Beyond Chaos – A DiceRPG
[1285] – Y06.185 – The City V

Laygak yawned, feeling the heat of the noonval sun tingling against his skin. He cracked his neck from side to side, and now that he was finished with his bath, he changed into the looser Aswadian attire. Since he was working with the United Kindom, it was best to do as was expected of him, as someone working with the United Kindom, and not as an Iyrman, though he would need to be careful not to give the impression he had abandoned the Iyr’s duties, otherwise the Aswadians would feel comfortable picking a fight with him, he who had red skin and horns.

“How was it?” Laygak asked, his sword dangling at his side as he approached his sister, who had finished bathing with Kitool, Brittany, and Kizwolima. They had changed into the attire of the Aswadians too, each wearing scarves to protect them from the heat, or at the very least, Kitool, Brittany, and Kizwolima each wore scarves to protect them from the heat, while Taygak wore a scarf since Kitool had asked her to.

“Refreshing,” Taygak replied, as efficiently as always.

“Should we return with our gifts?” Laygak asked, since they had bought too many items, and would need to speak with the Adventurer’s Guild.

“Okay.”

Laygak wondered what else Taygak should see now that they were in the capital, for they were only there for a couple of weeks, which meant they could not explore everything. It would have been good if they could have stayed the next month, for the tournament would begin and he could have joined to place within the top ten. However, there was no need for something like that, for in all of the Iyr, how many children could say they had such an eventful journey as his sister?

“Are you having fun?” Laygak asked as they stepped through the busy roads, though with the presence of so many Iyrmen, though not armoured, still armed so obviously, the others left a wide berth for the group. The colourful people all around eyed them up, whispering between one another, though it was not an uncommon sight to see Iyrmen in the capital of Aswadasad, but the capital was so large that even if different Iyrmen travelled through the large city daily, there would be those who would never meet an Iyrman.

“Yes,” Taygak admitted.

“Do you understand how fortunate you are?” Laygak asked, in the way of an older brother.

“Yes,” Taygak replied, in the way of the Iyrman.

She understood.

How could she not?

She knew what it was like to step out of the Iyr as a child, and many would at the age of their early teens, like her, but how many of them had seen what she had seen? How many of them had stepped out with a figure like Adam? With figures like Jurot and Kitool, Tanagek and Chosen, with Nirot, Naqokan, Uwajin, each who would one day become legendary figures? With figures like Ashmir and Bael, and the most important figure of all, the figure known as Laygak?

The young Iyrman seared the feeling deep into her heart, the feeling that they had made sure she had felt deep into her bones. They had all taken her out to show off to her, but Taygak knew what it meant to step out of the Iyr on such a trip. Adam had understood too, though the half elf probably didn’t realise it.

‘Watch carefully, Taygak.’

How many times had the half elf spoken the words to her?

They were words the others should have spoken too, but they did not need to speak it, for they were Iyrmen, and Taygak no longer needed to watch them carefully to understand. Adam, on the other hand, took that role for them. Adam wanted her to understand, to sear the feeling into her heart, to engrave such into her bones, so there was no doubt at all.

Taygak’s eyes could not forget. Just like her brother, Adam stood tall, with a wide back, and as long as she saw such a back, she understood she was safe. The Iyrmen each had such a responsibility, from Jurot to Bavin.

They held such a responsibility.

For Taygak.

Taygak understood that one day, when Kavgak, Maygak, even when Saygak was taller, perhaps even taller than her in the future, the teen would need to show them such a sight too, the tall wide back of the one known as Taygak.

‘Kaka. Reading.’ The girl’s eyes had beamed so brightly towards Taygak, who found it difficult to refuse. Eventually the teen had relented, as she always did, as she always would.

Taygak remembered a time when Kavgak had been so small, so tiny, barely able to open her eyes, barely able to even keep her head up. Now the girl watched over the children, as her elder siblings once had, even assisting them to the bathroom, and though the girl herself had some difficulty at first, she had learnt it well.

