“Wait,” Adam called out to the Gaks as they turned in for the night. “How can you do this?”

'Will he act the fool even now?’ Jogak thought, feeling his daughter shift to glance back towards her Cousin.

Adam narrowed his eyes towards the children, scanning his eyes across Raygak, Saygak, before finally looking across Taygak.

The silence passed as they awaited for his stupidity.

“I need to give you your gifts.”

‘Is he not going to be an idiot?’ The thought flashed across Jaygak’s face. ‘Is it because-,’

“I forgot to bring them,” Adam finally said, tapping his pockets. ‘That’s embarrassing.’ “Jaygak, Kavgak, why don’t you help me with bringing the gifts?”

Jaygak wasn’t sure if Adam was an idiot or a genius considering how smoothly he transitioned from being an idiot to a genius, or rather, an Adam type of idiot into an Adam type of genius.

The tiny girl glared towards her elder Cousin, clutching onto his tunic as he carried her towards where he was staying before he stopped.

“Jaygak…”

“Yes?”

“I forgot to bring them here too.”

“…”

“Just this once, please forgive me.”

“Did you truly forget.”

“Yes.”

“…”

“Kavgak, you need to be smarter than me, okay?”

“Okay,” the girl replied, her voice filled with a crackle as though full of embers. She reached up to Adam’s ear with her thick hand.

Health: 91 -> 90

Adam hissed slightly, while Jaygak grabbed her sister’s wrist, gently.

“Kavgak, stop,” Jaygak said, raising her voice slightly.

The girl furrowed her brow towards her elder sister, before pulling her hand away from Adam’s ear. She continued to glare at her elder sister, before a hand covered her chubby face, rubbing it all over, before she yawned.

“She really is strong,” Adam said, rubbing the girl’s face. “Let’s go back to your daddy.”

“Dada,” the girl confirmed.

Jogak opened the door and spotted the trio. “…”

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Adam replied, flushing slightly. “I brought back the best gift, your little sister. Plus, look, I also brought back Tavgak!”

Kaygak narrowed her eyes towards the half elf, but said nothing, carrying the exhausted Tavgak into the house. The girl awakened slightly as her mother placed atop the bundle of furs, before she stuck her thumb into her mouth and closed her eyes.

“Once we’re at the fort, I’ll give you your gifts,” Adam promised.

Jaygak smiled. “I did not forget my gifts for you.”

Adam glanced towards the Iyrman in shock. “That’s a low blow, Jaygak.”

“You should not have forgotten.”

“We weren’t allowed to bring them in.”

“Why not?”

“You know how the…” Adam paused. ‘Wait… why didn’t I just put them in the sacks like last time?’

Adam sighed as he dropped down beside his daughter, who glanced his way, before reaching out to tap his arm.

“You ah okay?” Jirot asked.

“I’m fine.”

“Good.” Jirot returned back to speaking with Lucy.

‘What’s wrong with him?’ Lucy thought, reaching down to feed Jirot a sliced vegetable, the girl eating from her hands, all without Adam glaring at her. ‘…’

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“Jurot,” Adam called, his brother swamped by the triplets. “If I’m this dumb, won’t it be troublesome for my children?”

“You have your strengths, Adam.”

“…” Adam threw a look towards the old Iyrman who held his greatson within his arm. “I should have beaten up the First Hope.”

Jurot nodded his head.

“You should have done that much for your son,” Jarot said, reaching up to hold the boy’s chin within his finger and thumb, glancing down towards the boy. “What do you say, Larot?”

Larot did not reply, his eyes growing heavier. He yawned and his greatfather stood carefully to carry the boy away to sleep.

‘I didn’t get to spoil the kids as much as I wanted, but that’s okay. I’ll just spoil them later…’

Lucy continued to play with Jirot, who had long forgiven her for bullying her when playing Demon Lord chess.

“No, no, I am the Demon Load, you cannot,” Jirot said, pointing up towards her. “You are not, you are…”

“Duhragon,” Jarot said, pointing at Mara.

“Duhragon,” Jirot confirmed.

“So we’re dragons and you’re Demon Lords?”

“No, I am Demon Load, papa is papa.”

“I am babo,” little Jarot said.

“Papa is babo,” Jirot confirmed, as though that were obvious.

“Okay,” Lucy replied.

“I fight duhragons,” Jarot said, raising his pretend axe.

“I am fighting duhragons too!” Jirot declared, holding out her fist towards Lucy.

“Baba,” Konarot called, holding up a piece of fruit for Tonagek.

“Thank you,” Tonagek replied, brushing the girl’s hair. He brought it to Danagek’s lips, who instantly opened his mouth, not even checking if it was dirt or food, before he bit into half of it and slowly started chewing, his father eating the rest.

Konarot quickly rushed back to her uncle, sitting beside him, glancing up towards him with a thought across her face. “Papo want fawoot?”

“No.”

