“You need not worry about them,” Jurot said, sharpening his axe. He had faced against an opponent roughly his age and had beaten them handily.

“I need to work on marketing,” Adam said, sighing. “So many of the older Iyrmen dislike me, and it’s probably because I’ve been acting like an idiot.”

“Acting?” Jarot asked, bringing bottles of wine with him.

“Yes, acting,” Adam said. “I’m not actually that stupid.”

Jarot placed down the wine bottle in front of both of his grandchildren, and offered some of his own to his third grandchild, who took a small sip of the fruit wine.

“There is no need to worry yourself about the thoughts of others,” Jarot said, sipping some of his wine as Churot rested up against the building, closing his eyes to relax.

“There is a need to worry,” Adam replied. “This is just the politics within the Iyr, something which I didn’t really expect, but I should have.” Adam grumbled. “I thought the Iyr would be different in that regard, but it seems even you’re all human after all.”

“We are not Humans, we are Iyrmen,” Jarot said, firmly. “Even within our Iyr, there are those who are in different factions on how to progress forward, but it is always for the good of the Iyr.”

“That’s what they all say,” Adam said. “I don’t want to hear it.” Adam’s face was full of sourness as he thought about politics. “Though, I can’t blame them either. It’s all my fault for constantly aggravating the Iyrmen with all my jokes.”

“You are more self aware than I expected,” Jarot stated.

Jurot sipped some more of the wine. “Adam is a great warrior, and an Enchanter. He is someone who has gifted the Iyr so much, how can they speak so ill of him?”

Jarot sighed. “You are young still, Jurot. You see the Iyr the same way you have since you were a child,” Jarot sipped more wine, “but even the Iyr has its cracks.”

Jurot frowned. “The Iyr is the greatest.”

“It is, but it is not perfect,” Jarot said, reaching up to pat his grandson’s head. “It will be fine as long as the Iyrmen are like you.”

Adam sipped the wine, which tasted so sweet. “I didn’t expect this fruit wine to be so good. It’s different to the fruit wine I had with Shikan and Timojin.”

“That’s because this is the fruit wine only we old men share between one another,” Jarot said. “Even Rajin loves this wine, though he may make his own.”

“I didn’t actually taste the wine yesterday,” Adam admitted. “I don’t really know why I didn’t. I guess I was just too engrossed with my thoughts.”

“That’s the trouble with those of you who come from outside the Iyr,” Jarot said, sipping more of his wine. “You think too much. There are times when we should think, and times we should act.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Adam replied, dismissively.

“What do you think about most?” Jarot inquired, leaning in towards the Half Elf slightly.

“Lanarot,” Adam admitted. “I think about her future a lot. I think about how to raise her well, in accordance to the Iyr’s will, but also how to be a good brother without the Iyr’s influence. When she grows older, will she take to the axe and shield? Could I bear the thought? Will she look at me enchanting and take after my enchanting? What of my magic? Will she be willing to learn it? Can I even teach her magic considering she’s part of your family.”

“Our family,” Jarot said. “The Rot family has always used the axe and shield. It is what has supported the Iyr for generations, even if we no longer reach the heights of our ancestors.”

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“I hear the Gak family and the Ool family aren’t doing so well,” Adam said. “How far away is the Rot family from them?”

Jarot bowed his head slowly. “The Gak and Ool families…” His voice was full of sadness. “We are far from that still, but we are far from the Kan family too.”

“I don’t really know what that means,” Adam admitted. “I’ve been to the Rot family treasury, and I see you’re all quite wealthy.”

“That wealth is quite average for families in the Iyr,” Jarot said.

Adam almost choked on the wine. “Just how much gold does the Iyr possess for that to be considered average?”

Jarot laughed. “Maintaining the Iyr is expensive. The wards we possess, the magical items we create, the gifts we offer, the cost of magics, ingredients for food and medicine. Raising an Iyrman child requires a mountain of gold.”

“Yeah,” Adam said, nodding his head.

