“Ahaha, that is what they call me, I suppose,” Adam admitted, reaching up to the side of his neck, trying to ease the tension, the half elf chuckling awkwardly.

Makdur’s eyes grew wide slightly, staring at the half elf before him, who seemed to be such a fool, and yet…

“You are the one who killed the Vice Commander last year and caused such a mess for King Merryweather?” Zaki asked, his eyes firmly fixated upon the half elf, not allowing the half elf to look away from his glare.

“Ahaha, that was certainly me,” the half elf said, chuckling awkwardly towards the old man, holding his gaze. As the pair stared between one another, the air between them grew heavier.

“How old are you?” Zaki asked.

“Twenty four.”

“At such a young age you killed the Vice Commander?”

“Yes,” Adam replied, smiling awkwardly, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Zaki could feel a sharpness within his eyes, the awkwardness of the situation giving way to something else. The young man before him was not a simple fool, that much was certain, and though his pressure had been overwhelming previously, now it was focused on the old man, whose bones were screaming at him.

Makdur could feel it too, and though he could scarcely believe it, for he had also faced a Vice Commander of the Thousand Hunts so many years ago, a friendly spar, but he had noted the vast difference between himself and the figure, but the half elf was rumoured to have fought one of the greater Vice Commanders of the Order, one who was greater than a Master. “How… did you kill him?”

“The pair of them stepped forward to face me, the Vice Commander and his apprentice,” Adam began, leaning in slightly, reaching towards his cup of pink tea, feeling the warmth spread through his hand. “They fought me at once, the pair of them. I stepped forward. I…”

Zaki could see the half elf was replaying the scene within his mind, and even with his eyes closed, the discomfort slipping across the half elf’s face. What he didn’t notice, however, was the reason behind the discomfort, as the half elf tried to calm his heart, not wishing to feel even a single drop of pleasure, but…

“I cut her neck clean off in front of him,” Adam said, his voice heavy, opening his eyes meeting Zaki’s gaze, his own gaze now overwhelming. “Then, after he understood a fraction of my pain, I killed him quickly, painlessly, out of respect for my wife.”

“Your wife?”

“She is a Ray of Life’s Rose,” Adam said, picking up his cup of tea, smelling its sweet scent. “I couldn’t take my time and have my fun with him, no matter how much I should have butchered him.”

“That is quite the feat at your age,” Zaki said, feeling the sweat forming at the back of his neck, and everything about the half elf stated that the young man would be able to kill him, the Skull Sword of the Coast.

“I’m just fortunate I was adopted into the Iyr in this special way,” Adam replied, taking a moment to count his blessings, flexing his fist tightly, before relaxing, returning back to his tea.

Zaki noted the awkwardness on the half elf’s face, the kind that should not be on a young man who could face the likes of a Vice Commander. It was that awkwardness, however, that tempered the arrogance of youth, and he thought perhaps the half elf wouldn’t get himself killed from causing trouble with the wrong figures. “I am sorry for your loss.”

“I am thankful they were raised within the Iyr, they watch over my children well,” Adam said, closing his eyes once more, his heart trembling within his chest, the warmth of gratitude slipping through him. “My daughter, she’s dealing with it well enough from what I’ve seen, she wasn’t killed, but I can see the scar of the bolt.”

Zaki also tensed up, closing his eyes to think of his own daughter, and Makdur remained silent as a mouse, as wise as an owl.

“My son, he doesn’t eat well any more, while my younger son…” Adam thought of Larot, who was certainly some kind of legendary being reborn. “He’s always been special, so I don’t have to worry about him as much.”

“The Iyr brought them back?” Zaki asked, carefully, uncertain of how he could pry within the Iyr’s affairs, wondering just how much this half elf could tell him.

“Yes,” Adam replied, holding the old man’s gaze once more. “They take good care of their children.”

“I heard the Iyr metes greater punishment,” Makdur said, carefully, hearing the threat in the half elf’s voice. “Earlier this year, they took their revenge. Do you know of it?”

“Their revenge?” Adam mused. “The Order of High Garden came to take their revenge, and the Iyr accepted under certain conditions. Their Fariq, Yamas Greatwood, I’m sure you know of him, he was to duel, and upon his defeat, the Order tried to back out, so the Iyr took their vengeance for breaking their word.”