Konarot’s ears fell and her lips formed a pout. “Okay…”

“I will bring the fruit,” Jurot said, having lost the fight instantly.

“Papa!” Lanarot called, almost losing herself as the blur of her brother instantly swooped her up.

“Yes, my Lanababy?” Adam planted a firm kiss on her forehead.

“I am Lanawoh,” the girl said.

“That’s right.”

“You are not, you are papa.”

“That’s right.”

“Is papa,” Lanarot said, pointing towards her other brother. “Juwoh.”

“That’s right.”

“He is not Lanawoh, silly boy,” she said, cackling with delight.

“Yes.”

“No!”

“Of course,” Adam said, brushing the girl’s hair. “I have heard you are treating Danagek well.”

“He is my kaza. I am big girl. I must look affa Danagek.” Her tiny eyes beamed with conviction.

Adam’s heart melted before he pulled the girl up to his chest. “That’s right.” He continued to brush her hair gently with his hand.

Eventually, the Rot family also returned back to their houses for the evening. Adam lay with Jirot atop him, rubbing her smooth stomach with his fingers gently, causing her to giggle and squirm every so often. She looked up towards him, meeting her father’s eyes, before she squealed.

“Daddy!”

“My Jirot.”

“You are smelly boy.” She cackled with delight, before her brother appeared, also cackling lightly, taking his place beside his sister. He had to chew on another teethleaf after it had dropped.

“Yes, yes.” Adam wrapped his arms around his twins. “You little punks, teasing your old man like this…”

Konarot eventually dropped down beside her father, Kirot and Karot both dropping down nearby too, each ready to claim his arms once more.

“Jirot, Jarot, you can sleep with me,” Jurot said.

“No!” Jirot cackled.

“Jirot, Jarot, sleep with your papo,” Sonarot said. “Konarot, Kirot, Karot, come. Lanarot, you should sleep with your papa.”

“Okay,” the girl said, charging over towards Adam, dropping down beside him, giggling beside him as she flashed her pearly white teeth.

“It looks like I was being so greedy keeping all my children to myself,” Adam joked, ruffling his childrens’ hair one by one, kissing their foreheads. Once they were spread between their uncle and grandmother, Lanarot wrapped her arms around her brother’s arm and rested her cheek against his bicep.

“Did you miss me?” Adam asked.

“I miss you so much.”

“I missed you too.”

“You miss mama too?”

“Of course. I missed everyone.” Adam reached over to tickle her cheek gently.

“Papa. I can beat up Seventh Hope too?”

“Perhaps one day.”

“I am going to fight, mmm, Marshal.”

“Which Marshal?”

“All the Marshal.” The girl waved across the air, her grin so wide and cheeky.

“I see…” Adam leaned in to rest his cheek against her forehead. “How can you beat them up when you are going to be small and cute forever?”

“Nooo!” Lanarot giggled, reaching over to clutch his shirt within her hand.

Jurot stared down at Konarot, who stared up at him, pouting at him. He could feel how cold the girl had become within his arms. He wrapped his arms around her. She very quickly warmed up as she melted against him, barely able to keep her eyes open though she tried to fight it.

“Do not worry. You may tease your father tomorrow.” He noted the expectant eyes of his niece and nephew. He let Konarot go, the girl quickly scrambling away, shocked by how quickly he could disarm her.

Jirot yawned, understanding she couldn’t cause trouble for her grandmother. The girl smiled innocently before wrapping herself around one of the woman’s arms, her brother mirroring her from the other side.

Sonarot smiled, feeling their bodies pressed up against her arms. She wanted to hug them properly, but they had already claimed her arms, and she supposed she could give in to them.

The one armed Jarot slept off to a different room, Larot sleeping nearby, still free from a blanket. The boy slept peacefully, his breaths low and even, far too even. The old Iyrman could feel it, the tingling within his arm. He wanted to go out and fight. He stared down at his hand, clenching his fist, flexing his arm. Yet, even now, he couldn’t feel it. The strength in his prime was long lost.

While the old man basked in the solemness, another spent his time also thinking deeply within the fort.

‘One hundred,’ Korin thought, swinging his blade downward one last time, before, he shifted the angel of his blade, and began to cut another way. His sweat clung to his clothing, and the wetness distracted him just long enough to realise there was another watching.

“You couldn’t sleep?” Dunes asked.

“No.”

“What’s the matter?”

“I had a nightmare.”

“A nightmare? Aren’t you too old to be kept awake by nightmares?”

“Why are you here?” Korin asked, cutting through the air, whispering the count.

Dunes basked in the starlight, his eyes taking in the starscape above him. “A nightmare.”

The sword fell silent for a moment. The silence covered the pair. The sword swiped through the air again.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Dunes asked.

“No.” Korin swung through the air again. “You?”

Dunes remained silent for a long moment, the silence accompanying them once more. “No.”

Eventually, a pair of blades swiped through the air in quiet harmony.