A storm passed through the Iyr’s lands. A storm of chaos, a chaos which could only be born within the lineage of those two in particular, as well as a third figure which poured tinder onto the flames.

“Jirot!” the expected voice called, calling out the name of the expected chaos.

The tiny green skinned leaf eared girl squealed with menace as she charged towards the young woman who held a hornless red skinned babe within her arms, humming a gentle tune. The tune brought much displeasure to the babe, whose face was full of sourness, a deeper sourness than typical.

Jirot cackled as she grabbed onto the woman’s trousers, large amber eyes beaming up towards the woman, full of wickedness only the tiny girl could show. The cheeky grin on her face revealing her set of double canines, which were quickly hidden as the girl pressed her face against the woman’s leg to hide her against the world while her father dove beside her, wrapping the girl with the towel.

“You punk, why are you causing such a mess? It’s too early in the year, you should ease daddy into it!” Adam wrapped his arms around the girl and pulled her in close, kissing her forehead all over, before the pair rubbed their cheeks against one another.

The older Jarot let out a sigh, glancing towards the girl’s twin brother, named after himself. Little Jarot glanced up towards his greatfather and smiled coyly. The older Jarot reached down to rub the boy’s curly hair. ‘How is it that you cause such little trouble when you are named after me?’

“This is all Jaygak’s fault! I knew I shouldn’t have surrendered you to her last night.” Adam’s barrage of kisses caused the girl to giggle wildly, before she tried to squirm out of his grasp. Adam refused to surrender the girl this morning, not until he had slipped on her shorts, before threatening a spank, but his body frozen, not even allowing him to spank his child gently as a joke.

Jirot buried herself within Vonda’s side, giggling wildly into her. Her twitching body eventually calmed, before she peeked out to see Vonda’s curious eyes staring down at her, the girl returning back to her giggles as the fully clothed little Jarot joined her, climbing up to Vonda’s other side. The boy’s amber eyes took in the sight of the woman, her burn marks across her lower face and neck, and then down towards his youngest sibling. The hornless boy who had yet to turn one, with his blood red skin, and his annoyed eyes, filled with an intelligence which was far too much for his minuscule form. The shimmering amulet then distracted the green skinned boy.

“Do you see?” Jaygak asked, pouring warm milk into her little sister’s mouth, the toddler sipping from the cup with a glare, as though daring the milk to refuse entering her mouth. “You need to learn to keep Adam in check like that.”

“You took them from me and now you cause so much trouble?” the older Jarot asked, letting out a huff.

“It was your fault for allowing her to take them away,” Gangak replied simply. She, like Jaygak, was red of skin and horned.

“If she slept with her babo, she would not have misbehaved this way.”

“Will you say our Jirot would not misbehave?”

“She should misbehave since she is my greatdaughter!” Jarot inhaled deeply, puffing out his chest with pride.

Gangak smiled, sipping away at her own warm milk this dawnval morning, before little Tavgak’s eyes glanced up towards her grandaunt. Gangak reached down to brush her hair gently, before feeding the girl her own milk. While the pair of older Iyrmen chatted away, their awareness spread out further than their conversation, towards all the outsiders in the distance, even more acutely aware of the presence of their precious children.

Within the walls of the fortress, which the United Kindom made its headquarters, dozens upon dozens of business members rested. Many of them, not yet used to the Iyrmen, whose land the business lay upon, remained cautious around the Iyrmen about. The Iyrmen carried weapons about themselves, and many traversed the nearby land and the walls, forming a net around the business, even upon the King’s land.

Among the great names of the Iyrmen around them, the business folk kept keen attention on one particular figure, even as he left the gates of the business towards the nearby Aldish village. He was clean shaven, with a strong jaw, a wide, flat nose, and small eyes. He was fairly lean for an older man, dressed in deep grey plain silks. At his side lay a longsword, made of a fusion of bone and metal. The tattoo upon his forehead, a pair of golden circles joined vertically within the centre, with three crimson six pointed stars flanking on either side, matched the other Iyrman who had returned during the Twilight Month but a couple of weeks ago.

“We will leave a few of our warriors for the undead,” Chief Iromin assured, the grace in his voice only matched by the grace within his stride, like a butterfly floating through the air.

