She was beautiful, her skin deep red, like fresh blood, a pair of horns flowing back over her head, as though shaped by a breeze. Upon her forehead, a purple tilted cross was fnked by six hollowed hexes of the same purple. She wore a heavy cloak of dark green, with a golden hem, and wore two amulets of Baktu against her chest.

  The Shaman checked upon the children’s teeth with her ft silver utensil, like a ft spoon, her ring glowing, providing light. She spoke to her appreh words that didn’t seem to make any sense, her voice so soft and smooth, while her apprentice swiftly dotted the words within her book. Once she was done cheg the four sets of double es within Jirot’s mouth, she reached up and brushed the girl’s hair tenderly, as she had doh her younger brother. “You are still brushing your teeth so well.”

  Jirot smiled wide. “I brush it so good. My mummy says how I be the best, but of coase I am the best, I am her daughter.”

  Lokat smiled brightly down at the young girl, brushing her cheek tenderly, before cheg upon her elder siblings, starting with Karot, then Kirot, and finally Konarot. She brushed the eldest sister’s forehead with her thumb. After removing the artefact from the girl, she seemed to hold a greater colour withihe girl’s i eyes holding no hint of the kind of girl who would almost kill her mother.

  “You may go,” Lokat informed her apprentice, allowing the young woman to leave with the book, expeg her ba a few hours ohe tents had been copied.

  Shikan showed the Shaman to the room she would stay in, that within the Kan family, sihe Rot family had no space to house the Shaman.

  Adam watched as the Shamao deal with her belongings, w just how far the Iyr would go for his children. ‘Did you pick my break on purpose?’ Adam exhaled, his joke uo lighten the debt upon his shoulders. ‘Just how much do I owe you already?’

  “Nano!” Jirot gasped as her nano appeared, the older woman smiling warmly towards the twins, allowing them to tackle her. She scooped them up within her arms, and pulled them close to her chest.

  “How are you my greatchildren?” Gangak asked, before noting Lokat’s appearance, bowing her head towards the Shaman. The children distracted their nano by speaking of their day, how they had drawn with their mother and father, how they had been checked up, and how they had read to little Virot and Damrot. While they babbled away, she pulled them closer to her chest, pnting kisses against their foreheads.

  “Nano?”

  “Yes?”

  “You are listening?” Jirot asked.

  “I am listening.”

  “Even if you do not listen, I love you so muano,” Jirot assured, smiling bashfully.

  “I love you too, my Jirot, my Jarot, I love you too,” the old woman assured, her heart swelling with sheer love for the pair. ‘Even if your names are Rot, you are my greatchildren.’

  ‘How many visitors are we going to get?’ Adam thought, his eyes gng towards the thin, old woman, her hair cut into a bob, who tapped the floor with her staff every few steps.

  “Nano?” Jirot called, looking up at the old woman, who was so short, and held a gentle smile upon her face.

  “I came since my granddaughter is not here, but was it not needed?” Kamool asked, the old woman bowing her head to Gangak, who returhe bow. Then the old woman gnced aside to her niece, smiling towards her, while the Shaman bowed her head.

  Kamool squatted down and lifted up Minool, the girl smiling brightly at her grandmother for a long moment, but once she was kissed, she squirmed to try and flee back to her mother. Jitool rushed up trandmother too, Maool waddling her way over with her fident steps, while Jazool pulled Larot with her.

  Kamool lifted the little red skinned boy, pulling him close to her chest, while greeting all her grandchildren, doing the same for all the other little children who came to greet her. She sat down, allowing them to badger her all they wanted.

  ‘I really don’t have much e with the older Ool family members, do I?’ Adam thought, though the old woman held Larot upon her p, with Jazool cuddling up to her bosom toangak’s eyes darted to Lokat, then baool, w if the old woman had anything to do with the Iyr assigning the Shaman to the estate. However, even if she didn’t, the fact that she had e to visit the childre enough.

  As Adam tio ent, taking the week to ent a feons, he heard about a slight issue within the business.

  Jurot finished bathing iream when they appeared, a group of seven heavily armoured figures, each riding upon their steeds towards the vilge. Jurot approached the vilge, strapping his shield upon his back. The Silver Fate Squad apahe Iyrman, each ready for bat.

