The carriages shook lightly as they followed the road through the forest, which grew sparser as they continued towards the Front Iyr. In the distance they could see the giant wall, which stretched from the horizon to the north to the horizon to the south, the watchtowers like tiny caps, spread wide and far across the entire perimeter.

“Do you see?” Adam asked, holding the basket as though it were a baby. He tilted it forward, allowing Virot to see the landscape around them. “This is the Iyr’s land.”

“Goo,” Virot replied, sucking her hand.

It was near midday when they approached the gate, which opened as they neared, the slabs of wood pushing to the sides as they revealed the tunnel, then the large walls, which almost blocked out the heavens with how tall they were.

‘The Valley of Death,’ Adam thought, imagining how many tens of thousands of soldiers would need to die to assault even the Front Iyr. The pathway sloped for a half mile, approaching another set of heavy gates, where an Iyrman awaited, flanked by four of his aides. Four of them wore Steel tags, like those of Adam and his companions, while the leader wore Mithril. He was a silver fox of a man, with greyish hair which fell to his shoulders. He wore a flail at his side, that which was granted to all those in his position.

Adam’s eyes fell across the Front Iyr. The walls so jagged and mighty, like peaks of a mountain, contained the sprawl that was the Front Iyr. Hundreds of large estates welcomed them, the ground floors made of stone, and the floors above made of wood. Only a handful of buildings were three stories tall, each made of stone, and each important for the defences of the Front Iyr.

“Look,” Adam said, holding the basket close to him. “The Front Iyr used to be a small little village, and now it’s… it’s Iyrmanlike.”

“Pppuf,” Virot stated, snatching the air above her.

“You can’t say that, Virot. They worked so hard making this into a place that could house dragons and giants.” Adam carried the basket to an estate near the centre, around the main fire, several roads emerging out to other fires, spokes within a wheel. Many within the Front Iyr were old, though the various families had begun to return to the Front Iyr once more after the Year of Silence.

Jurot led the group to an estate, allowing them to claim it. It was empty, but large enough for the likes of even Adam’s family, even supplemented by the families of his brother, Sonarot, the other Iyrmen, and even the Aswadians.

Dunes let out a small sigh as he noted their neighbours, tensing up slightly. The man was older, of average height, with a muscular form, forged from his days as a gladiator, and maintained by living in the Iyr. He had long hair, like that of a mane, with two braids which fell down in front of his shoulders. He had dark skin, not quite as dark a Dunes, littered with scars by the many battle. His eyes were dark, and tired of a great number of things in life, and of course, tired due to the young children who tugged upon his hair so gleefully.

“Hey Lion King,” Adam called, waving towards him. “How do you do?”

“Well,” Ashmir replied, throwing a look towards the half elf, who was also surrounded by his children.

“Nine children?” Adam asked, throwing a nod to Ashmir’s various wives, including one which was still far too young, even if she was an adult.

“Lord Noor blesses me, or perhaps it is Baktu?” Ashmir joked, throwing a look towards the rest of those around Adam, including Dunes and Amira, and the tiny chubby form of Ranya in her own basket.

“Hello!” Jirot called from beside her father.

“Do you remember who this is?” Adam asked.

“Is Ashmir.”

“Who is Ashmir?”

“Lion King,” Jirot replied confidently. “So strong! So strong!”

“That’s right, he is so strong, isn’t he?”

“My daddy is strong too,” Jirot said, smirking towards the old Aswadian. “Daddy is first place.”

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“So they allowed you to come first?” Ashmir joked.

“Smelly girl, how could you spoil the story?”

“Ope!” Jirot reached up to her mouth, her head snapping up to her father. “Sorry! Sorry, daddy, sorry.”

“I’ll forgive you, just this once, since you’re so cute.” Adam ruffled her hair, letting her hug his knee.

“Will you speak your tales to us?” Ashmir asked.

“I won’t, but my-,”

“Kitool will tell the tale,” Jaygak said, patting Kitool’s back.

“Okay,” Kitool said.

While Kitool spoke the tale, Jurot disappeared, along with the silver fox of a man who had escorted them. He allowed Jurot into his small manor, which was one large room, with a secondary room for a bathroom. He poured the young Iyrman tea at the round marble table.

“Thank you for your assistance, Front Iyr Elder,” Jurot said, bowing his head.

“It is no issue to send a few warriors out to stretch their legs,” Lykan joked, before Jurot spoke the tale in great detail to him, mentioning as many details as he could.

‘Blood and shadow?’ Lykan ruminated on Jurot’s words, the young Iyrman silent to allow the Front Iyr Elder to think. “You feel stronger?”

