Adam and the others remained outside, eating their bread slowly. Adam could taste the jam filled buns, though to say they were jam filled was a bit of an overstatement. Still, the sweetness, though not matching the sweetness of the jams in his first life, still sparked his taste buds to life. He exchanged a look with Lucy, the pair nodding towards one another, before they went back to enjoying the meal for their hearts.

Pam stared up at Jurot in shock, not realising that her father, who was hiding in the other room, was also frozen in shock. They had heard that a group of Iyrmen had placed extremely well in the tournament, but she had no idea Jurot had managed to take first place.

“You ranked first?” Pam asked, a bead of sweat dropping down the side of her cheek, and not from the heat of the ovens slipping through the doorway behind her.

“Yes,” Jurot replied.

“I heard that there were the members of the orders in the tournament too!”

“There were,” Jurot confirmed, nodding his head slowly.

“Did you fight one?” Pam asked, smiling slightly. The members of the various orders were often the best of the best. Many of them, even when they were young, were stronger than many other warriors within their age group.

“I fought many.”

“Wow,” Pam almost whispered, her eyes sparkling with awe towards the Iyrman. “You said you had fought ertas, but… I didn’t realise you were that strong!”

“I am strong,” Jurot confirmed, crossing his arms. “We left the tournament and came across…” Jurot paused, realising he shouldn’t mention anything more. “I have gained much honour for my family.”

“The Row family?”

“Yes,” Jurot replied, though understood that she was probably imagining a different spelling.

“How amazing.”

Jurot’s lips twitched and he tried to speak more, but his throat clogged up. He tensed up slightly, but he couldn’t work up the courage ask her that. “I should go.”

“Since you gained first place, why don’t you take another few buns for you and your friends?” Pam swiftly procured more buns for the young Iyrman, flashing him a smile. ‘Our bread is feeding so many great warriors! If we start telling people about it, we should be able to gain more customers!’

“Are you done?” Adam asked, watching as Jurot stepped out with a large basket of buns for them.

“Yes.”

“Alright.” Adam stared at Jurot expectantly. “You know, your grandfather is going to expect more greatchildren soon.”

Jurot’s ears turned red as he ate a bun, before the group then parted ways. Adam made sure the farmers and porters each had more than their fill of bread for the rest of their families. Adam carried a basket as they made their way through the roads, while the others of his group made their way about to finish their own business within the town.

“Nobby!” Annie gasped as she saw her giant boy, quickly embracing him tight. The woman was still thin, but not quite as thin as before, with her hair now cut much shorter. Her strength seemed to have increased too, since she was hugging Nobby tighter than previously.

“Ma,” Nobby replied, awkwardly. He embraced his mother in return, his arms gently wrapped around her like a blanket.

“I’m glad you’re all safe,” Annie said, breaking the hug as she noticed the other two giants. “Come in, come in. Ted’s working, but he should be back in the evening.”

“Is Anne at school?” Adam asked as he stepped into the small house, glancing aside to see nothing much had changed, though Annie seemed to be working on sewing a small dress, a muted blue in colour.

“She is,” Annie confirmed, pouring them each a cup of a drink she had stored in a small cask.

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“Good, good. I hope she’s learning well.”

“She’s counting well, and she can even write her name now,” Annie confirmed.

“No issues with her school, is there?” Adam asked, taking a seat opposite Nobby, taking a sip of the grain drink. It was a thin drink, with a slightly sour taste, and didn’t seem to be alcoholic.

“Oh no, no, she’s loving it,” Annie replied, smiling wide.

Insight Check

D20 + 1 = 4 (3)

Adam wasn’t sure what was wrong with the smile, but it could have been that she was excited to see her son. “Alright, well, if there are any issues you can come to me about them, I’ll sort it out right away.”

“Thank you for the offer,” Annie replied, still smiling awkwardly.

“Anyhow, we’re here to inform you that…” Adam glanced around. “Maybe we should wait for Ted. There’s quite a bit we need to tell you. Nobby, why don’t you stay here with your mother and help her around the house? Jurot and I will go buy a pig or something.”

“Okay, mister boss,” Nobby replied.

“Will you be able to roast the animal when we return?” Adam asked.

“I can.”

