The purple of dusk basked the fields in its gentle warmth, and painted the mighty walls in its fluorescence. Yet, the sight of the great fort, not those of the Aldish sort, was not which brought Adam the most joy.

"Daddy! Daddy!" called the chorus of voices, the five children charging towards the half elf in purple.

Unable to pick which of his children he wished to embrace first, he dropped to his knees and held out his arms, allowing them to tackle him.

"Careful," Vonda said, not wanting the children to slam themselves against Adam's puthral plate.

"Oooh! You! You smelly little girls and boys! How could you do this to me? How can you be so cute even when I'm gone?" Adam pulled his children in close, gently swaying from side to side as they all embraced so tenderly. A rush of warmth filled the half elf, so different than the tingling excitement which filled his children.

"Daddy! You are back!" Jirot accused, trying to climb up her father.

"I am, I am, and mummy is back too, look," Adam said, wrapping an arm around the twins' bottoms as he pinned them to his chest. "What do you say to mummy?"

"Welcome back, mummy," Jirot said, only to find herself assaulted by her father's affection.

"I can't keep you all to myself." Adam nuzzled against their necks, smelling the oils of the Iyr upon their skin. The nostalgic scent filled his heart, the half elf burying his face against their necks, blowing raspberries against their skin.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Jirot squealed, squirming as she tried to flee, managing to do so with her strength, swiftness, her cunning, and of course, her father's permission as he squatted down to let the twins flee to their mother.

Vonda hoisted the pair up with ease, pulling them close to her chest.

"Mummy!" Jirot called, her amber eyes beaming up towards the Ray. Though her lips were a smirk, a shadow of shyness tempered the mischief.

"My Jirot." Vonda leaned in to plant a kiss on the girl's forehead, doing the same to her son, who rested his head against his mother's bosom so peacefully. "Did you behave?"

Jirot cackled. "Yes..." She continued to cackle wildly, almost squealing as she hid her face against her mother's bosom, giggling wildly into it.

Adam removed his gauntlets and his gloves, reaching up to hold his eldest daughter's face, feeling how cool she was, how soft her skin was. He brushed along her face, his thumb brushing along the scar near her eye. "Konababy. Did you have fun?"

"Yes."

Adam pulled her head to his chest and he peppered her head with kisses, before doing the same to Kirot and Karot. He brushed their hair, and held their faces as he planted firm kisses on their cheeks, nuzzling their noses. "Daddy missed you all so much."

Basking in the softness of his children's adoration, Adam gently rocked from side to side. He could not feel the gazes of the others around him, though there were many staring at the fool of a father embracing his children, they thought nothing of it.

Save a single figure.

Quest Complete: Children Safe

XP Gained: +100

XP: 11 000 -> 11 100

'Bavwa? Why are there bavwa here?' Bilal stared at the tiny green children, whose mother, a Ray of Life's Rose, doted upon them so tenderly. 'What madness is this?'

"Mister Adam, what are those?" Elsie asked, pointing towards the two green balls within the Ray's arms.

"Those are Jirot and Jarot. My children."

"They're not children, they're goblins," the girl replied, tilting her head slightly.

"They're my children, Elsie. I'm their father."

Elsie furrowed her brows, glancing towards the Ray incredulously for support.

"They are my children, Elsie,” Ray Vonda stated. “Mother Soza's grace extends to all children."

The girl placed her hands on her chest, praying lightly as she did, all the while looking towards the Ray sheepishly. She glanced between the goblins and then the Ray. She had always heard goblins were beasts, but if Ray Vonda said they were her children, then did that mean her children were beasts?

‘Damn it.’ "Elsie, why don't I introduce you to someone? Come on." Adam flashed a warm smile towards the girl, leading her to the side. Adam glanced between the figures, each of whom had cut their hair short, the sides and back slightly shorter than the hair atop their heads. ‘It was hard enough to remember your names when you had different hair…’

“Executive,” Cobra greeted.

“Cobra, this is Elsie, she… I was hoping you would watch over her like you did the rest of your siblings.”

“You’d like me to adopt her?”

“Not quite.” Adam wasn’t sure how the girl would feel with a new family so soon. “Just, you know, watch over her. Treat her like you would your siblings, but…” Adam dropped down to a knee and ruffled Elsie’s hair. “Say hello to Cobra, Elsie.”

“Hello, miss Cobra.”

“Cobra here is from East Port, like you.”

“Oh!” Elsie said, her eyes snapping up towards Cobra. “I’m from East Port too!”

“Right, right, so Cobra is going to look after you. She’ll be like your cousin, since she’s from East Port.”

“I don’t have a cousin named Cobra.”