“As always, thank you, Chief Iromin,” Chief Merl replied. She was short, barely reaching Iromin’s chest with the top of her head. She wore thick furs around her body, as well as a set of scale around her chest, which fell down towards her waist, with a belt wrapped around her front to keep her armour pinned to her. An axe hung against her belt, though her trusty spear rested beside her.

Chief Merl watched the Chief of the Iyr leave, taking with him his several aides, along with the beardless dwarf and the figure who held the same tattoos. No doubt there were other Iyrmen, unseen and unheard, who slipped away with the Chief of the Iyr. ‘As ever, glad the Iyr watches over we villagefolk.’

Iromin’s attention remained upon the Lord of Earth, who marched beside him in their beardless dwarf form. Though he also needed to watch out for the large number of children of the Iyr nearby, his highest priority was upon the Lord of Earth.

Stokmar ignored the gazes of the Iyrmen all about them, having no intention of picking any bother with the Iyr, especially when a red snake watched them from a distance. ‘I should leave to the dwarven lands.’ Stokmar narrowed their eyes, a sudden sense of disgust filling them. ‘I should stay here since the Iyr still has drinks for me.’ Deep within Stokmar’s heart, the grudge of the dwarves refusing their oaths burned greater than even Shama’s flames.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“He’s gone?” Adam asked, beside the rest of his friends and family. ‘Didn’t he want to speak to me or anything? Did he really come just for our wedding?’

“The Chief has much work to do,” Jurot replied, biting into his hot potato, before tearing a small piece for his niece, who had caused so much bother that morning.

“Nana, soht please,” the definitely innocent Jirot requested, holding up the plum sized piece of hot potato.

Sonarot sprinkled salt upon her granddaughter’s potato, raising her brows expectantly.

“Thank you,” the girl replied, tapping her chin before motioning her hand towards her grandmother. She bit into the potato, holding it out to her twin brother, who bit into it from her hands.

‘My kids are the cutest,’ Adam thought, his heart eating the dessert that was their cuteness. “Jurot, when are you going to have kids so I can spoil them?”

“It is too soon in the year to ask.”

“Too soon? Do you hear that, old man? How can he be so unfilial?”

The older Jarot replied with a grunt. “You should hurry and-,”

Mulrot whacked her husband upside the back of his head. “Jirot, how can your greatfather speak this way?”

Jirot threw her greatfather a look, inhaling deeply. “How can you say it?” She tutted towards the old man, her hair bouncing as she shook her head. Little Jarot also looked up at his grandfather with a gentle disappointment.

“You should take your time so they are born stout and strong,” Jarot stated, before his lips formed a wild grin. Unfortunately for him, his wife pinched his side. Even then, he thought to continue, but upon seeing his wife’s glare, he decided to drop it.

“Yeah, it’s a bad look for you to talk like that when you’re you,” Adam teased. “You’ll scare Pam away.”

“Can you say so?”

Adam’s cheeks flushed. “Well, that’s different. It’s not like I went around killing a bunch of nobles during my youth. Not in this land, specifically…”

“If they did not wish to die, they should not have drawn their blades.”

“How can you say that in front of a Ray?”

Jarot flushed slightly, placing his hand upon his knee, feeling the metal leg against his fingertips. “Baktu watches over them well.”

Jaygak held a small smirk upon her lips, seeing how awkwardly the Mad Dog was being pushed back. She wondered if she should put Adam in his place, but decided against it since today was that day.

The expectation hung upon the air.

It was no doubt time for Adam to do that.

“Hold on,” Adam began, causing the other Iyrmen around him to feign ignorance to what he was about to do. “Who are these handsome fellows?”

The small girl’s silver eyes darted up to meet Adam’s, her scar creasing as she pouted. She bowed her head slightly, her thumbsized horns peeking through her long silver hair. “Daddy.”

“What? This powerful voice! That harsh look! It could only be my Konarot, right? Those adorable dutiful eyes, and that sweet innocent smile, aren’t you my Kirot and Karot?”

Konarot huffed, but she leaned in towards her father, burying her face within his chest. Kirot and Karot bowed their heads for their father to rub their heads, the half elf taking the opportunity to spoil them.

“How can you expect me to recognise them when they’re so big now?” Adam asked. “You’re all so big now. How old are you? Six? Seven?”

Konarot shut her eyes tight, deep in thought. She held up her entire hand, before putting clasping her fist, undoing her thumb, then her index finger, then her middle finger. “Three.”

