"Mistuh Fred, wots all this then?" Copper asked, his head tilted with boyish curiosity.

"Mister Fred, miss ter, ter," Fred corrected, doing his best to emphasise the word for himself. "What is all this, mister Fred."

"Wots all this then, wots, what is..." Copper blinked. "What is all this, miss ter Fred?"

"These are staffs," Fred said, hoisting one up within his hand, feeling the heft within it. There were smaller staves within too, each slightly thinner and about a head shorter than the staff he held. "They're for practising."

"Ah we gunna be practisin' with all this then?"

"Are we going to be practising with these staffs then," Fred corrected once more.

"Staves," Gilbert said, picking one up, feeling it within his hand. "The plural of staff is staves."

"Staves?" Fred asked. "Not staffs?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Wizards, probably."

"That's a bit daft."

"Yeah," Gilbert agreed, watching as all the children swarmed the staves, each grabbing a staff within their little hands. "Careful, now, careful."

"I'll start teaching you to fight too," Fred said, spinning the staff over the back of his hand before slamming it into the earth, causing the children to twitch, their eyes staring up at him in awe. "Manager Dunes is a Priest, so he's a little busy, especially with him trying to help Manager Amira with her work."

"Copper, why are you holding two?" Gilbert asked, resting his own staff into the earth.

"I wanna learn to fight with both," the boy said, holding a staff in each hand confidently.

"You need to learn with one first before you try learning with both."

Copper frowned, clutching his staves to his chest. "You ain't the one teachin'..."

Gilbert narrowed his eyes towards the boy. "I didn't teach you to talk back like that neither."

"Gilbert's right," Fred said, glancing between the brothers. "You should learn with one of the staffs, staves, first, and then learn with both."

"I wanna learn with both..."

"You need to learn with the one first."

"Okay..."

"Alright. Let's start practising." Fred spun the staff across his hand once more, trying to recall the stances Dunes had taught them to warm up.

George also grasped a staff in hand, feeling how smooth the wood was. He silently followed Fred's words from the back of the group. The staffplay came easier to him, not because he was particularly talented, but rather, it didn't require speaking to practise by himself. The boy continued to follow Fred's words,

Gilbert watched from the side, gripping his staff tight in hand. The young man let out a soft sigh as he watched the children practising with their staves, led by Fred, who had joined Adam first. The same Fred who had been travelling with Adam all this time. The same Fred who had grown as strong as an Expert, or perhaps even greater.

The business was full of life, but as the late afternoon sun fell across Life River, there was a greater liveliness within the town. Farmers worked their fields, smiths fixed the tools, and the guards stepped through the town, with a pair of guards following a particular pair, one who was a pretty woman, and another who stood tall covered head to toe, as though they were a Priest of Life’s Rose.

“What’re they doin’?”

“Heading to Life’s Rose, it seems.”

“Eh? Do they got business there?”

“Seems it.”

They watched as the pair made their way towards one of the small temples of Life’s Rose, one which acted almost like a guard outpost. Whereas the family of Liferiver ruled Life River officially, everyone understood who held the true authority in Life River.

“How may we assist?” an acolyte asked, one who had yet to gain the magics of Mother Soza, and therefore was not yet considered a full priest, typically when one would gain the magics of a Priest.

“I have come to speak with Prince Morkarai,” the young woman said.

The acolyte smiled warmly, taken aback for a moment. “You wish to speak with a guest within Life’s Rose?”

“Yes. He should be expecting me.”

“May I ask what your name is?”

“I am Jasmine.”

“And your companion?”

“You may call him Siten.”

Morkarai’s worries were already so high considering the mess a friend of his was causing. There were only two who would dare to cause such a mess to Life’s Rose, but while one was currently worrying deeply and asking for their assistance, the other needed no assistance from the order.

“Isn’t it a good deal?” Karza asked, sipping the tea, still annoyed they wouldn’t pour her an alcoholic beverage.

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“The donations we receive are hard to spend so freely upon the whims of dragons,” Mother Priest replied, one of a handful of Aldishmen who would dare to behave so audaciously to a dragon.

“It’s just a small slice of donations, and you would have the assistance of me, Karzafirdrunda!”

“We have nothing but respect for the Drunda family, for your family is well known in the distant lands, but upon Aldland, we are well known for having little deals with outside powers to assist us. If we of Life’s Rose, begin to deal with dragons, especially those of the mighty Drunda family, there are many who would worry for our sake.”

“You just need to hand over some coin, and I would assist you, that’s all. Who would dare to attack you while my name is attached to your order?”

“You have offended a great many dragons, and if we deal with you, we will inherit such animosity. Though we are able to defend ourselves against dragons, hence why they had decided not to trouble us for centuries, we do not wish to offend your kind.”

Karza couldn’t refuse the fact she had offended so many dragons, from the dragons within Aswadasad, to the dragons within the Confederacy, and a great many across other lands. It wasn’t just that she offended many with her personality, but there were many dragon families which the Drunda families had bad blood with for millennia.

“You should consider my words at least,” Karza stated, sipping the rest of her tea. “It is not right to snub a dragon who has come all this way to speak with you.”

“We will not snub you, as we have not snubbed the Talia family, the Wing family, the Claw family, the Raith family, but our order has yet to work in such a capacity with a dragon, and we will aim to continue to work independently in such a capacity.” Mother Priest sipped her tea, pouring more for them when they were near empty.

Karza groaned quietly, finished the rest of her tea as she placed the cup down finally, then finally left the Mother Priest alone. She stormed off towards Morkarai, ready to complain to him, before noting the appearance of the sullen half elf. ‘Should I play with him to cheer up?’ It was then she recalled of his fight with the Coralguard, then the stories she had heard of the half elf and his companions, before finally recalling how much vitriol the half elf dared to show towards Emperor Shama.

