”

  “We… could?” Adam gowards Sonarot questioningly.

  “We did not expect to take them so far out of the Iyr,” Sonarot admitted. “I send word to Elder Zijin, and the Family Elders. They will inform the Great Elders, who may dey the outing.”

  “Dey? Not deny?”

  “The Great Elders ot deny our freedoms so easily.”

  Adam blinked. ‘I really should figure out how the Iyr works.’ “So… we could take the kids out?”

  “Yes.”

  “My kids too?”

  “We ot?”

  “I mean… you know.”

  “Sihey are my grandchildren, I take them out,” Sonarot replied, as though it was really as simple as that.

  “Right…” Adam still wasn’t sure how his children’s retionship worked in the Iyr, and more than anything, he really didn’t want to find out. “I’ll let the others know that we might be going out, then. How long will that be?”

  “A few days.”

  “A few days…” Adam narrowed his eyes. ‘Damn. If only I could ent at the fort.’

  “There is still the matter of the business with the tess,” Sonarot said.

  “Yeah.”

  Sonarot smiled. “Let us take a walk.”

  “Okay?”

  Adam followed the Director to the inner area of the fort, where a young Iyrman was walking across the northern most se of the fort, pleting his rounds. He looked over his shoulder to the Executive and Director, nodding his head, getting a pair of nods iurn. They approached Jaygak’s pce, made of stone like the rest of the buildings within the inner area, before stepping within.

  “Manager Dunes often sweeps the inner area,” Sonarot said, walking through the first room, which was fairly bare, a room that art kit, part dining area, part living area. She stepped through to the sed room. She gnced around, noting the gathering dust within the room. “He knows his limits.”

  “Yeah,” Adam replied, staring at the trap door that was very obvious beside Jaygak’s bed.

  “He suspected one of your children was sick,” Sonarot said.

  “He did?”

  “Gangak thought so. He seemed to know something.”

  “When was it?”

  “It was the end of the third month.”

  “I think… I think that was the time I was in the… water pce.”

  “Did you tempt Fate?”

  “Yeah.”

  “It may not have been the case.”

  “Yeah…”

  “Larot is not sick.”

  “Uncle Fakrot lost his eye.”

  “A small price to pay.”

  “A price he shouldn’t have had to pay.”

  “Why did you tempt Fate?”

  “The Prince picked a fight with me when I found out Vonda was sick… I… I was just really mad.”

  “Fakrot lost his eye to help his grandnephew. It is a priy Iyrman would pay. Iy, he lost his eye to help his nephew and his grandnephew. It is an even smaller price to pay.”

  “He shouldn’t have lost his eye.”

  “Yrandfather has lost an arm and leg, how Fakrot pin?”

  “He should pin to me at least.”

  “He is happy that you did not marry his daughters.”

  “They’re just kids, but I’m not that bad, am I?”

  “They are sidered adults, but it is not because of you, but because of him.”

  “Because of him?”

  “He is a father too,” Sonarot said, before undoing the trapdoor within Jaygak’s room, the dder falling to the ground. She climbed down first, while Adam followed after her, gng around towards the long underground celr, lit up by small gemstones which reacted to their presehe celr wall began right beside them, before the bathroom, tinuing all the way to the side, stopping a short ways before Adam’s own celr.

  Adam noted all the ons withie, along with the barrels of, what he presumed to be, food, and a mirror all the way to the side, covered in dust. Adam reached over towards a sword, eyeing it up. ‘She bought this i Port a few years back.’ A small smile slipped upon his face, recalling when they went shopping for a sword together.

  “Adam,” Sonarot called, holding up a small dagger, prig her finger with it, before reag over towards the mirror. She pced her finger against the stigma of the silver flower that y atop the mirror, and the blood seeped into it. She held out the dagger. “Prick your finger and drip the blood into the flower.”

  “Right,” Adam said, pig his finger, before pg his finger oigma, allowing his blood to drip against the silver flower.

  Health: 91 -> 90

  “Do not allow your blood to drip upon the floor, it will leave clues for others.”

  Adam reached up to suck the blood out of his finger. “Right…”

  She picked up the mirror and pced it against the small side wall, so it posite the dder they climbed down. “Press your thumb against the mirror’s side.”

  ‘Why my thumb?’ Adam thought, pressing his thumb against the etal.

  The mirror tio reveal their bodies to them, but then the tre of the mirran to shift in colour, as though someone brought fire against it, and the mirror tio shift between the spectrum of colours, until it finally turned blue.

  “Follow quickly,” Sonarot said, reag into the mirror with a hand, before climbing into it with the rest of her body, disappearing into the swirling blue.

  Adam blinked. ‘You could have at least warned me.’

  More secrets?

  The feters are... nibsp;

  The chapters after?

  :)

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