‘We’ve got a few guards, but we’re going to need more than a handful of orphans,’ Adam thought, letting out a soft sigh.
“Boosh!” Jirot shouted, holding out her fist to her father. “I beat you up, daddy!”
Adam fell down, watching as the giggling girl darted away, while Karot squatted before him, holding out his hands.
“I heal you, daddy,” Karot said, waiting for his father to stand.
“Hoo! What a lovely son I have!” Adam pulled him in for a tight hug, kissing his son’s cheek repeatedly, the amplifying the noises. “I feel so much stronger now that you’ve healed me!”
“Yes!” Karot flushed before he embraced his father until the half elf eventually surrendered the boy to his siblings, allowing them to go play.
“We’re going to need more people,” Adam said, glancing around the rest of the fort. ‘There’s too many Iyrmen about.’
“You can buy slaves,” Jurot offered.
Adam blinked, turning his head slowly towards his brother, his brows raised in alarm. “What?”
“You can offer them freedom within the fort.”
“Yeah, but… buying slaves is…”
“Slaves have terrible lives. You will treat them better.”
“I can’t buy slaves,” Adam replied. “It’s…” Adam could already feel the guilt fill him. ‘I mean… we did use it to become a super power. Thankfully there’s little colonisation in this world, but who knows how long that will last for. Although, if I end up plundering trillions, I’d probably do much better with that coin than how it was squandered.’
“The wars have harmed many across the lands. They may wish to join the business to find stability.”
“That’s probably a good idea,” Adam replied, thinking about how many people he could support. ‘Each Basic weapon means about a hundred or so full time employees? No, it’s slightly less than that, isn’t it? About half or so?’
Jurot was also doing the calculations in his head, though he was finding it difficult. ‘Adam can create many magical weapons within a week.’
“We need more high earners, at least four or five to make us a ton of money monthly,” Adam said in the Iyr’s tongue before switching back. “I’d like enough guards and warriors to protect the fort and the people around us. We’ll need different types of guards and warriors, and more importantly, trusted guards for my kids. One for each of them at least. I need really trustworthy people I can gift magical items to all the while protecting my greatest treasures.”
Jurot remained silent. ‘We will protect them?’
Lanarot tackled her half elf brother. “Papa!”
“Lanababy,” Adam said, lifting the girl up to exchange kisses with her.
“You will fight?”
“I will fight when I have to.”
Lanarot pointed off to the side, with Dunes approaching the pair, while whistles pierced the air.
“What’s up?”
“There are quite a few beasts in the distance,” Dunes informed. “There’s a red bear too.”
“A red bear.” Jurot narrowed his eyes in thought.
Adam spotted the other children who had arrived at the fort in order to prepare for the wedding, as well as the mass of Iyrmen, at least an Expert for each child, but many of the older Grandmasters from each family had arrived too.
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An Iyrman Adam barely recognised stepped towards the pair. “There is a red bear.”
Jurot nodded.
“You have the first rite to claim it, your wedding is soon.”
Adam glanced towards his brother, brows raised. “You want it.”
“Yes.”
“Then we will clear a path,” the Iyrman said.
“No. Adam will clear the path.”
“Alone?”
“Jaygak and Kitool will support us.”
The Iyrman glanced towards Adam, eyeing him up. Adam was a few years younger than the Iyrman, but he had heard of Adam’s great abilities. However, many of the great abilities were rooted within magic, and during the Twilight Month, Adam’s abilities were not quite so grand.
“It looks like I get to show off to my kids again,” Adam said, stretching his neck from side to side. “Do I have enough time to slip on my armour?”
“We will deal with the first wave of the beasts,” the Iyrman said to Jurot, who nodded to the Iyrman who stepped away.
“You can put on your armour,” Jurot said, already ready to face the beasts.
“Manager Dunes, would you mind?” Adam asked, quickly stepping away to put on his armour. “Do you want to come too?”
“I am fine,” Dune said, assisting with putting on Adam’s armour. “It is awkward for me to fight this month.”
“What about Amira?”
“I will ask.”
The screeching of a particular Iyrman filled the air while the children watched from the walls.
‘My sister is so cute,’ Adam thought, hearing the screeching from the distance, strapping his shield. “It’s been a while since we fought together. I almost missed it.”