“Wow! My daughter is so good at maths!” Adam gasped, before pausing for a moment. ‘I can’t make that joke yet, probably.’ “Of course, since you’re Jirot’s eldest sister, you have to be this smart.”

“No!” Jirot gasped. “What ah you saying, daddy?”

“What do you mean no? It’s a good thing!”

Jirot blinked. She glanced towards her grandmother, who nodded. “Okay.” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her father for a long moment.

“Happy birthday,” Adam finally said, before embracing his triplets.

“Happy birthday, daddy,” Konarot replied, following by her younger siblings.

“Ock!” Jirot gasped, her head snapping towards her grandmother. “Is daddy’s birthday?”

“How could you forget?” Adam replied, as though he hadn’t forgotten himself. “It’s your uncle’s birthday too, you little punk, and your mother’s too!”

Jirot stared up to Vonda, blinking towards her. “Mommy?”

“Yes?”

Jirot flushed slightly, filling with embarrassment. “Is your birthday?”

“It is.”

“Is my birthday too,” the goblin said with so much confidence even her twin brother almost believed it.

“Is it?” Vonda asked.

Jirot smirked. “No.” She cackled with delight, glancing towards her grandmother to see if she was in trouble, before cackling louder when she was in the clear.

“She just wants to double dip on presents,” Adam said, with far too much pride in his voice. “You smelly girl, you can’t say it’s your birthday when it isn’t.”

Even so, everyone understood Adam couldn’t do anything against the likes of the two year old, who was one of the few who had defeated him.

“Happy birthday, Vonda,” Adam said, reaching out to hold her hand.

“Happy birthday, Adam,” Vonda said, before she smiled down towards the triplets. “Happy birthday, Konarot, Kirot, Karot.”

“Happy birthday, mommy,” Kirot and Karot replied, while Konarot mumbled something vague under her breath.

‘Konarot…’ Adam reached up to rub his triplet’s heads. “Happy birthday to you too, Jurot.”

“Happy birthday,” Jurot replied. “Happy birthday, Pam.”

“Happy birthday to you too, Jurot,” Pam replied, tearing a piece of bread for her husband.

“It’s your birthday too?” Adam asked, before furrowing his brows. ‘I feel like I knew that already.’ “There are too many birthdays on this day. We should all change our birthdays tomorrow so we can focus on spoiling my babies today. Vonda, you can keep your birthday as today too, you too Pam.”

“You wish to change your birthday away from your children?” Jurot asked.

“Absolutely not. I’ll keep my birthday as today, since my kids will feel lonely without it, and you should keep your birthday as today since that’s cool if we both have the same birthday.”

“Okay.”

“Shall we give gifts?” Vonda asked.

“Of course.”

“Will you give magical items again?” Jaygak teased.

“Magical items to children? What am I, a fool?” Adam asked, reaching into his pocket, passing his holy symbol made of obsidian, revealing three silver tokens stamped with his childrens’ names. “Here you go. This is a token that you can give to daddy, and he’ll grant you a wish. It’s silver, so I won’t declare war with Aldland, probably.”

“Do they need tokens for that?”

“No, but I’ve given all the other kids silver tokens already. I ended up missing their birthday last year since…” Adam could feel the gaze of the Iyrmen against his skin, a cold chill filling him. “Since I was so busy doing important things, you know?” Adam reached into his robes to reveal three more tokens, these bronze. “You forgive daddy, don’t you?”

Jaygak decided against teasing him more. Though Adam’s voice held a light tone, since he was such a fool of a father, she could sense his soul ached from missing their birthday the previous year.

Adam peppered his triplets with his affection, pulling them close. As the gifts were passed, from bits of pottery, to tiny ribbons, a horn blasted in the distance.

“Killing?” Adam asked.

“Yes,” Jurot replied.

“Might as well go show off since someone dared to interrupt my adorable childrens’ birthday.”

“Will you go kill on the first day of the year?” Vonda asked, smiling politely. The symbol of her holy order, that of Life’s Rose, gleamed brightly.

Adam, who wore a black holy symbol of the God of Death, particularly of the Iyr’s variety, froze awkwardly. “No?”

Vonda smiled more warmly towards her husband, who had decided to step back for her.

“You know, even though there are two Demon Lords, and a bunch of Iyrmen, I’m more scared of you,” Adam admitted.

‘There are what?’ Pam thought, her eyes wide, before a distant explosion distracted her.