‘By the Divihey’re back?’ the ahought, feeling the gre of the Viander of the Floral Sun’s eye.

  The woman stepped out of the cart. She was thick, mostly with muscle, with dark eyes and dark hair, freshly cut by her daughter, the baker. Upon her forehead was the same tattoo that caused the Viander’s eye to throb. She wore the Iyrman’s furs, carried a shield upon her back, and a her side. Most importantly was the small pouch she held within her hand, holding it up to the ander.

  “Greetings, Iyrman.”

  “Greetings, ander.”

  The aepped forward towards the Iyrman, leaving his guards behind him, though felt a figure follow him. He opened up the pouoting all the gold and silver s within, for the people and the carriages.

  “Are you his daughter?” the Viander asked.

  “Yes.”

  Esme slowly bowed her head, her eye meeting the young Iyrmen’s she had met earlier. She walked between the carriages and reached down to her amulet, which glowed gently. “Why have yht the demons?”

  “They wished to e,” Sonarot replied casually.

  “What is your justification?”

  “What justification do we need?”

  “For us not to draw our bdes, you will need appropriate justification.”

  “We would not wish for justification to refuse such fun,” Sonarot stated, fshing the smile of an Iyrman, filled with arrogand delight.

  “You might be his daughter, but you are still a girl pared to me.”

  “We must be on our way,” an Iyrman said, his voice low. He sat upon the driver’s seat of the cart, his arms crossed. He was old, with greyish skin, tusks, a thick beard, braided, and shoulder length hair. Upon his back he wore a greatsword, which had been gifted to him retly. His granddaughter, who was sleeping peacefully, sat upright upon hearing his voice, blinking away the sleepiness.

  Sonarot bowed her head lightly, fshing a polite smile to the Viander, before returning back to the cart.

  “What if I must insist?” Esme reached down to her bde, the members of her Order reag down for their bdes too, waiting for her and.

  “If you must insist, then you must insist,” the Iyrman said, slowly standing, stretg out his muscles before hopping down.

  The other driver sighed, dropping down from his cart, before approag the Iyrman. He pced a hand on his shoulder, stating something clearly, though in the Iyr’s tohe bearded Iyrman closed his eyes, falling into thought for a moment. He replied with a statement iongue.

  “Speak openly, Iyrmen.”

  “Koyah, wishes to take your other eye, but I have refused,” the bearded Iyrman replied simply.

  Sir Esme remained silent for a long moment, staring at the pair of Iyrmen. Her forehead pulse. “You must know who I am.”

  “Sir Esme. Viander of Floral Sun.”

  “Since you already know who I am, who are you?”

  “I am Rajin, the Bearded Dragon.”

  “Who?”

  Rajin remained silent, his eyes falling upon the ander, who stared up at the Iyrmaioningly.

  “Rajin is more well known in the North,” Koyah expined, doing his absolute best to remain silent.

  ‘If I haven’t heard of him, then he must…’ The ander closed his eyes. ‘Bearded Dragon?’ The name seemed familiar, and as he tio wrack his mind, he had the strange suspi he had read about the name retly.

  “The Bearded Dragon is the reason why t Westmoon is still alive,” called a voice from the carriage, the young Iyrman smiling ily. She had red skin, horns, and a mischievous smile upon her face.

  ‘Ah!’ The ander blinked. ‘That Bearded Dragon!’ “I have heard there was some trouble st year.”

  “Trouble?” Rajin reached up to scratch his beard. “I did fight Gentle Heart, or was it Majestic Bde?” Rajin spoke as though he wasn’t sure which of the warriors he had almost killed. “I would have liked to have faced them both, but I had to keep Mad Dog from killing the t.”

  Uwajin stared at her grandfather, who rarely spoke so much, especially not with so much strength in his voice, that was to say, at a normal volume.

  “You speak santly,” Sir Esme said.

  “What is sant about defeating a pair of Masters?”

