“Dunes?” called a voice from nearby. It was a figure adorned in heavy chain armour, with a blade strapped to her side and an amulet around her neck.

“Amira!” Dunes called out, almost in shock, though his heart stated he shouldn’t be in such a shock, especially since he was here.

“What are you all doing here?” the woman asked, embracing Dunes with a hug, before doing the same with Korin and Sara. She said something in the Devilkin tongue, before chuckling.

“We came to find you,” Dunes replied, his heart pounding as his entire body flushed with the heat of relief. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Amira replied. “I was told to inform you that all I did was work in the lumbercamp and the mines now and again.”

“Is that true?” Dunes asked, his eyes falling to the Captain beside her.

“True enough?” She shrugged her shoulders. “I was moved here a few years ago, and I was working eight hours a day, five days a week. I didn’t cause any trouble and they didn’t cause any trouble with me. They said they sent word back to the order, but hadn’t received word back.”

“The order did not received such word,” Sara replied, glaring at the Captain.

“We sent word to the order,” the Captain stated. “We do not know if the message was received.”

“Not an unlikely story,” Sara stated, though she continued to glare at the Captain.

“We’ve got to thank you for putting us up for the day, but we should be heading back,” Adam said, noting the tension in the room. “If you don’t mind, we’ll send the donations tomorrow, or you can send a few soldiers to come with us to get the gold.”

“Do you not wish to stay here for the night?” the Captain asked.

“Nah, I’d rather spend the night in the guild,” Adam replied, wiggling his ears as he spoke. “I’d feel more comfortable there, though please send my thanks to the Commander.”

“I will call the Commander so you can give your greetings,” the Captain said, before quickly retreating away to find the Commander.

Amira glanced between Adam and the Iyrman, before looking back to Dunes. “Did you ask for the help of the Iyrmen and… whoever this stranger is?”

“Adam is no stranger,” Dunes said. “Adam, this is Amira, a member of our order. Amira, this is Adam, he paid for your release.”

“I hope you paid a lot for me, since I’m worth so much,” Amira said, extending her hand.

“I think I paid a fair amount,” Adam replied, chuckling lightly.

“How much?”

“We’ll discuss it when we return back to the guild.”

“Why won’t you say it now?”

“It’s a matter of the business.”

“Business?”

“We’ll explain everything later.”

She eyed up Adam’s attire, noting the lack of armour, as well as the lack of his weapons. ‘A merchant? No, he’s quite well built for a merchant.’ She noted the token around his neck too, which implied he was more than just an Expert, and that. The obsidian disc which revealed he was a follower of Baktu, the Iyrman’s God of Death.

Commander Rodrick appeared a short while later, still adorned in his heavy armour. “I see that the matter has been settled well.”

“How fortunate,” Adam replied, smiling politely. “I’d like to return back to the city, if you don’t mind. We prepared the gold before we made our way, but it’s currently within the city proper. I’d also like to rest within the guild, since I’m an adventurer at heart. I’m sure you understand.” Adam continued to wiggle his ears as he spoke, and he raised his brows knowingly.

“I will send some soldiers with you to make sure you return safely,” the Commander said.

“Do you take payment in gems?” Adam asked. “It’ll be easier to transport back.”

“The soldiers will accept the gems from the guild,” the Commander replied, with a gentle bow.

With their business sorted, Adam and his companions made their way back to the carriage. “George, we’re heading back.”

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“Yes,” the carriage driver replied, an older man in his fifties, adorned in clean, simple clothing, with silver buttons keeping his collar pinned to his shirt.

Once the group were safely within the carriage, slightly cramped with Amira now within it, the young woman took off her helmet to reveal her pale red skin. There was a rugged prettiness about her. Her horns had been cut neatly, and her face was only marked by a cut at her cheek. Her amber eyes stared curiously at the Half Elf.

“Why did you pay for my freedom?”

“Dunes asked.”

“I didn’t,” Dunes replied. “I recall trying to talk you out of it.”

“You asked me to help you find Amira.”

“Yes, which you helped with, in some way,” Dunes replied, almost accusatory.

Adam leaned back slightly, falling into thought. “I’m not sure how I helped find her, but I suppose you didn’t ask me to pay for her…”

“So… why did you free me?” Amira asked.

“Why… not?” Adam replied. “It’s my money.”

“How much did you pay exactly?”

“Like I said, we’ll talk about it once we’re at the guild.”

She turned to Dunes and asked a question in the Devilkin tongue, to which Dunes replied with a shake of his head, and a sigh. It was a sigh that Adam was used to.

Adam is Adam, it said.

Night had fallen by the time they returned back to West Fort. They returned back to the guild, where Jaygak was waiting with the gold. Adam eyed it up suspiciously, before looking to the guild.

