“You should take good care of your health,” Sonarot said, drinking some tea in the er. She posite the newly awakened pair of young men, who were currently brushing their teeth.

  Adam gnced her way, nodding his head slowly. “I should?” he replied, cautiously, unsure of what she was trying to do.

  “Jurot, why don’t you take Adam with you to train?” Sonarot smiled at her son.

  “Yes, mother,” Jurot replied, nodding his head.

  Adam had spent almost a week within the Iyr and he hadn’t been training, which meant he’d be growing rusty. A bde unused was not a useful bde.

  “Alright,” Adam replied, grabbing the small stick with some pnt fibres tied to it, pg it down.

  The Iyrmen brushed their teeth using su item, and had a small cream which they applied to their teeth before they brushed their teeth with their traption. It was quite sour and bitter, but it made Adam’s teeth feel as good as new. ‘This thing is more effective than toothpaste bae.’

  Once he was done brushing his teeth, he followed Jurot around back to the courtyard, where there were already a few other Iyrmen, a few of which Adam reised.

  There was another with the trio of Iyrmen he had seen around Jurot, an orcish Iyrman. As Adam eyed up the pattern on the orc’s forehead, he realised it was familiar, extremely so.

  “Let me introduce you,” Jurot said, motioning a hand to a handsome, bronze skinned Iyrman. “This is Amokan. The Kan family is one of the oldest families within the Iyr. They have had two Chiefs lead the Iyr.”

  Amokan had long, dark hair which fell to his upper back, a square jaw which was freshly shaved. At his side was a shortsword, though Adam noted most Iyrmen carried sedary ons within the Iyr, so he wasn’t sure if it was the Iyrman’s family on.

  Amokan shook Adam’s forearm with a strong grip, nodding his head iing. “I have heard many things of you, son of Fate.”

  “I’m afraid I have yet to have the pleasure,” Adam replied back. “Two Chiefs, huh? That’s quite a feat from one family.”

  “I hear you are strong,” the orcish Iyrman cut in, staring at Adam. He wao get right to business. He was near bald, save for a short strip of hair above the top of his skull, with a shortsword at his side.

  “Strong is a retive term,” Adam replied, unsure of how to respond to the orc. He wao get the gre away from him, seeing how eager the orc was to fight.

  The orcish Iyrman narrowed his eyes. “I am Timojin, son of Tijin.”

  “Adam, son of Fate,” he replied, shaking Timojin’s forearm. “I reise your name. Are you Zijin’s nephew?”

  “Elder Zijin,” Timojin stressed, “is my uncle, yes.”

  “Right, sorry,” Adam coughed. “Elder Zijin.” Adam nodded his head. He’d o keep in mind all the titles, for it wasn’t good to disrespect Iyrmen, even if actally.

  “Kitool, daughter of Citool,” a pretty Iyrman said, bowing her head slightly. Her head was shaved at the sides, towards the top of her head, which was cut fairly short. She wore fairly simple clothing, marked with her family’s patterns on the hems, and carried at her back a staff. She bowed her head iing.

  “That’s not fusing at all,” Adam replied, chug slightly. He he harsher way she pronounced her own name, assuming that they were two different names.

  Intelligence CheckD20 + 3 = 13 (10)

  “Kitool? Kitool. Ool.” Adam said aloud, trying to remember why that name sounded so familiar.

  “She is the grandniece of Shaool,” Jurot said, a small smile appearing on his face.

  “Shaool?” Adam replied, trying to recall the name. How many Iyrmen had he met? She wasn’t one of the few who came with him to the Iyr. Then his brows raised upwards quickly. “Oh! Shaool!” Adam’s head so Kitool, full of shock.

  “I have heard you have met my grandaunt,” Kitool said, smiling slightly, but quickly dropping it.

  “We did,” Adam replied, recalling the woman who had appeared suddenly from the trees behind him. He shuddered.

  Kitool’s lips twitched into another smile, and she bowed her head slightly. “My grandaunt makes sure the borders of the Iyr remain safe. It is my honour to be her grandniece.”

  “I hear she’s extremely powerful.”

  Kitool’s lips kept twitg, but it was obvious she was trying to not let it get to her. “I hear the same.” Even as the woman’s grandniece, Kitool barely knew about the elder woman’s ret tales.

  “Stop being so humble,” the devilkin woman beside her said, elbowing Kitool. “I’m Jaygak! I hear you’re an armoured warrior like me.” She was a little shorter than Adam, but well built. At her side was a shortsword too.

  “That’s right,” Adam replied, noting how refreshing Jaygak was. “Though, I use magic too.”

  “I heard.” Jaygak narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m jealous. I grew up sickly for the first few years of my life so I wasn’t able to study row properly, so I learnt to wield ons and armour instead.” She sighed, crossing her arms. At her side was a shortsword too.

  "Everyone has their own path in life," Kitool said, pg a hand on Jaygak’s shoulder.

  “I’m sorry to hear that, but there’s no shame in wearing armour.” Adam nodded his head, uanding her pain. “I’m going to try and buy, or smith, some better armour for myself.”

  “ons, armour, magic, smithing, enting,” Jaygak said, shaking her head. “Are y to show off?”

  Adam nodded his head. “Of course.” He gnced between the Iyrmen. “You’re all Iyrmen, born from legendary warrior. Even the weakest of Iyrmen could give a trained guard from the cities and towns a run for their money.”