  ‘Stop it!’ The ander’s heart began to pound violently within his chest. ‘You damned Iyrmen, why are you making my job so difficult?’

  “Aunt?” Jaygak asked, raising her brows for support, while Lucy leaned bato the cart, wanting to turn invisible.

  “Okay,” Sonarot replied. “Uncle, please step back. Since my daughter is preoccupied within the business, I have taken responsibility for the demons.”

  “Your daughter?”

  “Ray Vonda, of Life’s Rose.”

  “She is your daughter?”

  “She is my daughter, as I am the daughter of the Mad Dog.”

  ‘What does- ah, that.’ “I did not realise you were the Ray’s mother.”

  “Is that enough justification, Sir Esme?”

  “I will allow you to leave in peace,” the Viaated, though her forehead tio pulse. Though she wao step forward and fight, seeing the aense up at the realisation of who the Bearded Dragon was, she decided to let him go. The daughter of the Mad Dog was still not good enough for her revenge anyhow.

  The Iyrmen swiftly made their way away, the dusk sun at their backs as their magical steeds pulled the carts. The ander watched the carts go, heading to Red Oak. ‘Who was the other Iyrman?’

  Koyah’s carriage caught up to Rajin’s, driving beside him for a moment. “You already have a ret tale, Bearded Dragon.”

  “This is a simir matter, Blessed Bde.”

  “Is it?”

  “I feel it so.”

  “She is not yet a Grandmaster, it would not have been an appropriate tale.”

  “I would defeat her quicker.”

  Koyah let out a snort. “Will you cause a mess in Red Oak?”

  “I am not the Mad Dog.”

  Koyah’s ughter echoed in the air, drifting away to the horizon with the wind.

  Jaygak leaned ba her cart, throwing a look to Uwajin, who awoke upon hearing her grandfather’s voice, but fell asleep when she could no longer hear it. ‘How many Iyrmeive this early in dawnval?’ She thought to the driver, Koyah, who was a Grandmaster, and had joined upon their jour on a whim. ‘If he joined us so easily, then there must be more Iyrmen out.’

  Jaygak’s eyes theo Sonarot, who had decided to leave the business due to her joke, a joke that was funny because it was rooted in truth. Even though the root was true, and ge, even Jaygak couldn’t help but smile upohought of seeing her younger siblings again. ‘How could you have corrupted me this much, Adam?’

  While the President and a pair of Executives and Managers had made their way to Red Oak, Adam checked his book to see how many months he could get away with not w. He sat with the other Executives and Managers in Jurot’s personal residence, while the Leads remai the other se of the fort.

  “Although I was of two minds of allowing Jurot to test Ja seems she’s capable enough, and she uands just how ridiculous the Executives are,” Dunes joked, cheg his notes. “It must be why she accepted such a low wage.”

  “I was only joking but she accepted it just like that and now it feels too awkward to deny her siy,” Adam admitted, flushing slightly. “We’ll just add in something, like, like, bumping her up the list for a magical ons. Speaking of which, I’m pnning on equipping Rid the others with some magical ons, nothing crazy, Basic ons.”

  “Some of the new guards require equipment,” Jurot stated.

  “ht.” Adam checked his notes, writing down a reminder for himself. “What did you say? Four with armour, and then there’s Thomas?”

  “Yes.”

  “Aria, Theo, Alfie, and Arlo? So many A’s and T’s, seriously. I’m already so bad with names and then it just so happehat everyone we’re training had to be named simirly. I mean, e on, Theo and Thomas? Alfie and Arlo? Aria I manage, since all I o think about is a needle.”

  “A needle?” Vonda asked.

  “From the story.”

  “With the throne?”

  “That’s the one.” Adam sipped his fvoured water, which tasted like mango, the group’s favourite.

  “Amira, Aria,” Dunes joked, smiling towards his wife, who rolled her eyes. “I’m gd we named her Ranya, there aren’t many with a simir name.”

