"Daddy is going?" Jirot asked, panting after she finished her cup of milk.

"Yes. We're all going to be going soon."

"I going?"

"Yes..." Adam smiled awkwardly. "It's going to be dangerous though."

"Dangerous?" Jirot raised her brows, the way her babo did, and she flexed her arms, growling. "Look, daddy, look. I big and strong."

"No, no, you're so small and cute." Adam lifted up his daughter and peppered her cheek with kisses.

"No! I am Demon Load! Big and strong!" Jirot growled, only to be stopped by her father's tight hug, causing the girl to embrace her father too.

"Yes, yes, my dear." Adam rocked from side to side, brushing her curly hair tenderly. "Some people don't like the Demon Lord, though."

"Why?"

"The Demon Lord did so many bad things before."

"No! I am good girl! Mummy! Mummy!" Jirot called, reaching out a hand to her mother for support, her eyes wide, urging her mother to inform her father of such an important matter.

"I know you're good, you smelly girl, but other people don't know that."

"How they can do this?"

"I don't know, my dear. It's because they're so smelly?"

"All so smelly," Jirot confirmed, huffing. "They saying Jirot is not good? Not good? I always good, daddy, always good!"

"I know, I know..."

"We ah going Red Oak?" Jirot asked.

"How did you know?"

"I know it," the girl replied, smirking. "I am so smart."

"You are so smart."

"Is big town?"

"It's... bigger than the Iyr, I think."

Jirot pulled her head back, furrowing her brows at her father. "What you are saying, daddy? So silly! So smelly!"

"What, you think your father is lying? Daddy is telling the truth! There are so many people in Red Oak, about double than the entire Iyr."

"Mummy? You hear this?"

"I hear it, but your father is right, in a way. Red Oak has more people, but the Main Iyr is certainly more expansive, from what I have seen." Vonda scooped another spoonful for Larot, who allowed the woman to feed him, with most gracious magnanimity.

"We're going to leave the Iyr, but... Jirot, you need to be good, okay?"

"Daddy!" Jirot held up a finger. "What I say? You do not listen! You not listening to me?"

"I'm listening, I'm listening, you're such a good girl, always a good girl," Adam assured, brushing the girl's hair back, though her dagger like finger remained. Adam reached over to take her hand and kissed the back of it. "It's just no one else knows, so that's why you need to promise to be good, really good."

"I promise I am good."

"You promise you will be good?"

"You are not listening?"

"You can't bully your daddy like this! Your daddy is growing so old his hearing is already going!" Adam shook his head before leaning in to blow a raspberry against the girl's neck. Within Adam's heart, a seed of darkness began to sprout. He closed his eyes as he held his daughter, rocking with her from side to side, feeling her warm cheek against his own, feeling her soft breath tickling his neck, smelling the oils of the Iyr. 'I'll make sure to protect you from the world, my dear Jibaby.'

Little Jarot waited patiently beside his father, until he was finally scooped up, and peppered in all manner of kisses. He opened his mouth for the potato his sister offered him, and ate slowly while their father held the pair of them, not understanding why the half elf was so eager to hold them, other than the fact that he loved them so dearly.

Once lunch was over, Adam made his way about the fort, checking on the rest of the businessfolk. 'I've got a bunch of Experts that should be able to protect them and handle most threats, but they're meant to be going to invite their families.' Adam then glanced towards the children within the business, from Alex to Elsie. 'Right, they need to be protected too.'

Adam let out a sigh, reaching up to rub the side of his neck, feeling the gentle pulsing which began to ache. 'Do I need to make my own army already? Should I go look for some more warriors?'

Adam completed his rounds, motioning a hand to Jonn, before making his way into the village, finding a particularly large fellow. "I'm going to need you two to come with me."

"Okay," Jonn and Nobby replied, though Nobby continued with a, "mister boss."

"Hopefully I won't need either of you, but... you know how it is."

Jonn bowed his head. As a half elf, one who had once been a member of an order, he was still discriminated against, something which increased after the Massacre of Rock Hill, which led to his exile from the Order. Nobby just nodded, thinking little of the issue, understanding that the others would treat the children poorly and he would need to protect them. The reasons why, they were completely irrelevant.

