Beyond Chaos – A DiceRPG
[1269] – Y06.169 – Old Woman V

Ellani was fairly certain she knew what this feeling was, but she buried it within her mind, for she needed greater proof. ‘What a display of arrogance. Do you believe because you are beside Iyrmen you are able to cause such trouble? Do you believe you are the one who holds the greatest status? Your lack of respect for your betters will cause you great trouble. You are either a fool, or…’

‘I am giving a lot of information, but Jurot hasn’t stopped me yet. Are they going to let me keep causing trouble like this?’

“How much authority do you possess as the Executives of the business?” Ellani asked.

“Quite a bit, admittedly. Jurot here, my handsome brother, you see this guy? Head full of hair, and he can grow quite a beard too!” Adam laughed, catching Dunes’ sight, noting the smile on the Priest’s face. “He’s the President’s son. There’s the President and the Enchanter, they’re both at the top. Then there’s the Directors, who just so happen to be our uncles and aunts. They deal with important matters like making sure we’re not trading with the wrong people, and making sure we don’t sell items we shouldn’t, and so on. Then there’s us, the Executives, and of course the Managers under us, but generally speaking, we go about making most of the deals, and as long as we don’t go too far, we’re allowed to do what we can. Very few deals acquire approval from the President or the Directors.”

“Not the Enchanter?” Ellani asked.

“The Enchanter enchants,” Adam said simply, holding up his hands as though that was it. “We find it’s a good relationship that works for all of us, and hey, I’m making good enough money that I don’t need to ask more questions.”

“How much?”

“Fifty gold each month, but our expenses are dealt with by the business, even as far as gifts,” Adam admitted.

“That is a decent sum,” the woman replied, nodding her head gently, for there were few who could demand greater compensation in this land. “I have the authority to send word to the Shen about matters like this.”

“We would be ever so grateful if you did, Mustashalur,” Adam replied, pressing a hand over his heart and bowing his head lightly.

“Your behaviour gives me pause, young man. You may be seen erratic by some, disrespectful with others, and what will the Shen think of me if I send him to you?”

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a problem with-,” Adam began, as his mind raced with all the times he had gotten into trouble for acting like an idiot. “Oh, you know what? I was about to say we haven’t had trouble with the Aswadians, but there was that one time with the soldiers, and the other time with the soldiers, with the forest, you remember, Jurot?”

“I remember.”

“It was quite the time, about… six or seven years ago, and we were making our way to Aswadasad for the first time, my first time too, and as we made our way through that wasteland area near the strait, the forest just emerged around us. It almost swallowed us whole!” Adam laughed, for it was around that time he had met Lucy, though he was fairly sure he shouldn’t mention that. “Man, that feels like a life time ago. I remember the uh, what’s his name? Lion Duke guy, from West Aldland, he had come and he tried to threaten us. The Aswadian soldiers also tried to threaten us too. Then, thankfully, the Chief and Elder Peace came.”

‘The forest?’ Ellani thought, her mind racing to recall what he was talking about. He didn’t mean that forest, did he?

“Man, what a turn of events. We stepped out and I still remember! A crossbow bolt almost got me in the eye, if it wasn’t for Elder Peace. After that…” Adam’s liveliness slipped away, the half pulling back into his seat. He closed his eyes, recalling the scene, the sight, the smell, the cries. “I… still haven’t seen anything that brutal. It was a slaughter. Even when High Garden came earlier this year, at least they were Masters. The soldiers? No chance.”

“You were there?” Ellani asked, confirming it was that place.

“Yeah, Jurot and I were there. It’s crazy, right? After the slaughter, the Shen put on the tournament, and ahm Ashmir,” Adam said, motioning a hand over his shoulder to the missing Aswadian, “beat Elder Wrath in the tournament, Bavin’s grandfather, and now we have a new Elder Wrath, who I don’t think like me very much, but whoa, you know? The Lion King beat the previous Elder Wrath, and married into the new Elder Wrath’s family, and man, wow.”

Ellani wasn’t sure what the half elf was thinking, but he was forming connections within his mind that caused her hair to stand on end. “You were at the forest? I heard rumours it was the Iyr who caused trouble.”