“Right…” Adam ruffled her hair again. “Then Cobra will be your… I’m not sure what the word for it is, but you’ll be like her ward?”

“Ward?” Elsie asked, blinking.

“Ah, well, don’t worry about it. Just know that you’re a member of this business, meaning you’re a part of our family now, so we’ll take good care of you.”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“You’re not your family, mister, my family’s dead,” the girl said, calmly. Her lower lip began to quiver.

Adam picked the girl up, ruffling her hair as her body began to shake as she sobbed. “I know. I know.” Adam rocked from side to side, catching Cobra’s eyes for a moment, frowning towards her. He then carried the girl to Vonda, allowing her to take the girl from his arms to calm her down elsewhere.

“I expected you would bring back children,” Dunes called, shaking Adam’s forearm.

“Just the one,” Adam replied. “Well…” Adam threw a glance towards the Aswadian children for a moment.

Dunes glanced towards Vonda, narrowing his eyes slightly, before smiling towards Adam. “I have good news too.”

“You do?” Adam asked, before noting Amira nearby, the woman assisting with the cooking, wearing none of her armour, and though her attire was covering her well, Adam noted the bump in her stomach. Adam’s eyes snapped to Dunes, a smile invading across his face. “Congratulations!”

“You as well,” Dunes said, the pair clasping forearms, though Adam pulled Dunes in for a half hug, before he quickly stepped towards Amira, though the half elf quickly stopped.

‘Is it weird if I congratulate her?’ Adam thought, before glancing aside to Vonda, who was sitting beside Elsie. ‘I should wait for a natural time, probably…’ He noted the expectant eyes of the rest of the businessfolk about.

Morkarai kept an eye on the half dragon triplets as Adam made his rounds, the trio following their father, while the twins remained with their mother, causing Elsie to squirm and stare. ‘So that is why the Iyr threatened Karza.’

“Pam?” Jurot called, noting the woman carrying a small basket of bread from the storage. His eyes fell down to her stomach for a moment, before his own heart began to beat quickly.

“Jurot,” Pam replied, smiling towards the Iyrman, before she placed down the basket at the table, and made her way to Jurot, hugging him tenderly. “Did you bring back a good story?”

“Yes,” Jurot replied, feeling how dry his mouth had become, feeling the heat within his body, and a sweat beginning to form against his back. Jurot hadn’t even thought about his answer, unsure if he was telling the truth or lying, because the only thing he could think about was that…

Pam was pregnant too.

“You look so pale…” Pam said, brushing his cheek, noting how pale even his reddening ears were. “Are you okay?”

“Okay,” Jurot assured.

“George,” Adam called, reaching into his robe. “Here you are.”

George’s eyes grew wide as he quickly reached up to grab the book, feeling the soft cover within his hands, the boy quickly flipping through the pages, feeling the softness against his fingers, the smell of the paper.

“What do you sign?” Adam asked, George replying in confusing, before patting his chin and throwing out his hand in thanks. Adam smiled.

The group quickly gathered together, with Adam noting all the Iyrmen about, his eyes catching sight of an unfamiliar familiar face. “Uncle Fakrot?”

“Adam,” Fakrot called out, reaching out to shake Adam’s forearm. “You have returned with the Lord?”

“Yeah, but it looks like I wasn’t the only one adventuring. What happened to your eye?”

Fakrot reached up to the scar on his cheek, right beneath his eye patch. “It was a small price to pay to assist the family.”

“What happened?”

“Sonarot will tell you,” Fakrot replied simply, smiling as he pat his nephew’s shoulder gently. “I am glad you are well.”

“Yeah.” Adam smiled awkwardly in response.

“Is something wrong?”

“Ah, well…” Adam shrugged his shoulders. “Something happened during the adventure, and… we had to rush back home.”

“What happened?”

“Vonda…” Adam swallowed. “She was hurt during the adventure.”

Fakrot’s eyes darted to Vonda, who seemed to be fine and healthy, before his eyes fell to his cousin, the Family Head of the Rot family. “You should inform Sonarot.”

“Yeah.”

“Mommy eated a baby?” Jirot gasped, covering her mouth with her small chubby fingers.

Konarot gasped, her eyebrows raised in alarm and shock, her eyes wide as her head snapped towards her father. Even her tail had pointed upwards slightly due to the shock.

“No, you smelly girl, a baby is growing inside mummy,” Adam said, picking Jirot up to kiss her cheek, unable to control himself since his daughter was being so cute. He peppered her face with kisses all over, causing her to squeal once more.

“Baby?”

“Yes, your little brother or sister,” Adam stated.

Jirot blinked, furrowing her brows in confusion.