Taygak’s brows furrowed. The thought of her little sister gave way to another thought, something that disturbed the girl’s heart, causing it to tremble lightly.

“What is wrong?” Laygak asked.

“Cousin Adam,” Taygak replied.

Laygak sighed, feeling the wound in his heart, for how could she think of her cousin Adam so overtly when she was with him? “Yes?”

“He is wise?” Taygak said, in a tone that betrayed how it made her feel.

Brittany’s eyes darted to the side as Laygak’s laughter filled the air, before they darted back to the world around her. She could feel it, something watching them from the shadows. Her hair stood on end, telling her that what she was feeling was real, but she couldn’t spot it. Her eyes were not as good as the Iyrmen’s, though, and they didn’t seem to react, so perhaps it was all in her head?

“Mister Bael, look!” Kizwolima said, pointing out to the side, past Laygak towards a stall. Small treasures, diced, ready to be sold. The girl almost drooled.

Bael’s eyes darted to the side once more, feeling the gaze upon him, though it quickly disappeared, and his eyes fell back to the fruit. “Do you wish to eat the fruit?”

“Yes!”

“Then go and eat as much fruit as you want!” came the words, but they were not Bael’s words. “I will see if they will dare to speak up against me!”

Kitool placed down the silver as the merchant eyed up the pair who were helping themselves to his fruit, the young Iyrman bowing her head lightly, and the merchant bowed his head in return.

Bael could feel Kitool’s gaze against the back of his neck, and he howled with laughter, grinning wildly like a beast. Kizwolima also laughed alongside of him, returning back to her fruit, shoving it into her mouth, as Bael also bit into his own fruit, patting Kizwolima’s back lightly as he noticed her struggling to swallow.

“Eugh!” The girl spluttered out fruit onto the floor, tears in her eyes, the girl chewing the bits which remained within her mouth.

“Careful, or you will be unable to sell bracelets,” Bael said, the girl sniffling lightly, but seeing that Bael was smiling, she did not make to cry, instead shoving another piece of fruit into her mouth.

“Tagak, tell her to chew properly,” Kitool said.

Tagak glanced aside towards Kitool, who seemed to dare him to refuse, but he turned towards the girl, though Bael was already ruffling her hair and informing her to chew properly.

“You do not need to rush, we will buy you as much fruit as you wish to eat, and I make sure they cannot stop you before you are sick,” Bael joked, still grinning wide.

Kitool wasn’t sure what Bael had said, but she was fairly certain it was troublesome, since he spoke in the same tone Adam used to spoil his own children.

Bael continued to escort the girl around, the half dragon, who was certainly a dragon in disguise, grinning savagely towards all those around. His wicked smirk coaxed many around him, his eyes twinkling towards all the retired warriors, and at one point he found a woman all in white staring at them, one who wielded quite the magical sword.

He had sensed many others within the capital, from those who did not smell of the living, those who were like himself, and those who were… something. Bael had no doubt they would come across many great figures, Arisa held plenty, but he hadn’t expected the vast gap between Arisa, a city that held almost as much population as the capital, and the capital itself.

Bael eventually picked up Kizwolima, since it was about the time she grew tired, and almost like clockwork, he appeared.

“Oh?” the fool called, checking the sky to see the time, which was shortly before noon. ‘Ah, yeah, that’s about right.’

‘What fortune,’ Dunes thought. ‘To think your grandfather killed so many people, he had also killed the one trying to kill Master Shay’s father.’

“Taygak, did you buy plenty of gifts?” Adam asked, placing a hand upon her shoulder, smiling innocently.

“Yes.”

“Did you buy any swords for your cousins and siblings?”

“No.”

“Let’s go buy some then!”

“No,” Taygak replied. “Many swords.”

“You know what they say,” Adam called. “One can never have too many swords, gifts, or children.”

“Who says that?” Dunes asked.

“Me,” Adam replied earnestly, blinking at the Priest.

‘Ah,’ Dunes thought.

Well... he's right.