“I guess so, but we claimed the forest for the Iyr first, though I guess it’s on Florian land now, and Aldish land back then? I’m not sure how that works. Though, really, the biggest issue wasn’t that the soldiers threatened us, or even shot the bolt at me, it was because you tortured one of Elder Peace’s family, her daughter or niece or something, and then…” Adam shrugged his shoulders. “At that point, what did you expect?”

The woman leaned back within her chair, sizing up the half elf, since he spoke with such an arrogance, and not just that, but he acted as though all these things were connected to him in some way. “Are you so special?”

“Of course I am!” Adam half exclaimed in return, almost in shock she would ask such a question. “Have you not heard about my children? My Konarot, who is so sweet to me, and such a wonderful eldest child! Kirot, who is so well behaved. Karot, who is even more well behaved, and loves to draw! My Jirot, who, you know, she bullies me a lot sure, but everyone wishes they had a daughter who adored them like my Jirot adores me, and Jarot, he’s such a sweet little boy, wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

Ellani could see the way the half elf withdrew upon speaking of the boy, realising which boy he was speaking of.

“Larot… he’s Larot. Virot? Okay, she, you know, she sometimes hurts my soul with how much she bullies me, but she loves her mother so much, and so I know she’s smart and wise, because that’s the way it should be! Xarot, my son, I don’t deserve a boy as sweet as him. He’s learnt to crawl while we’ve been gone, my boy, who I need to apologise to, for what a foolish father I am, since I won’t be able to return for his first birthday!” Adam pulled back into his chair, seeming genuinely upset and ashamed.

‘He always speaks of his children so much,’ John thought, before recalling Jurot’s warning. He had noticed it too, when the half elf had spoken of his sons, and Jurot’s words chilled his heart deeper.

“Of course I’m special, Mustashalur! I have the most adorable children! The most beautiful wife! She’s a Ray! A Ray! My grandfather is the Mad Dog, who fought against Sun Sword for me! By the way, still confused how that guy has the title Sun Sword when your country is the one that worships Lord Noor, but okay, fine, I guess! My grandmother is Flame Brand. I am the luckiest, most special young man in the entire world!” Adam said, flashing a playful smile, though his eyes revealed he believed his words genuinely.

‘He’s not just a father, but a grandson too?’ Ellani thought, doing her best not to burst into laughter from his outburst.

“It’s still a little early, but I was about to slyly ask about fighting the Grand Commander, sorry, what do you call them? A Fariq? I was going to show you how strong I was, then you could report that to the Shen, who would want to meet me after finding out the results of the fight, which, you know, I’m not saying that the Fariq is weak or anything like that, but I’m just saying, I’m very lucky, I’m very special, then I was going to ask for some help to smooth things over with Black Mountain, nothing too much, but with the gifts we have, the offer we’re going to make, I think everything should go fine with trying to steal Mo Dunes away, so it’s just free points for you if you help us.”

Ellani blinked.

“I know what you’re thinking, this guy is insane for thinking he can steal this handsome Aswadian Priest from Black Mountain, it’s just not done! He is too handsome, his wife too beautiful, and wise, and their daughters too adorable, but I’ll say this, Mustashalur!” Adam said, holding a finger up, though he paused. “Give me a second, I need to figure out which joke I want to make. I won’t make the joke about actually wanting to steal Ranya, I’ll make the other joke about my Jirot, who, if I don’t steal Dunes from Black Mountain, she’s going to bully me, and not in the adorable cute way, but in the really sad kind of way that will break my heart, and then what am I going to do?”

‘Adam, please don’t trouble the Black Lions…’ Dunes prayed to Lady Arya, and even to Lord Sozain, for perhaps it was only the God of Death who could save them now. He glanced aside to Jurot, who, for some reason, was letting Adam behave like a fool. Dunes was more afraid about that than Adam acting a fool.

Ellani sighed, smiling slightly at his antics, and his little outburst, but she knew within her heart she would need to ask the Fariq to beat some sense into the half elf.

Zabir poured himself a cup of tea, realising what the Mustashalur was thinking, and he was uncertain if he wanted to see the pair fight. ‘Lord Noor, save us.’

Poor Zabir.