Jarot smiled. “No, not a mountain of gold. A small hill of gold. Even if the Iyr has its faults, with its politics, with its rules which may not make sense to those outside, to retrieving our dead from outside, for the vengeance we wrought, no matter the cost...” Jarot reached up to brush Churot’s hair and he pet his head. “The Iyr is still the greatest place.”

Adam smiled, taking a long sip of his wine. “I’ve said the same thing about my beautiful Grey Lands.”

“For the man who beat me, you do not look quite so happy,” a half naked Iyrman said.

“Wahruv?” Adam said, sipping more of his wine.

“Was defeating me such an easy thing that you wallow in your pity for the lack of a good fight?” Wahruv asked, before sitting down opposite Adam, placing down a pouch, which jingled with coin.

“Nah, it’s nothing like that,” Adam said. “Though, your appearance has reminded me of how scared I was of you with your greatsword.”

“I did not expect you to defeat me so easily,” Wahruv admitted, before accepting Jurot’s bottle of wine, sipping some of it. He winced from the sweetness, before handing it back, licking his lips.

“I wouldn’t say it was easy,” Adam said. “I’m someone who uses everything at my disposal right away.”

“You did not,” Wahruv said. “You have the ability to surpass your limits for a moment, but you did not utilise it against me.”

“I would have if you hadn’t gone down the second time, probably,” Adam said, having forgot about Onward Soar. “Still, without my Smite, I would have been in trouble.”

“Perhaps,” Wahruv said, though his tone of voice revealed how little he believed in Adam’s words.

“Is that my one hundred gold?”

“Yes. I am fortunate enough not to have bet the greatsword.”

“I thought you couldn’t?”

“Yes, but if I had allowed my emotions to get the better of me, could I have refused once I had lost?”

“I wouldn’t have made it difficult for you,” Adam said. “I probably would have wanted to see the enchanted blades of your family to learn about them.”

“I thought you said you would not make it difficult?” Wahruv asked, raising his brow.

Adam smiled. “You can tell I’m no Iyrman, eh?” He winked.

Wahruv laughed. “What a shameful young man. First you face against children when you are so strong, and then you hold back against me. I cannot help but feel you are taunting me, Adam.”

“I like to make jokes with people I’m close with, and to people who are too tense,” Adam said.

“Are we close?”

“After you almost removed my head from my shoulders? Maybe?” Adam shrugged his shoulders.

Wahruv laughed. “I only managed a single strike, and only after I destroyed my body. Just how strong are you, Adam?”

“I’m not sure myself,” Adam admitted. “I defy logic, and my abilities are such a mish mash, I’m not sure anyone can figure it out.”

“I hear there are those who believe the fight was not won fairly,” Wahruv said. “What say you to another fight at the end of the festival to put those worries to rest?”

“No thanks,” Adam said. “I have business to deal with during Nightval, and I don’t want to start that business half dead because of you.”

“Business?”

“We will adventure during Nightval,” Jurot said, sipping more of the wine.

“Adventuring during Nightval?” Wahruv asked. “I see, so you already had a way to shut them up.”

“Nah,” Adam replied, smiling. “I just have promises I have to keep.”

“Which promise is that?”

“My wi-“ Adam winced. “My friend, Lucy, has some business.”

“The Demon?”

“That’s the one,” Adam replied. “She was pretty scary to fight too.”

“You fought?”

“Yeah,” Adam admitted. “She beat me up really good, but I managed to barely deal with her.”

“Was she more difficult to face than me?”

“A little,” Adam admitted. “You hit much harder without going for my vitals.”

Wahruv smiled. “If you are impressed by my abilities, then have you thought about marrying into the Ruv family?”

Jarot let out a sigh, before smirking at Wahruv. Jurot threw the Iyrman a knowing look too.

“No than-“ Adam began, but paused. “I appreciate the offer, Wahruv, and even though it would be an honour, I have no plans on marrying any time soon.”

Jurot’s eyes went wide as he stared at Adam. ‘Since when can you speak like that, Adam?’

“What a shame,” Wahruv said.

Adam offered the Iyrman some of his wine, which Wahruv accepted. “Is it? I’m not that amazing.”

“Is he always like this?” Wahruv asked, taking a sip of wine.

“Yes,” the pair replied.