  “How could I ever fuse our adorable Ranya? There’s no way, no way, I say.”

  “I was informed you wished to stop being a fool?” Amira asked.

  “I o be a little bit of an idiot, otherwise I’d be too perfect, and the Iyr will kill me.”

  “They ot,” Jurot said.

  “They ’t?” Adam asked, peering towards his brother curiously.

  Jurot remained silent for a long moment. “It would be difficult.”

  “See? Not even Jurot guara.” Adam chuckled, reag out to punch Jurot’s bicep gently. “Don’t be so down, you punk. If you threatehe Iyr, they’d kill you too.”

  “I would not threaten the Iyr,” Jurot replied simply.

  “You wished to stop business with Red Oak?” Amira asked.

  “Sihe tess doesn’t want our business, what I do?” Adam asked.

  “How will it be repced?”

  “Well…” Adam frowned. “I mean, we ’t really do Deadwood.”

  “What of Ever Green?” Vonda asked.

  “Ever Green? I wasn’t thinking about it si’s a part of Floria.”

  “We should tinued aus within a town.”

  “Not here?” Adam asked.

  “It may bring trouble to the vilgers if we au ons here, and nobles would find it troublesome to e, and you would be uo squeeze the gold out of their purses,” Vonda said, smiling so ily towards her husband.

  “Do you think I don’t know you’re pying me like a fiddle?” Adam asked.

  “Shall I stop?”

  “No, definitely not.” Adam flushed slightly, clearing his throat. ‘Obviously you manipute me all you like, darling.’

  “Why don’t you flirt with me like that?” Amira asked, her eyes gring at her husband.

  “It is Ray Vonda who is flirting with her husband,” Dunes replied, throwing his wife a look, a pyful smirk upon his lips.

  “Executive Adam, do you see the kind of husband I have? He’s lucky he’s so handsome.”

  “Right, isn’t he?” Adam replied. He frowned. “Hold on. Dunes, aren’t you strong, handsome, and wise?”

  “Am I?”

  “You’re too perfect, so I should fire you.”

  “Fire me?”

  “You should be removed from the Manager position.”

  “My wife is also so beautiful, strong, and wise?”

  “How you flirt while we’re in an importaing?” Adam asked, tutting, writing down a his is going to e up during your quarterly report.”

  “Quarterly report?”

  “Damn it. You guys have no idea how funny these jokes are.” Adam sighed. “Alright, alright, let’s stop messing around and actually do some work, yeah? Alright, so Ever Green? What about Eagle Wing? That’s abhly as far, and it’s Aldnd.”

  “We should pce aus in both,” Jurot said. “Eagle Wing is close to the capital of West Aldnd, and is not so far away from the capital of Aldnd. Ever Green is prestigious, and though it is smaller than Red Oak, the people are wealthier, and it holds much prestige. King Merryweather is from a vilge close to it, and it is also close to the Florian Fort he border to Aswadasad.”

  “Aswadasad…” Adam tapped the table. “Aswadasad’s pretty far, but we should figure something out for there ter.”

  “We should stabilise our positions with Aldnd and Floria first,” Jurot said. “Through Floria, we make dealing with Aswadasad.”

  “Oh yeah?” Adam asked.

  “Floria and Aswadasad hold some tension from their geional grievances, but King Merryweather fought for them. Few Aswadians would care for revenge due to their respect of the previous King’s Sword.” Jurot gowards Dunes.

  “I would think the Aswadians are so wise,” Duated, fshing a charming smile. “Though, I have left my Order to join your business.”

  “You make it sound like it was a bad idea,” Adam joked.

  “I’m sure Sara and Korin will temper the Priest ander, but I will find myself at the mercy of a club one day.”

  “I’ll do my best to try and ask for leniency.”

  “I will ask Jurot to assist at that time, so that you do not ge the club to a bde.”

  “I’m not that bad, am I?” Adam asked, befng between his friends and family. “Okay, don’t all of you hurry to defend me…”

  Is he?