  The strangers were heavily armoured and armed, each adorned in at least mail, while the leader wore full pte, their cloaks floating behind them. They carried with them an assortments of ons, but it was the fg of their liege which provided them their greatest defehe red and brown revealed their affiliation as a family from within Red Oak, though Jurot was uain as to which family they beloo. It wasn’t Redoak, or Crimsonbranch, or Scarletwood, that much was for certain.

  The seven trotted up into the tre of the vilge, ign the typical de, though the leader reached to his side, and tossed over a pouch towards the Chief of the vilge, who caught it. Noting the heft within the pouch, she gathered the s were no doubt silvers, meaning the group probably skimped on the appropriate amount of tax.

  “Are you-,” the leader began, only to be interrupted.

  “Get off your horse,” Jurot demanded.

  “Who are you?”

  “Get off your horse.” Jurot’s eyes remained vicious as he gred through the knight’s visor.

  The knight undid his helmet, revealing a face full of youth, unmarked by bdes, except for the daily shaving, not that he o shave daily, since he was that young. He had short chestnut hair, and hazel eyes. Jurot’s eyes softened, sihe young man seemed even youhan himself.

  “I am S-,”

  “You are a noble, so you should show a noble’s prestige,” Jurot said, his eyes darting along the uards, eao doubt strohan the young man before him. They were no doubt well traihough were they Experts? Owo perhaps, the one who wore a bronze medallion that kept his cloak together, sihe others wore iron medallions.

  “I am Sir-,”

  “Get off your horse,” Jurot said, interrupting the noble each time, until he was red in the face.

  “How da-,”

  “Get off your horse.”

  It was the ess in Jurot’s voice that set the young man off, who reached down for his bde, only to be stopped by the bronze medallion, who rode forward to the left, making it awkward for the young o draw his bde. The fellow hoisted himself off his horse, patting his steed on his side, whistling, causing the horse to back away. He undid his helmet, revealing a young face, with slightly tan skin, dark eyes and dark hair.

  “Albie Redfield,” the guard said, bowing his head slightly, his smile pure white. “My charge is Sir Joshua Redfield.”

  “Jurot,” Jurot replied.

  “We are here to discuss business with the United Kindom.”

  “I am Executive Jurot, of the United Kindom.”

  “Jurot? Of the Rot family?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you reted to the Mad Dog?”

  “Yes.”

  “Mirac the Sawad, the Bck.”

  Jurot nodded, suddenly uanding how Albie was a branch member of the Redfield family. “It is my honour to meet the desdant of Mirac the Sawad.”

  “It is mio meet the desdant of the Mad Dog,” Albie replied.

  Joshua had dismounted his horse, and took his pce slightly ahead of Albie. “You are the grandson of the Mad Dog?”

  “I am.”

  “A shame he lost his fangs.”

  “Our Rot family remains sharp, Redfield,” Nirot stated, narrowing her eyes at the young man she could gut like a pig.

  “Who are-,” Joshua began, noting the tattoo on the young woman’s forehead. “That is beside the point. We are here because we have a pque from the business. Albie, show them the pque.”

  Albie let out a small sigh, reag to his side, revealing a small wooden der, handing it to the Iyrman.

  Jurot undid the top, pulling out the letter and the small metal pque, firming they had participated in the au. “I have firmed that you bought one of the ons we have aued, but our business is currently uo take orders.”

  “Uo take orders?” Joshua asked, gng between the Iyrman, and the figure ipte. He inhaled sharply, pulling his head up, standing with pride. “We were not informed.”

  “An…” Jurot swallowed. “An issue has retly arisen. We are uo take orders. The seals will remain valid.”

  “Will you not sider our family? We came all this way!”

  “We will spread the information that your business is closed for the foreseeable future,” Albie said. “Would you be willing to hear our request and sider it?”

  “I will do that much at least,” Jurot assured.

  “This is ridiculous!” Joshua fumed, gring at the Iyrmen. “Do you think just because yrandfather is the Mad Dog, we will accept this disrespect?”

  “It is no disrespect.”

  “Do you think I don’t uand what this is? Even if you are the Mad Dog’s grandchildren, I am still a Redfield.”

  “Out of respeirac the Sawad, and for your decy to spread the word, we will sider your proposal.”

