Beyond Chaos – A DiceRPG
[1267] – Y06.167 – Old Woman III

“You are Adam, Brother?” Ellani asked, her eyes peering towards the half elf, glistening with curiosity.

“I am,” Adam replied. “I am Executive Adam, High Alchemist of the United Kindom, although, you know me through my grandfather.”

“Your grandfather?”

Adam glanced aside to Jurot for a moment, before letting out a small huff. “Whose grandfather? I am Jurot’s brother, so I suppose the old man is my grandfather too?”

Ellani tilted her head slightly, noting his tattoo. “Does he speak the truth?”

“Adam does not lie,” Jurot confirmed.

“Is the Mad Dog truly his grandfather?”

“Yes.”

Ellani glanced between them all, spotting the others who were not Iyrmen, and for a moment she tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at the older Aswadian with the spear. “Are you…”

“I am Zabir. I was known as Guardsman Spear.” The old man smiled, bowing his head respectfully.

“We met during…”

“It was during the time when Butcher Marmak rampaged across Aswadasad, almost twenty years ago now,” Zabir said.

“Yes, it was during that time,” she replied, the memories returning, her eyes returning back to the young fae. “It was at the time your grandfather travelled to kill Forgryn, the Blue Terror.”

“Yeah,” Adam replied, and though he smiled, his forehead and jaw pulsed and clenched, the young fae wearing a mask of darkness.

The woman paused, furrowing her brows, for as she thought of Butcher Marmak, then on the Iyrmen who had appeared back then, and the Chaos which ensued for years after, there was a similar story which sparked her curiosity recently. “Are you the one they call the Crazy Father?”

Adam’s smile dropped in shock, his cheeks flushing a gentle crimson, before he smirked awkwardly. “That’s… what they call me, apparently.”

“Did you kill the Vice Commander?” Ellani asked, her entire gaze pressing upon the half elf, who continued to smile awkwardly.

“Yes, I did,” Adam replied, still smiling awkwardly, and though he smiled at the death of the Vice Commander, a darkness tempered the young half fae’s smile.

“Ah!” The woman nodded her head, sipping the rest of her tea. “You are the Mad Dog’s grandson.”

Bael howled with laughter, causing even Kizwolima to snicker, the girl revealing her wide row of teeth, bright like pearls, and full of joy. The old woman eyed up Bael once more, fairly certain he was not of this particular Realm, though she could not check to confirm it.

“Dunes called you the Mustashalur, the Advisor? So are you the sleeping dragon of the Order, who was once the Grand Commander, or a powerful Vice Commander, who then retired and is now watching over it, while causing a lot of trouble?” Adam asked, causing Dunes to glance his way, the half elf deep in thought.

“I am,” the woman replied, flashing a wide, troubling smile.

Adam gave a look to Dunes, his smile widening, but he shook his head. “You must be so proud, because I thought of a terrible joke, but I won’t say it.”

“What is it?”

“I was going to say…” Adam looked at the older woman, who eyed the half elf up curiously. “There’s two, but I don’t know which one is funnier.”

“What are they?”

“One is that, Mustashalur, you would like Jirot,” Adam said, causing Bael to cackle again, and Kizwolima smiled wide, snickering once more, while Adam brushed her hair gently.

“That was a good joke,” Dunes said, chuckling, leaning towards the woman. “His daughter causes great trouble for him, the other Iyrmen, and especially the Mad Dog.”

“She sounds very intelligent,” the woman said, causing Adam to laugh.

“She is! She is! She’s way too smart! She gets that from her mother!” Adam declared proudly, instantly confirming himself to be the Crazy Father to the old woman. “Let me tell you, she’s…”

Jurot was glad that the half elf had restrained himself, the young man shaking his head as he sipped his tea.

“What was the second joke?” Dunes asked.

“Everyone always jokes that the Mad Dog really is my grandfather, but it could be that you are my greatmother,” Adam said, raising his brows towards Dunes.

Dunes took a moment to consider the joke, smiling at first, only for hundreds of memories to flood within his mind as he recalled all the woman’s various tales, for though he was born during the time where her stories had begun to fade, as they had for the Mad Dog, he was raised by those who had been born and raised upon her stories. The laughter echoed off the walls as the Priest was unable to contain his laughter, his tears flowing freely down his face, the Aswadian slapping his knee.

Laygak also burst into laughter, elbowing Tagak to the side, before keeling over in laughter. Tagak and Taygak both smiled and laughed, since the Gaks knew her tales the best, though that was to be expected, since every time they had been told Flame Brand’s tale, Ellani was always mentioned. However, it was not as one might have expected, for it was the fact she was missing which was so noteworthy, which spurred them to learn more about the old woman’s tales.