Bilal’s eyes fell to the Iyrman to one side, who was currently doting on Jurot, brushing his hair tenderly. Within her arms was a hornless babe, his skin the colour of fresh blood. ‘A demon?’

“Inside mummy’s belly?”

“That’s right.”

Jirot glanced towards her mother’s stomach suspiciously, noting how round it had become. She crawled her way to beside her mother, before sitting on her knees beside the woman. “Hello?”

“The baby might be able to hear you as this point,” Adam said, trying to recall what he had learnt, but it was so long ago, and he had died twice since. “Probably…”

“Hello little baby, I am Jiroh.”

“I am Jaroh,” little Jarot said, having climbed up beside his mother, causing Elsie to withdraw to the side.

“Baby, you can hear me?”

“Maybe?”

“Hello baby!” Jirot exclaimed.

“Jirot! Calmly, calmly, okay?” Adam said, reaching over to brush her hair tenderly, before glancing aside to Konarot. “Do you hear that? That’s your little brother or sister.”

Konarot blinked. She vaguely remembered that her father had brought another baby one day who ended up being her youngest brother. “Baby?”

“Yes.”

“My little papa? Kaka?”

“Yeah.”

She blinked. She looked up towards the bird. “Okay.”

Jasmine furrowed her brows, staring at the family of the half elf. He was a half elf, his wife was human, his children were half dragons, goblins, and what seemed to be a demon, and his brother was an Iyrman.

Adam remained sitting between his family, but his neck pulsed lightly. His own eyes fell to the newcomers of the business, Jasmine, Vasera, and Bilal. He hadn’t informed them of the matter of his children, and with Vasera heading out, it meant there was a chance rumours could spread. ‘Damn it…’

“Aunt…” Adam began, before glancing all across the others nearby. “Director.”

“Yes?” Sonarot replied.

“Even if you are his nana, it’s not right for you to claim Larot for yourself! He’s my son! I want to kiss him a lot too!”

Sonarot smiled, holding the boy up for Adam to take, the half elf quickly, carefully, scooped his son out of her arms before he held the boy close to his chest, kissing the boy’s forehead. However, Larot pulled his head away from his father, and reached out to his grandmother.

“What is this? Aunt! How could you steal away my son from me?”

‘You bastard! I was so sick and it was definitely your fault!’ Larot’s face, usually stone cold, was even icier that day.

“How could this happen to me?” Adam sniffled. “Do you see this, Bilal? How could this be?”

“…” Bilal wasn’t sure what to say, glancing between all the Iyrmen, noting how many of them were focused on him. He could sense many others hiding in the shadow too, with their attention solely upon him.

“Jarot! Jarot, my boy, my beautiful baby boy, did you miss me?” Adam asked, asking Jarot before Jirot, because otherwise his heart couldn’t take it.

“I miss you daddy,” the boy replied shyly.

“Oh my poor boy, how could your father do this to you?” Adam asked as he pulled the boy in for a deeper hug, kissing him more

“I did noh miss daddy,” Jirot said, smirking towards her father.

“What? You didn’t?”

“No!” Jirot smiled proudly.

“So… does that mean my little Jirot wants me to stay outside the fort?”

“No! You must stay here!” Jirot held up a finger threateningly.

“Of course, of course.” Adam held out his arms, and Jirot quickly rushed up into his arms and the pair embraced once more, Adam peppering her with kisses.

“Daddy, you make me sad you are gone, but I forgive you, just once, okay?”

“Just this once?”

“Just this once,” Jirot stated.

“How kind is my daughter?” Adam kissed her forehead.

“Daddy!”

“Yes?”

“Why is mommy have baby?”

Brittany spat out a shower of water, taking away attention from Morkarai, who pat his chest and quickly wiped his face as he almost choked on his own drink.

“Well…” Adam could feel all the gazes upon him. “Mummy and daddy wanted a baby, so mummy is making one for us.”

“Why?”

“Because I love you all so much!”

“Why?”

“You smelly girl.” Adam kissed her cheek. “It’s because you make me so happy.”

“I make daddy happy?”

“Yes. So happy. The happiest dad ever.”

Jirot flushed slightly. “Yes.”

Vasera exchanged a look with Rook, who raised his brows, unable to contain his surprise. Vasera glanced back towards the children, her eyes glued to Jirot in particular, who leaned up to nuzzle against her father’s nose. “I see now why Adam is so afraid of her.”

Rook chuckled. “Yeah.”

Konarot stared up at the seatit that lay on her father’s shoulder. “Hello,” the girl whispered.

The seatit looked towards Konarot and tilted its head before laying back down.

Konarot frowned.

‘I did not expect him to be this insane,’ Bilal thought. ‘If he treats bavwa this well, then…’