“Heh? To think that Yorgar had a brother. Are you as talented in magic as he is?”

“Ehmm, my specialty is bestowal magic, but I know the basics” acquiring all branches of magic should take at least 10 years of training, and my bestowal is very powerful, since I refined it through the centuries of breaking free, so it isn’t a complete lie.

“Great, so you’re a vanguard? That’ll help. We lost a lot of those in the accident” I am only conversing with the thin guy, Nimor. The other guy, Arin, hasn’t really said anything yet. Is he mute?

“But you really don’t look alike at all.”

“Urh, he really more takes after our mother, I resemble our father a lot more” This is technically true, given how species are shared. I feel a guilty towards my mother to supplant her memory with Hannah like that, but it fits the story better.

“Oh yeah, you knew father, didn’t you?” Yogar asks. Figures, he was born after his death.

“Yeah, I’ll tell you about him sometime. He was a great man, bar a little mean sometimes.”

“Have you heard anything from the others? I thought Ahorn stayed here?” Yorgar asks Nimor.

“Well, he went to do more of that… you know… last night. He should be back soon enough.”

“Who’s Ahorn?” I ask.

“Not filled in properly? Ahorn is the current hero, you will meet him soon enough. Just don’t insult him when you meet, he can get a little… Mean when he is irritated”

Sounds a little troublesome.

“He might also have a problem with you bringing a non-combatant here…” Nimor says, gesturing towards Amina.

“Don’t worry, I have a private house in the city that she can stay in. In fact, why don’t we head there now, Yos, Amina?” to which we agree.

On the way, I pick up all Amina’s clothes from the cart, and carry them along with me.

Leaving the clan house, Yorgar guides us through the streets. He uses this time to quiz me about Jorgen and I tell what I know. His hero story, his desire to give to the next generation, his cruelty and remorseless way in bringing me up.

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“I don’t know if I should be happy or sad that I never got to meet him” Yorgar adds at the end up of the talk.

“I think you should be sad. He had his faults, but eventually you would figure out it all came from a good place”

Amina is suspiciously quiet during the walk.

We arrive at a small house, in which the room we enter contain only stairs that go straight to the second floor. The entrance to the first floor must be somewhere else.

As we are about to open a door, Yos turns around.

“Ah, none of the other guys know this, so be sure to keep it a secret. This residence is actually the home of my wife” Wife?

He opens and in a cozy living room sits an old lady. It is clear she is in her twilight years.

“Yorg, is that you, dear?” She says as the door opens.

“Right, it’s me. Have you been fine, dear?” Yorgar says in a soft tone, as he bends down and gives her a deep, French kiss. I don’t know why, but I find it really gross.

“I’ll introduce you to some people” He says in the soft tone, that stands to contrast with his usually energetic behavior.

“First, my brother. He was raised in part by my biological parents” I reach out and shake her hand. It is limp and weak and wrinkly.

“And this girl will be living with you for the time being. Her name is Amina”

“Pleased to meet the two of you” We exchange greetings. It was a little bit of a shock to see Yorgar’s wife, but as I think about it, the situation much resembles that of Jorgen and Hannah, and I grow a little warm about my heart to see a relationship, where love can still be present after a long time.

After a quick introduction, and promising to pop by tomorrow, we leave Amina and her clothes.

“Do you have any kids?” I ask Yorgar on the way back.

“Many, but only three or so are still alive and the youngest should be more than 30 years old” Yorgar replies in a tone, as though the fact he spouted didn’t affect him. I was personally afraid of having kids, so I ask.

“Doesn’t it sting, when they pass before you do?” He looks at me confusedly.

“Well, it’s not like I stay around them for their entire lives. Once they have reached a certain age, and become able to take care of themselves, I often just set them free, you know? And learning of their passing may be tough, but often a quick glance at what they built and what legacy they left in their short time here brings peace to my heart.”

I pause a little. It seems to me an unreasonably light attitude to take.

“Most of our siblings are the same way, you know?” Huh?

“Siblings? We have more?” How has this not yet come up.

“Right, from our mother, five sapling sprouted, and all made it to animation. One’s dead, however, but you should still have and addition 2 sisters and a brother out there, though God knows where they are. I met them in the beginning, but since I started roaming the world, I only encountered one brother once, who told me of the death of another, so it’s not like we keep tabs on each other.”

What loose family relations. Is that a trait of dryads? Guess they kind of always are left without their parents, since I remember Hannah saying they have to be in tree form to reproduce.

As we enter the main hall, a colossal man stands there. Easily at the height of eight feet. Long flowing, golden hair, but not human. His face has a distinct green tint, and he has weird protrusions above his eyes.

“Ah, Ahorn! I was looking for you earlier” Yorgar greets the hero.