“At least let me do this!” Jaygak shouted as Adam had the gold returned, and had exchanged his own coin into gems to pay for the release of the Devilkin. “Adam!”

“Just give that gold to the Iyr or something!” Adam shouted back at her. Jaygak crossed her arms and sat in the corner to strop about, giving up far too quickly for Adam’s liking. ‘Is she planning something?’

“So how much gold did you pay?” Dunes asked.

“I paid a thousand gold to the fort,” Adam replied.

“A thousand gold?” Amira replied, almost letting slip a gasp. “So much coin?”

“I paid another thousand gold to the owners of the mine too.”

“You!” Dunes held his head in his hands.

“So what? I only had to spend two thousand gold! If I had paid for the other’s help, wouldn’t it have cost more than ten thousand?”

“They would have found her within a week at most!”

“Well it doesn’t matter anyway, two thousand gold isn’t a big deal.”

“It may not be a big deal to you, but it is a big deal to us.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Adam replied, waving his hand dismissively. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s a saving of ten thousand gold.”

“Adam, it’s still two thousand gold!”

“It’s just a bit of gold, don’t worry about it. Anyhow, we had to give up the magical weapons we found in the temple, and the business also offered them one of the fire swords.”

“What? You didn’t just pay with gold?” Dunes asked. “You already gave up one magical weapon to them, but you gave up more?”

“I didn’t give up a magical weapon, Brittany and the business did,” Adam replied, simply.

“Adam!”

Quest Complete!

The Rescue

XP Gained: +100

XP: 14 600 -> 14 700

Adam smiled as he saw the XP appear. “Anyhow, you now have no excuse to skip my children’s first birthday.”

“Adam, you…” Dunes began to sweat from the swirling emotions within him. Even now he couldn’t handle the chaotic maelstrom known as Adam.

“It’s just a bit of gold, so I don’t want to hear about it,” Adam stated. “If you’re thankful, then you better bring a good gift for little Jibaby and Jababy. It can’t be too good though, since mine has to be the best, but it still has to be good.”

“Jibaby? Jababy?” Amira asked.

“His children,” Dunes replied, before rubbing his face. There was more to say, but it was already confusing enough.

Korin and Sara noted the look of utter bewilderment on Amira’s face, who was still trying to understand how the conversation was flowing. They realised she was making the same faces they had when they first met Adam.

“Adam,” Korin said, patting Amira’s back, “is Adam.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that…” Korin looked to Adam for a moment, before catching Jurot’s gaze, and then he sighed. “Just prepare yourself. This isn’t the queerest he gets. He’s…” Korin wondered what else he should say. “He’s quite the father.”

“Father?” Amira asked, trying to understand what any of this had to do with Adam being a father.

“We’ll spend a while in West Fort,” Adam said, changing the topic quickly. “We need to buy a ton of souvenirs back for the kids at the Iyr.”

Amira gave Dunes a look, but Dunes replied that Adam wasn’t queer in that way.

“You guys drink and eat, I need to go apologise to Brittany,” Adam said, getting up and leaving the Aswadians to catch Amira up.

Jurot, too, left, taking Jaygak and Kitool with him. As they made their way down, Jurot stopped, waiting until Adam had left. He turned, looking at Jaygak. “Did you do it?”

“Did I do what?” Jaygak replied, her face full of feigned innocence.

Jurot remained silent, before he continued making his way down. He sat down at the table where Adam was apologising to Brittany.

“I promise the business will set this right one day,” Adam assured.

“I know,” Brittany replied. Though she had lost a magical weapon, she didn’t feel too bad about it. “If I’m in trouble, will you help me this much too?”

“You’re an investment I can’t lose yet, Brittany,” Adam reassured, chuckling lightly.

“Am I just an investment?” Brittany asked.

“I have to say it that way, otherwise I’ll say something embarrassing.”

“Something… embarrassing?” Brittany raised her brow.

“Even I have my limits, you know?”

“…” ‘What a crazy bastard.’

Once the group was done eating, they made their way to their rooms. Adam stared at the shoulders of his brother as he stepped into his room.

“Hey, Jurot,” Adam called out. “Thanks.”

Jurot stood still for a moment. “It was not me.”

“Yeah?” Adam replied. ‘Was it just a coincidence then?’

Meanwhile, in the darkness of the night, a young man stared at the wine bottle before him. The threat of the Iyrman played within his mind, keeping him awake.

“You’d better find out quickly, otherwise I’ll come for your neck,” she had said, handing him the bottle of wine.

‘You didn’t have to threaten me,’ Tanner thought. ‘The moment I received the thousand gold, I would have sent news shortly after.’ The young man sighed, having accepted the bottle of wine instead of the gold. ‘Who in the darks is Adam?’ It was rare for any Iyrman to use their favour for an outsider, especially since if they weren’t siblings.