Chương 1799: [1696] – Y07.196 – Darkness on the Horizon VI

The second village was like any village one might have expected, and as the Chief stepped up to meet with the Iyrmen, Dogek held up a hand, and after a quick conversation, the Iyrmen claimed the houses closest to the west, handing over their silver and gold, and the villagers stepped away.

"I wonder what the problem is," a villager said.

"I wonder if something happened to one of the children?"

"Nay, nay, nothin' like that, 'specially not an Aldishman, for I reckon I'd be feelin' a hankerin' ta die."

"Why are you talking like that?" The villager turned to meet the gaze of the other, and with that, he reached into his cloak, and withdrew a pipe, beginning to light it. The Iyrmen claimed the cabins, the huts, the homes, and while many possessed their gardens, they did not pluck the fruit, save for the children, in which the Iyr placed down gems for the villagers whose fruit were so prized by their children.

"Mummy," Jirot called, bringing a small berry to her mother's lips, her own lips stained purple by the juices of another.

"Thank you."

"So polite, mummy, so polite," the girl complimented, leaning in to plant a kiss upon her mother's chin, and the two remained together, while little Jarot glanced aside to his father, who raised his brows, and the boy reached out to a berry and offered it to his father's lips, smiling, especially as his father ate it all, planting a kiss on his son's cheek.

'I shouldn't try to ask him anything now, otherwise…' Adam planted another kiss on his son's face, and the boy hid within his chest, the half elf letting out a soft sigh, holding his son, who was so lightly within his arms. They remained that day, and yet, as the sun began to make its way westward, as it would often find itself doing after every noon, upon the horizon, they saw them.

A hundred or so cloaked figures, each approaching the village, causing a great panic to take them, but Dogek stepped forward to meet with the one hundred, and as the leader stepped forward, another did so, undoing his cloak.

"Ho! Cousin Dogek, what brings you to this village?" Kamrot asked, his eyes darting aside, finding two pairs of amber eyes peeking over the walls, and as the squealing began, he awaited, and swiftly, a pair of little ones were upon him, and the old man dropped to his knees.

"Babo! Babo!"

"Oh my, oh my! Who are these children, who are so big now?"

"Babo!" came the cry from the pair of them as they fell into a cackle and squeal, and yet it was not just they, as three others almost leapt onto him, though showed him mercy as they awaited their turn for his affection.

"To think my greatchildren have returned? Oh my, oh my, I was going to pay a visit to the Aldishmen, but if my greatchildren are here, I shall stay instead?"

"Babo, you are going to see the Aldishmen?" Jirot asked, tilting her head.

"There are too many who are too close to the Iyr, and…" Kamrot's smile held a hint of danger.

"I was informed that the Aldishmen, they troubled you some days ago?"

"Are they so strong to trouble me?" Jirot replied, side eyeing her greatuncle, who smiled in return.

"No! How can they do so? However, the other children, do they step out with so many? Do they step out with your greatfather, who is so strong?" Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Hmm…" Jirot rubbed her chin.

"I see, I see. You are going to…"

"We must do what we must, Jirot."

"Mmm…" Jirot glanced behind her, noticing her mother awaiting her nearby.

"Babo. You. Cannot. Kill. Okay?"

"It is not my decision to make, for I am not the Commander," Kamrot said, lifting the girl up, planting a kiss upon her cheek, doing the same for little Jarot, and as he embraced them tightly, for a moment he felt the heat of anger within him, but it passed by.

"Unfortunately, it was their choice to make."

"I tried." Jirot shrugged her shoulders, as if to say what else could she do? Her arms wrapped around her babo's large neck and she hugged him tight.

"Babo, you must go? You can stay with me and we can play!"

"I see, I can stay with you, and I can play…" Kamrot let out a soft hum, and then turned towards the other figure, who had already dropped their hood, the Commander of this particular force, a figure with a familiar tattoo, for it was like the Gek's, but the inverse.