“My natural abilities have increased,” Jurot confirmed. “Jaygak, Kitool, they feel it too. Lucy and Mara have sensed their own abilities too.”

“What of Adam?”

“He has not said.”

“We will consider it our fortune,” Lykan said. “Congratulations on gaining such strength, and victory.”

“Thank you.”

Once Jurot left, the Front Iyr Elder remained in thought. He checked his notes, writing down his thoughts. ‘They have grown more powerful? Jurot and Kitool were already golden children, so they will continue to soar, but even Jaygak has gained such strength?’

The Front Iyr Elder smiled to himself. ‘Is the Gak family on the rise?’

“Papo?” Konarot called as Jurot returned, the girl’s expectant silver eyes staring up at her uncle.

“Konarot.”

Konarot shuffled up to the Iyrman, clutching at his sleeve. “Blues is home?”

“Blues is at the business.”

“We can bring home?”

“We cannot.”

Konarot pouted, her ears falling, her tail slumping. “Okay.”

Jurot reached down to rub the top of her head. “Would you like to play dragon chess?”

The girl’s tail shot upwards for a moment. “Yes.”

“I am not good but I know the rules.”

“Is okay,” Konarot replied, patting his hand gently, before leading him to the group. Konarot played against her uncle, a slow, relaxed game, between eating and drinking. Jurot cut into the meat for her and held it up to her lips, the girl opening her tiny mouth to accept the food from her uncle’s fork. Jurot fed Kirot and Karot too, whose tails swayed gently behind them.

‘They must be happy,’ Jurot thought. ‘Do they enjoy it when I feed them?’ Jurot reached out to place a hand on Karot’s head, rubbing it tenderly. The boy smiled a shy smile, bowing his head to allow his uncle to rub his head more. Jurot’s eyes then darted to the side.

“Adam,” Lykan called. “Will you join me for a walk?”

Adam threw a look to Jurot, wondering if there was something he had said led him to this. ‘They won’t kill me, will they?’ “It seems daddy needs to go for a walk. I need to burn off all that cheese.”

Lykan glanced down at the children, from the eldest daughter, with the tiny scar near her eye, to the twins, to the hornless boy, then to the pair who were still so young. The little girl with the leaf shaped ears, and the little boy who sucked his hand.

“I told daddy I can eat the cheese,” Jirot whispered as her father stepped away. “I told him!”

“You did,” Vonda confirmed, rubbing her thumb along her daughter’s forehead. “He should listen to you more often.”

“Yes, I say it.” Jirot nodded her head, her hair bouncing lightly, letting out an exasperated sigh, one that could only be given if one was the child of that fool.

‘Wait, is he actually going to kill me?’ Adam thought as they made their way around the outer road of the Front Iyr, to a place where his death would be masked by shadows.

“I was informed you shifted Fate,” Lykan eventually said.

History Check (Intelligence)

D20 + 3 = 4 (1)

“I don’t think I did.”

“What of against the Nightval Blade.”

“Oh,” Adam replied. “Yes. Yes I did. Sorry.”

‘He must have forgotten,’ Lykan thought, for Adam was a fool, but he wasn’t stupid enough to lie to him about something so easily confirmed. "You have grown more powerful.”

“Something like that.”

“When?”

“About the time I left.”

“Are you a Master now?”

“No, though I can fight above my weight class. I can probably take on a Master pretty well, and I, if I’m lucky, can take on Grandmasters decently well.”

“What of Paragons?”

“With more luck, I could hold my own. I need less luck than other people, but I still need the luck. Actually…” Adam’s eyes darted to the side, as though reading something invisible. “Oh. I could become a Master pretty soon.”

‘What?’

“I should wait though, since there’s a penalty.”

Lykan crossed his hands behind his back and straightened up from Adam’s ridiculous. “You refused the Grand Duchess’ offer?”

“Yeah.”

“The Grand Duchess is the most powerful noble in Aldland.”

“I’m sure she is, but the Iyr…” Adam shrugged his shoulder. “The Iyr is the Iyr.”

“The Iyr is great, but if it was weak, would you remain?”

Adam fell silent, glancing around at the walls. He couldn’t imagine the Iyr being weak, but he supposed nothing was impossible. “The Iyr is the home of my family. I was adopted, in a way, into the Rot family. Though I may not be a pillar of the Rot family, I’m still aiming to become a forest.”

Lykan slowly bowed his head. “Welcome back, Adam.”

“Thank you.” Adam walked alongside the Front Iyr Elder. “Oh, Elder Lykan, I know we’re meant to stay here for a week, but…”