Adam paced the hallway, having done so for the past few hours, the young half elf ignoring the gazes of the acolytes nearby. He was thankful his brother had remained nearby, sitting on a chair nearby, with his arms crossed, lost within his own thoughts.

Jurot remained silent as his brother paced in front of him, having completed hundreds of laps. He wanted to speak up to abate Adam’s worries, but he understood why Adam was still so worried, even as Vonda was being tended to by the premier force when it came to the essence of Life. The young Iyrman thought of his nieces and nephews.

Konarot, who showed such great tenacity, somehow living even after consuming the Gem of Arcarius, one of the Gems of Jiad.

Kirot, who was inspired by her elder sister in also being well behaved and watched over her younger siblings well.

Karot, who was so well behaved and meek, always tended to by his elder sisters.

Jirot was Jirot.

Jarot, who was named after his own grandfather, whose mischief was so polite and sweet, following after his elder sisters.

Larot was Larot.

The Iyrman could feel it. Tickling against the back of his neck. When he thought of his younger sister, who was growing so well in the Iyr, it was the same feeling as when he thought of his nieces and nephews. Right now, in the bastion of Mother Soza, all the Iyrman wanted to do was to kill something.

Karza could feel the intense pressure emanating from the Iyrman as she passed him, feeling a cold sweat against her back. ‘You weren’t kidding, mother, the Iyrmen truly are insane.’

Karza approached the Prince, who poured tea for the tan skinned visitor, the young woman’s eyes like emeralds, her hair black as night. ‘Has she revealed her true form?’

“I’m glad you took my words to heart, Lady Jasmine.” ‘If I wrap up this gift in a bow, he’ll get the wrong idea,’ Morkarai thought, sipping his tea. ‘He only has room in his heart for one woman and a hundred children.’ Morkarai stifled a chuckle. ‘A thousand children?’

Jasmine accepted the cup of tea, bowing her head lightly, holding the small cup with her thumb and index fingers, the rest of her fingers cascading out, like a blooming flower, while her free hand held her wrist.

Lucy and Mara noted the way she drank her tea, and figured there was some significance Morkarai had realised, but said nothing. Morkarai hadn’t realised she trusted him that much, since he could have killed her with ease, even with her companion standing nearby.

“I had expected you to take me with you to the volcanoes,” Jasmine stated.

Morkarai smiled. “You should know how little we fire giants wish to play the politics of the Confederacy. I will send word that you are safe to my father, and by the time he receives such word, I will be too far to respond to any demands he may make of me, and you will be safe within the business.”

“What is this business?” Jasmine asked, uncertain of what the Prince was doing, letting her slip through his grasp. As far as she was aware, the fire giants liked to work on a grander scale than the other mortal races that made up the Confederacy, so taking her as a hostage would have been useful. Even if the war lasted for many years, or if they weren’t able to take back her land in the next few decades, her title would pass on to her children, and they would still be useful for the fire giants if they wanted to make a play. ‘Is he saying that he’ll make sure the King can’t use me? Is this business strong enough to even make the King of the Fire Giants to pause?’

“I could tell you about the business, but it is better to see it with your own eyes. If you do not wish to join it, you may join me on my return, and leave as you please.”

‘Why is he so hesitant to speak of the business to me?’

Morkarai’s eyes then fell onto the companion of the Princess. “It is better to see it with your own eyes than to hear the tales from my lips.”

It was many days later when Jasmine understood what the Prince was talking about. She had followed the group, noting the two devilkin who were with them. The word devilkin translated to two horn kin, though she had made the mistake of calling Jaygak, a devilkin was one of Jaygak’s appearance, there were many other peoples with two horns who were also called devilkin. Somehow, she had yet to realise what Lucy and Mara were, but she understood what they were once they came across the large lumbering masses of earth.

“Urtas,” Jurot said, donning his shield.

‘Damn,’ Adam thought, wondering if their appearance here was a warning. It was the one time they would spend the night out in the open, having gone from outpost to town to outpost after Life River, passing through two towns on the way back home. They were halfway between the outpost and Hillgrave, and the one day they weren’t able to find a place to stay, they came across the masses of earth.

‘Four urtas?’ Jasmine thought, blinking. Upon her land, such a sight was rare, but all the way in the western lands of Aldland, it was borderline unheard of. She glanced towards the Prince, who could no doubt destroy one with little effort, and then the dragon, who could also toy with one, which meant there were two left for the rest of the business.

“Vonda…” Adam glanced back, towards the carriage, with his wife staring at the urtas sadly. “I’ll stay back, you guys go ahead and fight.”

“Prince Morkarai, we will leave the Ray in your care so Adam can protect the children,” Jaygak said, her eyes sparkling with mischief towards the fire giant.

Morkarai cleared his throat awkwardly. “Of course.”

Jasmine glanced between the Iyrman and the Prince. ‘How audacious.’

“We’ll fight so the Prince is safe,” Lucy said, far too excitedly, grabbing her large axe in hand.

“I’ll handle one of them, so you can share the three between you five,” Karza said.

“You shouldn’t lift a finger either,” Lucy said, hiding her frown. “Since they’re so beneath you.”

Karza let out a snort, though she was glad that she was finally being respected appropriately. “As you say.”

‘The five of them are going to fight the four urtas by themselves?’ Jasmine thought, noting how close the shambling collection of dirt and rocks were now. ‘That’s suicide.’

It was on that day when Jasmine understood the rumours of the Iyrmen were true.