‘These guys are in their early teens,’ Adam thought. ‘They’re fug insane.’

  Here they had a bunch of kids, each of whom were learning to beaes of death, each skilled enough with their chosen on they could bahem atop their nose and moonwalk.

  Adam remained silent, watg as the Iyrmen quickly left, leaving them in sile was then the audieed in chatter, sharing drinks and snacks, all the while talking about their family who had been on dispy.

  “My sister is the stro,” Turot said, his lips twitg upwards, staring up at Adam smugly.

  “Of course she is,” Adam said, ruffling his hair. “The future Elder Peace’s big sister o be strong, right?”

  Turot let slip a little giggle, squeezing his hands together like Lanarot did, before he began to chat with the others. The children stood up to chat in the walk way towards one another, and Adam leaned back to look at Kitool.

  “Your cousin retty cool,” Adam said.

  Kitool bowed her head. “He was, yes.”

  “Did you do something like this?” Adam asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Damn,” Adam said. “Do all Iyrmen do it?”

  “Most do.”

  “Pretty cool,” Adam said, leaning back. “It’s only been, what, an hour and a bit. What’s ?”

  “A py,” Kitool said. “It should st a few hours, with small breaks iween.”

  “They’ll be the actors in the py?”

  Kitool nodded.

  Adam wondered what other surprises the Iyr had for him. As the minutes passed, the Iyrmen passed out more snacks, fried stuffs and water, as well as juice. There was also a small bottle of wine, which Adam began to sip slowly, tasting how sour it was.

  ‘Damn it.’

  Adam remained mostly silent, letting the children talk to one another. Some Iyrmen from the row behind them, tapped his shoulder, and he looked back towards them. It was an Orcish Iyrman, in his te early thirties or so.

  “You are a Half Elf?”

  “That’s right,” Adam said.

  “Which family are you with?”

  “The Rot family.”

  The Orcish Iyrman nodded. “Who was on dispy in your family?”

  “My Cousin, Nirot,” Adam said. “She won the bout with the axe.”

  “The one who won the bout with the axe was a young man,” the Orcish Iyrman said.

  “Axe and shield, sorry.”

  The Orcish Iyrman nodded.

  “Yours?”

  “Otfan,” the Iyrman said. “There are not many Half Elves who join the Iyr.”

  “I’ve heard.”

  “I believe you are the first.”

  “Adam, son of Fate,” Adam said.

  “Razfan,” the Iyrman said, shaking Adam’s forearm. “You are Unrivalled Uhe Heavens?”

  Adam winced. “Something like that.”

  “I k,” the beautiful Devilkin woman beside him said, accepting the Iyrman’s gold . “I am Shakat.”

  “Ah,” Adam said, reag up to shake her forearm. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. You’re reted to the current Elder Peace, right?”

  “Yes,” she said. “She is my cousin.”

  “My Cousin will be Elder Pea the future, isn’t that right, Turot?” Adam said.

  “Yes,” the boy said, looking up at the woman. “I will be Elder Peace.”

  “Then make sure you study hard,” Shakat said. “Why do you want to be Elder Peace?”

  “Elder Peace is the most important,” Turot said, matter of factly.

  “That they are,” the Iyrman said, petting the young boy’s head, brushing his hair.

  It wasn’t long after until the Iyrmen begun to set up the ptform, adding in all kinds of features, from mostly that of white furs to form bs. Some of them were dressed ipte of a style from long ago, and others wore the clothing of the Iyr, though it was slightly different.

  One of the Iyrmen even wore a atop his head, something Adam had never seen before.

  ‘What the?’

  Eventually, the Iyrmen gathered together, taking their pces, and the drumming from the side began.

  The Iyrman with the raised his sword, which ainted red. “Retreat!” he shouted, beginning the py.

  It took Adam moments to realise what the story was about, mostly because there was a narrator describing the se as the Iyrmen acted.

  “Oh,” Adam said, watg the py about the Bckwater Crisis.

  The children were rather well behaved, g every so often when something happened which pleased them, but otherwise remained silent.

  The py took several breaks, mostly to ge ses, allowing the Iyrmen to chat between one another.

  Turot was in a heated discussion with Raygak, speaking about those who had followed Akrat.

  They cheered when the heroes died, and cheered even more when the Dragon was defeated.