‘The Iyr is really the Iyr,’ Makdur thought.

“Who was it that defeated the Fariq?” Zaki asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

“He wished to duel me to the death,” Adam replied simply, holding the old man’s gaze.

“Are you saying you killed the Fariq?”

“I cut the bastard’s head clean off with a sword,” Adam confirmed, noting the glare within the old man’s eyes for a moment, the half elf narrowing his eyes slightly. A long moment of silence passed between the pair.

“How were you able to defeat him?” Makdur finally asked, since the pressure the half elf was giving off was almost suffocating.

“I’m weak, but I’m not as weak as him,” Adam replied simply.

“You believe the Fariq of High Garden, a Paragon, was weak?” Makdur wasn’t sure what he was hearing, for no one in the world could dare to suggest that a Paragon was weak, unless one was a…

“There are those who make Paragons look like ants.” Adam thought of the various figures he had met, all those who could still kill him almost in the blink of an eye. The likes of the greatest dragons, Lord Stokmar, and even those who were called the Guardian Stars, the figure who had killed so many beings with ease, and brought them back to life as though he could control their Fates.

‘He’s a dragon,’ Zaki thought, finally understanding how the half elf could face against such great foes. ‘Twenty four? So he is two hundred and forty? Which of the dragons enjoy shifting into half elves?’

‘He’s a dragon,’ Makdur thought. ‘So is his companion his partner? Is the half dragon to throw us off his scent? Her scent?’

Insight Check

D20 + 1 = 19 (18)

‘Do they think I’m a dragon?’ the half elf thought, smirking slightly. He turned to Ashmir, before beginning to laugh, almost cackling. “You shouldn’t think too deeply. I’m just an insane fool of a father who is different than others.”

“Of course,” Zaki said.

“He is not a dragon,” Ashmir said.

“Of course,” Makdur replied.

“He is not a dragon,” Ashmir repeated, since they probably didn’t believe him.

‘Is he really not a dragon?’ Zaki thought, since the gladiator had stated it twice. Once, in order to keep appearances, that was normal. Twice?

“Are you really not a dragon?” Makdur asked.

“I’m not, but with how I hoard wealth, you might think it!” The half elf laughed, almost cackling, only to stop, cackling even louder, slapping his knee. “Oh man, you don’t know how funny that is. It’s funny because I have a lot of money, but I don’t hoard it, in fact, I’m sure most people think I waste it with how much I spend!”

Zaki could feel the awkwardness in the air, but since the half elf wanted to move the conversation from something so heavy hearted, he decided to accept. “Your wife, you said she was a Ray?”

“Ray Vonda of Life’s Rose, the most beautiful, the most wisest, and the most unfortunate wife!”

“Why is she so unfortunate?” Zaki asked, noting how playful the half elf’s tone was.

“She’s married to this fool! What? Just because I’m handsome, rich, and strong?” Adam paused a moment. “I guess I’m not so bad?”

Zaki was uncertain if he could follow Adam’s pace, meanwhile, right beside him, Makdur did his absolute best not to burst into laughter.

“Right now I’m doing my best to convince ahm Ashmir here to allow me to adopt little Amal,” Adam said, pouring the Lion King tea within his empty cup. “I haven’t really told my wife yet, but I’m sure she’ll accept once she sees the girl, and if she doesn’t… I suppose perhaps I may be a little wiser than my wife?”

“Who is little Amal?”

“She’s the chonky girl over there,” the half elf said, pointing towards the girl who was within Taygak’s lap.

‘She seems a little… slow?’ Makdur wondered why the girl was so special enough for the half elf to adopt.

“She’s just a year old and already that big.”

“She’s one?” Makdur almost exclaimed in disbelief. He assumed the girl was acting like a one year old, but was actually four.

“Of course she is a year old,” Zaki said. “Her horns are too small.”

Ashmir was certain even Zaki thought she was actually four years old, since his face had twitched lightly upon hearing the girl’s true age.

Even though neither had ever heard the word chonky previously, the pair of older men understood what it meant.

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PATREON LINK

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Amal is that chonky.