'It's not like I'll be able to constrain them within the fort their entire lives,' Adam thought, continuing to walk around the business, lost within his thoughts.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

"Executive Adam," Fred called.

"Yeah?"

"Do you need me to come along too?"

"No, there should be someone who stays here, just in case."

"Should..." Fred said, before catching himself.

"Yes?"

"Should I go instead of Jonn, since he's a..."

"He's a what?"

"He's a half elf."

"Come on now, Fred. I don't want to hear that from you."

"I don't mean nothing by it, but the people from Red Oak..."

"Ah," Adam said, slowly nodding his head. "You're right. You should come along instead of Jonn."

Fred nodded, still feeling awkward he mentioned it, but he hadn't been able to leave to prove himself, and now was the perfect chance.

'Should I take Brittany too? No, no, she probably should stay here, since she's better with a bow. I should talk to... Cobra? No, she's the leader. I should take Viper or Python.'

"Viper," Adam called, causing the young woman to stand at attention. "Would you mind coming with us on our outing?"

"I don't mind," Viper replied.

Jasmine watched how awkward the pair spoke to one another, with the half elf lost in thought, while Viper waiting to hear more about her task. However, she also noted that Bilal had also begun paying attention to Adam for some reason, his eyes glued to the half elf for a long moment, deep in thought, before the moment passed.

'I guess with the Golden Savages, everything should be fine...' Adam thought. 'It is nearing the end of the month, so I'll need to drop another few hundred gold on them.'

"What?" Adam asked, the smell of the evening meal filling the air.

"There is no need for the Golden Savages to come with us," the old one armed Iyrman said, huffing. "You do not need them when you have us!"

"It's just an extra layer of protection."

"We Iyrmen will watch over the children well," Jarot stated firmly, sipping his ale. "The Golden Savages are great, but there is no need for them when we are so close to the Iyr."

"It's not like it's your money, old man."

"It is best to let them go at the turn of the month," Sonarot said simply.

"Okay," Adam replied, leaving it at that.

"You should show your grandfather more respect," Jarot said.

"Whose grandfather?"

"Do you think I will not beat you with this leg of mine?"

"Just you try it!"

"Jirot, you must tell them to behave," Gangak said, brushing the girl's hair.

"Okay! Daddy! Babo!" Jirot held up her finger. "You are behave now, okay?"

"Okay," the pair replied, the fools smirking at one another.

"Your daughter told you off first."

"That's right, she mentioned me first, old man."

Gangak blinked. 'I hope they are still only pretending.'

As evening began to fall across the fort, carriages approached the fort from the west. As they veered off to the side, the children eagerly gathered to watch as the figures stepped out of the carriages.

"You have come?" Shikan asked.

"Did Minakan trouble you?" Halikan joked, lifting her daughter up to kiss her cheek, Minakan smiling so brightly.

"She is as troublesome as you," Shikan joked.

Kavgak sucked her hand shyly, turning her head away from her mother, before looking back towards the woman, who kissed her forehead.

Jitool rested her head against her mother's bosom, sucking her thumb as she almost fell asleep.

"Daddy," Danagek called, beaming up towards his father.

"You have come?" Tonagek asked, lifting up his son, who clutched at his collar, as though refusing to allow his father to leave.

"Daddy!" Danagek squealed with delight.

Uwajin yawned, before her eyes fell to a particular Iyrman, suddenly less sleepy, though she relaxed again.

"Dado!" Lanarot called, charging towards the old man who wore a red blade at his side, though she was quickly scooped up within his arms.

"Are you well, my Lanarot?" Shasen asked.

"I am good," the girl replied, giggling wildly. "Look!" Lanarot pointed behind herself.

"Yes?"

"Is gone?"

"What is gone?"

"My bread."

"Did you eat it?"

"..." The girl smirked before cackling with delight.

'She's definitely my sister,' Adam thought, proud that his sister was committed to her one joke. 'I'd rather you joke about bread rather than the other thing...'

"Shasen, the girl is my grandniece," Shagek said, reaching out to take the girl from him.