“It’s been too cold to fight,” Jaygak complained, rubbing the side of Sky’s neck gently.
Kitool stretched with her staff, feeling the staff’s sturdiness against her back as she twisted in ways which shouldn’t be humanly possible, but were Iyrmanly possible.
“Sky, make sure you watch over the kids, okay?” Adam asked.
“Yes, Executive.”
“You must watch,” Jurot said to Pam, who stared at the four as they prepared themselves.
“I will.”
“Okay.”
“I think what Jurot is trying to say is that he’s honouring this kill to you,” Adam said, poking his brother with his elbow.
“Yes,” Jurot said, his ears turning red.
The Iyrmen had thinned the beast wave, allowing Adam, Jaygak and Kitool to charge forward. Sonarot watched from the walls with the other children, from the screaming Lanarot, to the near silent Katool, whose eyes blinked through her glasses towards the four cousins who formed an arrow to cut their way towards the red bear.
Battle Order
D20 + 1 = 2 (1)
Health: 91 -> 79
Fighting Spirit: 3 -> 2
Health: 79 -> 84
Attack - Wraith (Advantage)(Flanking)
D20 + 11 = 23 (12)
D20 + 11 = 25 (14)
Hit!
Mana: 25 -> 21
Ability: Divine Smite
2D6 + 5D6 + 9 = 34 (1, 6)(1, 2, 4, 5, 6)
34 damage!
Attack - Wraith (Advantage)(Flanking)
D20 + 11 = 12 (1)
D20 + 11 = 27 (16)
Hit!
Mana: 21 -> 17
Ability: Divine Smite
2D6 + 5D6 + 9 = 29 (1, 1)(1, 1, 4, 6, 6)
29 damage!
Onward Soar: 1 -> 0
Attack - Wraith (Advantage)(Flanking)
D20 + 11 = 17 (6)
D20 + 11 = 27 (16)
Hit!
Wraith: 3 -> 2
Mana: 17 -> 16
Ability: Divine Smite
2D6 + 2D6 + 2D6 + 9 = 40 (6, 6)(6, 6)(1, 6)
40 damage!
Attack - Wraith (Advantage)(Flanking)
D20 + 11 = 12 (1)
D20 + 11 = 21 (10)
Hit!
Wraith: 2 -> 1
Mana: 16 -> 15
Ability: Divine Smite
2D6 + 2D6 + 2D6 + 9 = 34 (2, 3)(5, 6)(3, 6)
34 damage!
Adam charged forward with Kitool and Jaygak beside him, his brother following behind. He had taken the lead, his purple armour allowing the others to keep track of him with ease. He crashed against the first beast, a giant black bear, not like the black bears he had faced previously. This black bear seemed to be a bear that may have eaten a black bear before arriving, as it was easily taller than even any brown bear he had seen, and its paws were larger than Adam’s helmeted head. The red bear behind, however, was even larger.
The mighty paw crashed against Adam’s shield, causing him to stomp into the earth, leaving an imprint into the earth below. His arms throbbed heavily as the might blow almost knocked the wind out of him.
‘Holy!’
He swung Wraith towards the black bear in front of him, noting another trying to climb over it to crash against him. He swung with enough force he could have cut another bear in half, using the greatest smite he could muster.
‘It’s still fine?’ Adam thought, his axe cutting a deep gash into the bear, and yet it continued to swipe at him. Adam ducked under the blow, slashing across its front, managing to fell the bear.
Upon realising how hearty these bears were, Adam charged forward against the second, his axe flashing cold and hot simultaneously, tearing into the beast savagely. He dropped the second bear with his fourth slash, inhaling deeply.
‘What are they feeding these bears?’
Jaygak’s voice cut through the air, blanketing the group with light as her blade tore through one of the bears, barely cutting through another. It was as though she was cutting through cement with her blade, the young woman thinking about how glad she was she wielded a great blade in hand.
Kitool’s staff clattered against the bear in front of her, noting the handful of other beasts around. “Jaygak,” Kitool called, her staff stabbing deep within a bear, causing it to freeze in place, before she struck the other beasts in a similar manner, freezing them in place for her companion, while the monster before them cut down two with near ease.
Jaygak replied with a grunt, understanding what Kitool was thinking. Jurot remained behind his companions, his fingers twitching as he readied himself, the red bear snarling wildly, waiting for its turn to charge forward.