  “sider? It’s not a difficult proposal, so-,”

  Jurot’s eyes darted to Albie, sharing a knowing look, causing Joshua to freeze ihe young man reached for his bde, only to be stopped by Albie’s elbow.

  “I have heard so much about the Mad Dog, would you be willing to speak to us of his tales?” Albie asked.

  “Okay,” Jurot said, but the sound of a bde being drawn filled the air.

  Silence followed for a long moment, as Jurot slowly turo see Joshua pointing a bde towards him. The fury in his eyes was evident enough, but Jurot uood it was a fury that was born from a misuanding. If it was the Redfield family, Jurot could only think that the bde was drawn because of imagined issues, the kind born from frustration of a failing family.

  However, a bde had been drawn.

  “It seems Sir Joshua wishes to spar,” Albie said, smiling awkwardly towards the Iyrman.

  “Okay.”

  The figure approached as Sir Joshua fell upon his bottom for the third time, panting for air. Jurot stood over the young man, noting the guards dripping in trepidation, unsure of what to do. He gowards Albie, slowly bowing his head, while Joshua stood, holding his bde with both hands, it shaking and shuddering almost as badly as him. However, they all turowards the figure, who stood proudly, his hair falling down to his shoulders, unarmoured, save for the furs of the Iyr. It was the bde upon his back which caused the Iyrmen to pay special attention to him in particur.

  “The resilience of the Redfield family is astounding,” he said, his voieutral, his eyes dark.

  Albie could feel a chill run through him, the Aldishman smiling politely. The tattoo was the same, blue circle and blue diamonds, but Jurot and Nirot both wielded axes and shields, the same as their grandfather. ‘He must have married into the family.’

  “Executive Jurot, what happened?”

  Jurot expihe situation to the Iyrman, who listened patiently.

  ‘I see.’ “Executive Jurot, Silver Fate Squad, you may return to the Iyr and inform the Enter of the request, and I will remain here.”

  “…” Jurot wao speak up against his words, but he wasn’t going to allow the Aldishmen to hear them disagree. “Okay.”

  “Who are you?” Joshua asked, his eyes cautiously staring at the Iyrman.

  “I am Gorot. I am the brother to the President, and I am here on behalf of my wife, taking her role as the Ag Director of the United Kindom.”

  Nirot’s eyes remained glued to Gorot’s greatsword, a greatsword she had seen a few times at her paternal family’s estate. It was the same on which propelled her aunt after her elder brothers failed to make a name for themselves, while her elder sister died trying to earn a name for herself. It was a bde that was heavy, far too heavy for most to use. The bde was blue, with waves fed all across, but it was the edge of the bde, like shark teeth, which allowed it sufamy.

  “Nirot,” Gorot called, not wishing to look at his daughter. “You should return. I will plete my duty.”

  “Okay,” Nirot replied, her throat flexing against her words to refuse it, but she wouldn’t let the Aldishmen hear her pin. She turned, allowing Gorot to deal with the situation.

  It on their return to the Main Iyr, that Adam heard what happened. He threw a look to Damrot, who stared up at his father, taking in the Iyrman’s sight.

  “So what’s their request?”

  “Five Basigswords, five thousand.”

  “Okay,” Adam replied, ending the matter there. ‘That’s only about six days worth of work, with a Basic on or shield leftover.’ “So, uncle Gorot is the Ag Director?”

  “You did not know?” Jurot asked, surprised.

  Adam waved his hand, gd he wasn’t stressed out about it. “I’m sure our President and Director knew, so that’s all that matters.”

  “Are you still enting?”

  “Yeah.”

  “The business also requires equipment,” Jurot said, sliding forward a book to the half elf.

  Adam flipped through it. “Jurot?”

  “Yes?”

  “You’ll o distract Jirot during the day.”

  “Okay.”

  Adam wasn’t sure of the significe of all these as, but if the Iyr wasn’t going to tell him, it meant that it was the Iyr’s business. He inhaled deeply, leaning ba his chair. ‘I guess I’ll have to…’ Adam closed his eyes, blog out the thoughts. ‘Turot keeps stealing the children from me wheurns, so I’ll o spoil them more during my breaks. Thankfully, the festival is ing up.’

  Cssic.

  Shout out to the new patron! I didn't fet my promise so expect a double chapter today and tomorrow!