"Ock! Nano Mikan!" Jirot reached out a hand, holding the old woman's hand.

'I should have expected she was a Kan since she's so damn beautiful,' Adam thought, as though they hadn't met before, though their interactions were rather brief, or rather, as brief as they could be considering she was Otkan's cousin.

"My Jikan, I heard there was trouble, so I have come to slaughter the Aldishmen."

"You must do so?" Jirot asked.

"I must do so, even if your mother asks me to stop," Mikan admitted. Jirot gasped.

"Nano! How you can say that? How you can say that?" The pout upon Jirot's lips caused Mikan to smile slightly, and she reached out a hand, ruffling the girl's hair.

"It is because I am an Iyrman."

"If you misbehave, I am going to tell babo…" Jirot warned, holding her greataunt's arm, glaring deep into her eyes, and as she glanced back once more to her mother, she turned to look back into her greataunt's eyes.

"Nano, I going to forgive you, just this once, okay?"

"I will earn your forgiveness," Mikan assured, leaning down to kiss her forehead, doing the same for her other greatchildren, from the twin of the troublemaker, to the three who looked so different, their red skin, their red eyes, and yet those eyes were so familiar to her, for they all held their faces within their eyes, and she could not confuse any of them.

"I see many other familiar faces," Adam said, stepping close to greet his greatuncle, half hugging him first, then doing the same for Mikan, before reaching out to hug his other uncles and aunts.

"How are you?" Shikan asked.

"I am well enough," Adam replied, glancing aside to his aunts and uncles, hugging them each first, and allowing his children to do the same.

"It seems you're going to be busy?"

"Though we are but Experts, it seems we are able to lead as Captains, but do not worry, for we shall return early next month, and we shall bring back the greatest gifts." Adam glanced aside towards his wife, and then back to his uncle.

"Hmm. I should ask you not to have too much fun."

"It is business of the Iyr, there is little need of pleasure, but… I may not be able to help myself." Shikan hugged his nephew once more, patting his back gently, before going to greet the rest of his nieces and nephews.

"Nana, you must be careful," Jirot called.

"You have no need to worry of me."

"It is because daddy is so weak, and you are weaker than daddy, so I must worry." Kaygak blinked. She turned towards Taygak, who was within her arms, who turned towards Jirot, who turned towards Kamrot, who had turned red hot with rage to stop himself from laughing, and thus, he was as handsome as her nana and kako.

"Jirot, how can you say that about your nana? It is not as though I beat her up?"

"Daddy, what are you saying, you-," Jirot said, noticing the way her father was side eyeing her with a smirk, and so she returned the gesture. Then her head snapped to her greatuncle.

"Babo, my daddy, somehow, he has become so funny?"

"It is only one good joke."

"No, babo, no. We are in Aswadasad, and all the time, daddy say so many good jokes, it is really impressive."

"He did?"

"Yes!" Jirot replied with a sudden earnestness, and suddenly adopted her father's accent, "that's what I'm sayin'!"

"You, too, have grown so much funnier!" Kamrot planted a firm kiss onto her cheek, and he did so to little Jarot, who buried himself within his greatuncle's chest.

"What good fortune, for we shall remain here this evening," Argon said, smiling towards the half elf.

"Good fortune indeed," Adam replied with a knowing smile, but even so, he was glad to see so many familiar faces, from his aunts and uncles, even Gosen, who pat his shoulder gently, and as Adam looked out to the group, he considered how powerful they were. Mikan, who was almost a Grandmaster, he assumed, along with several Masters, including Kamrot, and then everyone else, from his estimations, was an Expert.

"Jurot, how strong at the soldiers at the forts?"

"Argon," Jurot called.

"We shall head to the northern fortress following the main road northward, and there, there two Grandmasters, two Masters, six Experts, and a hundred or so who are considered to be Trained, a few who reach Adept."

"You're really going to slaughter them, huh?" Adam half joked, only doing so because Vonda was out of earshot. Argon smiled.