"Dado?" Lanarot called, noting the older Iyrman, who wore the tattoos that were so similar to another who had arrived with them, though inverted.

Tarukan stared down towards Inakan, who blinked up towards him through her glasses, before she smiled.

"Dado!" The tiny girl held up her hand, allowing the old man to hold his hand.

"You finally recognise me?"

"Is dado."

"Yes," the old man replied, dropping to a knee, ruffling her hair, before the girl quickly scampered back to her father, his nephew.

"Did you bring drinks?" Jarot asked the approaching Iyrman, who had grown out his beard longer, wearing a greatsword upon his back.

"I did not come for drinking," the Iyrman said, though he offered his own gourd.

"You did not come for drinking?" Gangak asked, raising her brow.

"I have come to escort the children."

Jarot and Gangak exchanged a look of bewilderment between the pair of them.

Otkan tilted her head slightly. "Rajin?"

"I wished to play chess with the children," Rajin said, simply.

Jurot was busy paying his greetings towards Tarukan and Shagek, each of whom he was technically related to. Kitool, too, was greeting the returning pair, but Jaygak, who had spotted the old Iyrman with his growing beard, had paused a moment. She eyed up the figures, Steel Strike and Silver Sword of the Wastes. It made sense for them to come, in a roundabout way. Shagek was Sonarot's uncle, and Tarukan was close to the Rot family since he was a Kan. Yet, the Bearded Dragon?

Jaygak blinked. 'He gave up his position to come?'

"What is wrong?" Kitool eventually asked, noting Jaygak eyeing up the Family Elder of the Jin family. Kitool hadn't heard the conversation, and there was nothing out of the ordinary of a Family Elder coming to the fort one of the Jin family worked within. It was within the Iyr's lands, after all.

"Granduncle has come to escort the children."

"He cannot," Kitool said, eyeing up the troublemaker.

"He is no longer a Family Elder."

"..." Kitool threw a look towards Rajin, then noted the air between the older Iyrmen around him, from the laughing Jarot, to the slightly bewildered Gangak, and the contemplatative Otkan. 'He gave up his position?'

"You must be Adam," Tarukan said, reaching down to brush Adam's hair. "I have heard what you have done for my grandniece."

"What did I do?" Adam asked, allowing the old man to brush his hair, before the pair shook forearms. He understood the old man was a Kan, not because of his tattoo, but because he was so damn handsome. "Oh, right, yeah. Any time, of course."

"You do not need to speak with me so awkwardly, we are not strangers."

"I mean, it's the first time we've met."

"I am Tarukan, Shikan and Halikan's uncle."

"Are you related to grandaunt Otkan?"

"I am her brother."

"Oh!" Adam said, suddenly recalling the name he had heard now and again. "I didn't realise you had returned."

"I returned recently."

"Did you have fun?"

"Yes," Tarukan replied, smiling slightly.

Shagek also introduced himself, before the group were informed of how the children were to be to escorted, with each child assigned an Iyrman at all times. There was one Iyrman for each child, including Adam's own, though Adam spotted a difference.

Whereas the likes of Shikan and Kaygak were assigned to their own children, with Jurot, Jaygak, and Kitool also watching out for their own siblings, Adam glanced towards the group which had been assigned to his own children.

Shasen, Gangak, and Shagek had been assigned to Konarot, Kirot, and Karot. Rajin and Jarot had been assigned to Jirot and little Jarot. Tarukan had been assigned to Larot.

“Hey,” Adam whispered. “How strong are the granduncles?”

“They should be stronger than your grandfather,” Jaygak replied, though not entirely certain. She was certain that her grandmother, a Grandmaster, and one of the strongest Gaks, was certainly the weakest among the group.

“Whose grandfather?” Adam asked, though his voice wasn’t in the joke. ‘What? They’re that strong?’

Jaygak was pretty certain Adam didn’t understand the importance of Rajin’s presence. She glanced around to see if anyone else was going to explain it, but it seemed to be the case that no one was going to bother. Jaygak glanced between the pair of goblins, who gleefully teased their babo.

‘I’m glad you are our Elder, Elder Zijin.’