  Then came that se.

  Adam squinted, already feeling the dread. When it arrived, ached as the Orcish Iyrman gave the performance of his life, cursing them for their betrayal, he couldn’t help but get a little teary eyed.

  It was around this time that the children were screaming and shouting noisily, and the Iyrmen allowed such a moment as the se was being shifted.

  “They are bad,” Turot said. “You ot break your word. How could they kill our child?” He tutted.

  Adam brushed the boy’s hair, seeing the anger on his face. “That’s why we need an Elder Peace, right?”

  “Yes,” he said, his face still sour.

  As the story progressed, Adam threw his head back towards the Orcish Iyrman, his brow raised. The Iyrman looked down at him and smiled, winking at the Half Elf, who had eventually put two and two together. Adam just urning back to the story.

  He had fotten how the Fan and Gak families had pyed a huge role iories, though he noted how Laygak did not py his aor, and it was instead pyed by someone else. In fact, the entire Devilkin group had pyed extras only, and none of them had pyed Iyrmen.

  ‘That’s kinda weird,’ Adam thought.

  It was weirder still, since Jarot yed by Nirot, a direct desdant of the man. She had flown in on a…

  ‘Is that a rickshaw?’ Adam thought, watg as someone cloaked, in bck, with a bird mask pulled the young woman along, before she hopped off of it. ‘Nice.’

  Ohe story was dohere was a roar of appuse which filled the arena, all the while the Iyrmen youth stood to accept the appuse for some time, before clearing the ptform.

  Adam stretched his body, going for a quick walk around the area. He go the Iyrman beside him. “I fot who Razfan was,” Adam admitted.

  “Have you heard the story before?” Razfan asked.

  “Yeah,” Adam said. “On my first jouro the Iyr.”

  “It is obvious, due to the Jarot’s tributions to the Iyr.”

  “Jarot’s tribution? What did he do?” Adam asked. “Oh, you mean the Rukhs?”

  “No,” Razfan said. “You do not know?”

  “Know what?” Adam asked.

  “You will be told sooner or ter,” Razfan replied, simply.

  “Alright,” Adam said. “Keep your secrets.”

  Drums sighe end of the break some time ter, and then there came ten Iyrmen, who walked out from the tunnels. Adam didn’t reise any of them, but he heir different ons.

  He reised one of the ons.

  The Iyrman with the spear caught Adam’s eye, bowing his head before pointing his magical spear to the Half Elf.

  Adam nodded his head back, surprised to see the spear so soon.

  “Adam, son of Fate!” the Iyrman shouted. “I will fight for you this day.”

  Adam turned a little red, but smiled. ‘Well, that’s embarrassing.’

  “Did you make that spear?” Turot asked.

  “Yeah,” Adam said. “I did. I fi yesterday.”

  Turot smiled and nodded his head, chuffed to bits that Adam was his cousin.

  Suddenly, they came.

  From the three other entrances came out three creatures. One was a rge boar, with tusks which would skewer any Iyrman in its path, its fur as white as snow. Another was a rge bear, one Adam had fought before, a Nightval Bear. The st was a rge wolf, an Elder White Wolf.

  Three of the Iyrme away from their rades, ready to csh with the creatures. As one might have expected, the Iyrmen had no issue dealing with their enemies.

  The Iyrman wielding the spear Adam had created had goo fight the Nightval Bear, and with some struggle, mao kill it.

  Adam cpped his hands as they won, the dispy of prowess was amazing, though he was still thinking about the youths earlier in the day, who had been most impressive.

  More creatures were shown, a tiger which was white, with six legs, a panther which was bck, and lived in a stant state of flux, its body shimmering. There was also a Twilight Fox, which Adam hadn’t expected.

  It had caused some arm when it bolted up towards the crowd, towards Adam and the others, but an older Iyrman pu back down towards the ptform without a word. Adam had reached for Phantom, but it was not he Twilight Fox was quickly sin by one of the older Iyrmen who made up the ten.

  The death of the Twilight Fox sighe end of the show.

  “Did you wao go and fight them?” Strom asked, having sat at the top of the walls behind the crowd, hidden by the brush and sloped height.

  “No,” Chief Iromin replied.

  Click banner for Patreon and e join my Discord too!

  Chief Iromin babysitting Strom still.