“Great, because we’ve got quite a few things to celebrate, especially since my brother here…” Adam smiled. “No, no, we’ll wait until the evening. Why don’t you let the people around know we’ll be having a party?”

Annie watched the pair go, before her eyes fell to her son. ‘Things to celebrate? Nobby, are you…’ She rubbed his arm gently, and though the slight tingle of curiosity ran through her mind, she decided against asking about it for now. Instead, she prepared the garden to roast whatever the pair would bring, letting the neighbours know of the party.

“What are we celebrating?” one asked.

“I don’t know, but it must be big,” Annie replied. “Nobby’s employers said there was a lot to celebrate.”

“The ones who work for an enchanter?”

“That’s the one.”

“Ooh!”

Adam and Jurot went to the market, with Jurot going to find the meat, and Adam going to find the alcohol. Adam wasn’t sure how big the party would be, but he bought a barrel of ale, while Jurot held the leashes of two pigs.

‘I should have brought another barrel,’ Adam thought. The pair brought a sack of vegetables before returning back to Nobby’s home, where they found many of the wives, as well as a few young women and men, helping around with setting up the party.

It didn’t take long until the pigs were being roasted, with someone sending word to the guards that there was a party. It hadn’t taken long until a pair appeared, wearing chain, with blades at their side. Annie handed over some baked bread Adam had brought for them, as well as some meat they had folded into a swatch of hemp.

“What’s the occasion?” a guard asked.

“We placed well in the Noonval Tournament,” Adam said. “Sir Landon, our sponsor, made out like a…” Adam realised calling the noble a bandit would have been a bad idea. “Let’s just say that our group allowed Sir Landon to gain quite a bit of influence.”

“How well did you place?”

“I did the worst, placing third,” Adam said. “Only surrendering to the King’s Sword’s daughter and her cousin. My brother here…” Adam looked to Jurot.

“First,” Jurot stated.

The guards eyed them up. “Right…” They tipped their helmets and swiftly retreated away from the pair. “You think he really placed first?”

“Not sure,” his companion replied. “Heard someone with purple armour did really well.”

“Could be a bunch of charlatans.”

“Could be, but how many people dare to act like an Iyrman?”

“True.”

Adam watched the guards leave. “What’s with that anyhow?”

“Always a good idea to give the guards notice about a party, and to gift them some food,” Annie said.

“Alright, fair.”

“Congratulations on your placement,” Annie said, going off to begin pouring ale for the pair of young men.

“Well, we should be celebrating the fact that Nobby here is an Expert,” Adam said, reaching over to pat Nobby on his back. “Once your pops is here, you can tell everyone about your achievements during the adventure, and the time we spent in East Port.”

“Yes…”

The party began with some of the younger folk drumming along. There was a slight bother with a set of guards making their way in, and Annie explaining they had already spoken to other guards, but sent them on their way with some bread and meat once more.

The others mostly left Adam and Jurot alone, deciding against bothering the pair at the moment. As evening began to fall across the area, the workers, mostly the fathers and older children, both boys and girls, returned back to find a party in full swing.

“Nobby!” Ted almost shouted, before embracing his son. His hair had greyed further, but his body had grown fuller. No longer was he quite so thin, with his muscles filling out once more.

“Pa.” Nobby hugged his father in return, before their hug abruptly ended by each of them.

“I’m glad to see you’re both well,” Ted said, shaking Adam and Jurot’s forearm. “How’s my boy been?”

“Well,” Adam replied. “More than well, but why don’t we let him say it?”

“I’m an Expert,” Nobby said.

Ted’s eyes beamed up as he placed his hands on Jurot’s shoulders. “I knew you could do it.”

“First,” Nobby said.

“What’s that?”

“I came first.”

“You came first?”

“In the tournament.”

“What?” Ted asked, squeezing his son’s shoulders gently. “You came first?”

“Yes.”

“In the tournament?”

“Yes.”

Ted looked to Jurot and Adam, his eyes curious. Annie also did the same, staring at the pair of young men.

“Look at this punk!” Adam exclaimed. “How can he be so happy that he showed his boss up? I only came third, you know?” Adam’s lips formed a smirk, threatening to break into laughter. “Though, you shouldn’t be surprised, since he was taught by my brother.”