  The Iyrmen narrowed their eyes.

  “Why would we run for their money?” Jaygak asked.

  “It’s a saying. It means that you…” Adam paused, trying to figure out how to word it. “You would be a challenge for them.”

  “Ah,” the Iyrmen replied in unison, nodding their heads with approving gazes.

  “Not all of we Iyrmen are so talented,” Jaygak said, looking to the others. “Not everyone be as strong as Timojin.”

  “How did you learn to smith and ent?” Kitool asked, trying to stop Jaygak from her self deprecation, leaning in to Adam, curious.

  “In the same way you’re all lucky to be born in the Iyr, I was lucky to be born in a certain pce, which gave me the opportunity to gain all these skills.” Adam did his best not to lie, but it was difficult.

  “Is your home far?” Kitool asked.

  “It no longer exists,” Adam said. “Nor do my family.”

  “I am sorry for your loss.”

  “I’ll find my family one day,” Adam said, smiling. “I’ll get married and have a few hundred children.” He couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “I wish you a thousand children,” Kitool said.

  “Ah, that was the saying.”

  “If you are truly strong, then it would not be difficult to live such a life in the Iyr.”

  Adam coughed. “Excuse me?”

  “If you are strong, it would be easy to gaiention of Iyrmen.”

  ‘Is she hitting on me?’ Adam gnced aside. “I’m sure.”

  “Are you willing to spar?” Amokan asked, not wanting to hear about this love life nonsense.

  “I don’t want to,” Adam replied back to the handsome Iyrman. “I’m just a poor little wizard.”

  “Your muscles are as rge as miimojin grunted.

  “I carry really heavy books,” Adam replied, casually.

  “You don’t wish to spar?” Jurot asked. He had been denied as well, and was hoping he’d be able to spar with Adam.

  “I o build up my strength again. Enting was difficult for my mind, but it wasn’t good for my body.” Adam tried to find any excuse not to spar.

  “The us train,” Amokan said. “You may witness our spars.”

  “I want to train too!” Turot excimed from afar, quickly stomping his way over to them.

  “You should train with the others,” Jurot said. “Our training will be too harsh.”

  Turot stared up at Jurot with a frown on his face. “I want to train with Adam.”

  “If Adam allows you to train with him, you .”

  “Sure,” Adam replied, seeing the hopeful gaze of the youngster. It shone far thtly. “I’ll o take it easy today anyway since I haven’t trained in some time.”

  Turot smiled wide and joined Adam as they began to traied to join the older few. He threw a look back to the other children, a smug smile on his face.

  Athletics CheckD20 + 5 = 21 (16)

  They ran several ps around the courtyard, starting off at a jog before sprintiually they grabbed the few rocks in the er, carrying them around to the opposite side and dropped them down.

  Turot didn’t grab the rocks, instead carrying a pack full of stuffs.

  They also squat a upwards, training their legs and leaping abilities, as that would always be useful.

  The Iyrmen finally grabbed their various ons to swing them close to a huimes, with Turot using a club which was fairly light to practise swinging like an axe.

  They ran once again before stretg. Ohey had fiheir workout, Timojin and Amokan volunteered to spar one ahat day.

  Timojin and Amokan both wielded greatswords, which seemed to be a popur on in the Iyr.

  “I hear you use a longsword,” Jaygak said as the pair readied themselves for sparring.

  “I do,” Adam replied, “though I use any on.”

  “A longsword isn’t bad,” she said, resting her arm between the hilt of her sword ahigh.

  “It’s romantic, isn’t it?”

  Jaygak smiled. “It is.”

  “Begin!” Jurot decred, cutting off their bonding.

  Amokan and Timojin both roared, eagerly ready to fae ahe pair met in harsh battle, their steel thundering together.

  “I didn’t expect them to fight so seriously,” Adam said, blinking at them. They seemed to want to kill another.

  “They’re always like that,” Jaygak said. “They’ve been fighting each other sihey were little boys.”

  Amokan swiped across where Timojin’s head was, who ducked and swung wildly backwards, causing Amokan to leap over Timojin’s swipe.

  “Why do they have such a rivalry?” Adam watched as they tried to kill one another.

  “Amokan’s goal is to bee Chief of the Iyr,” Jaygak said. “It just so happens that Timojin wishes for the same.”

  “How many children wish to grow up to be the Chief?” Adam asked, feeling as though it would be a poal.

  Turot and the other children cheered and gasped at the spar. Though they were used to it, they still ehe fight.

  “Children?” Jaygak paused to think for a long moment as the pair battled. “At least half. How many at e? Ten or twenty.”

  “So few?”

  Amokan mao catch a heavy swing, though he slid backwards from the heavy blow.

  “Being Chief is something not everyone do, but there are also those who wish to be one of the Great Elders.”

  Amokan barely mao dodge a wild swing, ahrust fainst Timojin’s side, only to barely ctter off the man’s muscur side. Timojin brought his greatsword down, aiming to split the man’s head in half.

  Adam stood taller, his heart pounding wildly. His body wao move forward, but he was too shocked to move.

  The greatsword stopped a finger’s width from cutting into Amokan’s head, causing his long hair to float, as Timojin’s muscles strained furiously to keep the bde at bay.

  Adam let out a sigh of relief, staring at the pair of Iyrmen. “I’m really gd I didn’t spar now.”

  Click banner for Patreon and e join my Discord too!

  The harem begins?