“Was that joke really that good?” Adam asked, glancing towards Ellani, who seemed bemused, uncertain of why they were laughing so hard.

Dunes just nodded his head, wiping his tears with the sides of his hands, trying to find his handkerchief, finding it difficult to breathe from laughing so hard. When he finally found his handkerchief, the young Priest still twitching from his laughter, he caught his breath. “Mustashalur Ellani is known as the Mother of Lions, or the Mother of Black Lion.”

“Yo!” Adam smiled wide, sitting up taller, glancing around frantically at his companions. “I come to Aswadasad and I’m less cringe, which is debatable, and I’m not willing to have that conversation now, but I’m way funnier! I’ve had like three good jokes so far! Two in one day?”

“Do you wish to move to Aswadasad?” Dunes joked.

“Nah,” Adam said, puffing out his cheeks, smiling that awkward kind of smile, thinking for a half moment. “I’m too pale for this kind of weather.”

Ellani burst out into laughter, and Adam glanced aside towards Dunes, holding up three fingers, causing the Priest to burst out into laughter once more due how much pride Adam had at making jokes that weren’t utter goatwater.

For once, Adam decided not to undercut his accomplishment with cringe, the young half elf sipping his tea lightly, before returning to Kizwolima, who continued to snicker.

As the workers brought the basins for the group to wash their hands, before bringing the large platters of food, of pillowy flatbreads, spiced stews, colourful curries, various rices, from the plain white to the sweet yellow, milky desserts as sweet as a lover’s kiss, which those of the Order certainly had been excited to receive.

“Oh!” Adam gasped. “Mustashalur, this nephew of yours has a big favour to ask for our first meeting!”

“What is it, my nephew?” the woman replied, flashing a wide smile.

“Taygak!” Adam called, the half elf motioning with his hand as the Aswadians would, and then with his head, as Dunes would. “This is Taygak, my grandmother’s grandniece. Taygak, introduce yourself.”

“Hello! I, Taygak!”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Taygak,” the woman stated in the devilkin tongue.

“It is an honour to meet you, Mustashalur Ellani,” Taygak said.

“Your grandmother?” Ellani asked.

“Flame Brand,” Adam said, as though it was that simple, before he motioned towards Taygak once more, but he noted the confusion on her face. “Oh, it’s because she calls my children her greatchildren, and my children call her greatmother, and she’s not allowed to steal away my adorable children from me without at least adopting me, so she’s my grandmother as well. Also, it was pretty funny, because I called her my grandmother before I called the Mad Dog my grandfather, just to tease him.”

Ellani smiled, seeing just how much trouble this half elf was to the Mad Dog, and understood where Jirot, who she had never met, and had only heard about once, inherited her troublesomeness.

“Taygak is going to be a rising star in the next few years, and we’ve been going from Order to Order, and I’ve been-,” Adam paused, glancing towards Dunes for a moment, realising the mistake he had made.

“What?”

“I’ll do it after, but would you please allow Taygak to draw your sword?” Adam asked.

“My sword?” Ellani asked, noting the girl standing up even taller with excitement. “Of course. It would be my honour for such a great warrior to draw my sword.”

‘I’m going to let no one bully this Order,’ Adam thought, as Taygak drew the blade, which was a deep black, and as the light caught the edge, it seemed to almost glow blue. “Oh? Is that, uh…”

“Jeticule,” Dunes whispered.

“Ah! The one from the, you know, the Shen has the mountain, this mountain, oh yeah,” Adam said, beginning to recall the information. “That makes sense.”

“May I draw your blade?” Ellani asked, and Taygak’s head snapped to Laygak, the girl flushing slightly. Ellani smiled, the smile faltering as she drew the blade, feeling the tingle of magic. “Greater?”

“Yes! Ray Vonda gifted the blade to me!” the teen explained to the older woman, who spun the blade over the back of her hand, before sheathing it once more.

“Ray Vonda?”

“Mah wyfe,” Adam said, like a fool, and as the others gazed at him queerly, he frowned. “That was the best joke I’ve made today. It would have slayed back home.”

“Oh?” Dunes replied.

“Well, you know, for some people, yeah,” Adam replied, realising it was still a bad reference.

“What does it mean?”

“It’s my wife, but in the accent of a… play, of a-, it doesn’t matter,” Adam said, waving his hand dismissively.

“Your wife is a Ray?”

“Yeah, that’s why my daughter is so smart,” Adam said, as though that explained it.

“Ah,” the old woman replied, nodding her head, for that did explain it.

Honestly, not as bad as I expected.