“Dead?” Adam whispered, the confusion rushing through him.

“Yes.”

“Wh-,” Adam began, only to blink. “How?”

“Blood and shadow,” Iromin replied. “The creatures form from the world and bring chaos.”

“They form from the world?” Adam asked, all while hoping he didn’t hear that particular word. ‘Is this why he called me?’

“As you and I live and breathe, so does the world. Very few disasters arrive without warning. Some may miss those warnings, but they are foretold. Creatures of blood and shadow herald a disaster known as the Reavers.”

“Reavers?” Adam vaguely recalled the beings.

“There are old stories, stories from even before the Iyr's existence, of the Reavers appearing multiple times throughout history. The last time, it was during the conception of the Iyr, before we were truly formed with the rules and laws which we inherited.”

‘Damn.’ “So they killed Sky?”

“The creature of blood and shadow corrupted Sky, taking his form for itself. It killed many villagers, before it was finally put down by the villagers and the Iyrmen.” Though the Chief knew it was mostly the Iyrmen, he had to pay the appropriate respects to the villagers who lost their lives.

Adam remained silent, taking in the words of the Chief. ‘He was corrupted? Our Sky?’ Adam placed his head in his hands, inhaling deeply, flashes of the memories with Sky filling his mind, before he recalled the Chief they had lent Sky to. ‘I’ll need to do something to help the villagers out.’ He exhaled, letting go of his thoughts, and the darkness that entered him. “These Reavers, how dangerous are they?”

“The stories suggest their average strength is that of an Expert. They numbered in the thousands, and there were hundreds who reached Grandmaster or greater. They remained together, and struck with such viciousness, they caused a great blood bath across the land. However, many years have passed, it is not certain they may hold such few great warriors.”

‘Hundreds who reached Grandmaster or greater, but he’s saying that’s not a lot? Man, the Iyr’s sense of this sort of thing is so warped.’

“We of the Iyr have chosen to overestimate their threat. We will consider them to possess a hundred Paragons.”

“A hundred Paragons?” Adam replied, his brows shooting up in alarm. ‘A hundred Paragons?’

“Aldland has its armies, but so do the Reavers. They will not come upon just our land, but they will come as a calamity for the nearby lands. Drakkenlen, Noska, Aldland, Floria, Aswadasad, Aswabayad, the Confederacy, and perhaps beyond.”

“Are the Confederacy and the Empire still at war?” Adam glanced to the side, trying to imagine how they could deal with a threat like the Reavers if they were serious enough for even the Iyr to speak so cautiously.

“Yes.”

‘Damn.’ “It’s been a few years since they’ve been warring but it’s still going on?”

“The tides have turned for both sides many times,” Iromin stated.

“What’s the state of the nearby countries?”

“The nearby lands are recovering from their wars, and while Aldland is aiming to explore the islands soon, the other countries do not have such a luxury.”

“How are we going to deal with the Reavers if everyone’s all spent?”

“The long military traditions of the nearby lands will provide some respite against the Reavers. Aldland and Floria have already begun their military reforms. While Floria’s force is defensive in nature, Aldland has twenty legions, and are planning to form between two more each year until they reach thirty legions.”

“Whoa, two hundred thousand soldiers already?”

“No. Each legion is five thousand soldiers.”

“Oh. One hundred thousand is still pretty good.”

“It is a large army, though the King is focusing on training a few legions at a time into true, professional soldiers. The Reavers will come with great many warriors soon, after a Great Twilight.”

“You know, I thought Great Twilights were meant to be rare, but I feel like…” Adam noted Iromin’s accusatory look and he quickly shut his mouth.

“We Iyrmen have already prepared for such disasters, but we will send word to the nearby lands to prepare themselves. We intend to form a forum for the nations to come together and discuss the threat.”

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“Will they believe you?”

“If we Great Elders move, they cannot ignore us,” Iromin said.

“Will Elder Gold need to leave?” Adam asked.

“She will not.”

“Good, I need to speak with her.” Adam let out a long sigh. ‘Damn it. If the Reavers are coming, should I really have my kids stay at the fort? Still, I need to make sure to create enough distance, otherwise the Iyr will really kill me.’ “How will the Iyr fare against the Reavers?”

“If the Reavers wish to assault our walls, we will welcome their deaths,” Iromin stated.

‘I guess if he’s answering like that, it should be fine?’ “Obviously, if you need my help, I’m always willing.”

Iromin bowed his head. “Adam?”

“Yes?”

“Do you believe you have called these Reavers into our world?”

Adam swallowed slightly. “I don’t know. It’s… crazy to think how many things happen due to coincidence. Still, I’d bet I had something to do with it. I’ll, uh, do my best never to use my Omens again.”

“Okay.”

Once Adam was dismissed by the Chief, the half elf made his way to the nearby estate. His thoughts remained upon Sky and the villagers, cursing himself repeatedly. An aide, an Iyrman adorned in a deep grey, near black, held up his hand to stop the half elf.

“Ah,” Adam said, holding up a letter the Chief had passed to him. The aide read it, nodded, and handed it back.

She wore heavy armour, full plate, and wore an amulet that was nearly identical to Adam’s. At her side was her trusty scythe, black as death. She was older, her hair cut short, and her eyes took Adam within her sight as he approached her gazebo.

“Congratulations on your victory,” she said, motioning a hand for him to sit opposite her, the woman pushing forward a platter of fruit, before returning back to writing within her book.

“Thank you, Elder Gold.”

Elder Gold paused her writing for a moment, raising a finger, before it was joined by the rest of her hand. “What do you require?”

“I, uh, bet a lot of money during the tournament.”

“Yes?”

“I made a lot, and I thought I should donate some to the Iyr.”

“How much?”

“Seventy thousand.”

“Gold?” Elder Gold asked, stopping her pen midway through her sentence.

“Yeah.”

Elder Gold pulled back, closing her book, staring into the half elf’s eyes. “Why?”

“Well, I won a little over two hundred thousand. Like I said, I bet a lot of money, and I made a lot of money, too much money, honestly. I split it in three, for my family, the business, and the Iyr. I was going to create a hoard with some of my winnings, since Larot and Virot don’t have one, ten thousand each, same as the others. It’ll be in the Rot family’s vault, I’ve already asked for Aunt’s permission. I decided to take a third and hand it to the Iyr, partly as an apology for missing the payment last year, and partly because… well, it’s a good idea to pay my dues.”

“You have already paid the fees for the previous year.”

“I haven’t.”

“You have not?”

“The Greater Enhanced weapons were for the Jin family, from me, not for the Iyr from the business,” Adam stated.

“What of the glave.”

“That’s a gift from… us to them.”

"Okay.”

“I’m sure the seventy thousand will go some way in assisting against the Reavers.”

“It will help, but your enchanting abilities will prove greater.”

“Right, yeah, I can do that. Oh, also, I can Awaken a few more enchanters, but also, I could gain Fifth Gate spells.”

“Fifth Gate spells?” Elder Gold asked.

“Yeah, I can become a Master soon.”

Elder Gold eyed up the half elf, who always spoke so queerly. “Which Fifth Gate spells?”

“I was thinking about Teleportation Circle and Steel Storm Strike.”

“They are great choices.”

“Thank you. I heard that Fifth Gate spells were outlawed, so I thought, maybe I should take something a little more… I don’t know, subtle? Teleportation Circle is something that I could learn without many people knowing, right? Steel Storm Strike, well…”

“It would be dangerous for you to reveal you possessed such spells,” Elder Gold agreed, though she was still trying to understand the half elf. “You do not require permissions to learn such spells since you are not of any of the temples within the nearby lands, but Sixth Gate spells will cause much distress.”

“Oh?” Adam hadn’t realised he could still learn Fifth Gate spells, having thought it crossed the line. ‘So it’s Sixth Gate spells?’

“You should still keep it a secret,” Elder Gold said, noting Adam’s expression.

“I was thinking about maybe making an item that could cast the spell as a way to dispel any rumours.” Adam smirked slightly at his joke. “Get it? Dispel?”

“Yes,” Elder Gold replied, her face completely neutral.

Adam cleared his throat. “I was thinking of making a Teleportation Circle in the fort.”

“That is too dangerous.”

“Is it?”

“You wish to create a Teleportation Circle upon our land?”

“One that you can destroy with ease.”

“You would create a Teleportation Circle so close to your children?”

“I hope so,” Adam replied.

“What if another gains knowledge of its existence?”

“Well…” Adam frowned, feeling his hair stand on end. “Alright, maybe not. What about one of the villages?”

“That is more acceptable.”

“It does take a whole year to make it permanent, but I could probably speed it up with some money. Still, a year of casting to make it permanent? That’s rough. I was thinking about making an item and letting someone else cast it to make a permanent circle for me. Jonn, probably.”

“You will gain knowledge of two circle upon learning the spell,” Elder Gold said, opening her book to write down some notes. “It is likely you will gain access to the circle within Jaghi and East Port.”

‘Oh?’ Adam thought. “They’re both so far away…”

“The circle within East Port is fine, for they are open to mages of great power, but the circle of Jaghi is more dangerous, they will likely trap you.”

“Oh.”

Elder Gold stared at her book, catching her thoughts. “The Iyr will assist in building a circle within the second village of Sev. It has suffered greatly due to the attack, and will owe us that much. You may use that Teleportation Circle if you need to return swiftly.”

“Thank you, Elder Gold,” Adam replied, smiling slightly, though his heart still ached for Sev. ‘I’ll figure something out for them too.’

“Due to the arrival of the Reavers, would you pluck Greater Enhanced weapons for the Iyr?”

“Of course.”

“We will provide the materials and gems, and we will pay you one hundred gold for each day you enchant.”

Adam whistled. “That much money?”

“It is a small price to pay,” Elder Gold replied, narrowing her eyes slightly.

“Right, I guess so…” ‘I don’t really need the money, though. Should I ask for something else?’

“Adam?”

“Yes?”

Elder Gold paused. She reached down under the table and drew out a bell, ringing it lightly. She waited a moment. “Call the Chief.”