“Baba,” the little girl called, her tiny face barely peeking through her hat and thick coat. “I am hungry.”

  “If you are hungry, then you must eat,” the old man replied, reag out to strap the crimso his side. He reached out a hand, holding out his pinky and ring finger for the girl, who grabbed them, and followed after her grandfather.

  “I miss daddy,” the girl said, pouting.

  “Your father is w hard,” the old man replied. “Wheurns, he will spoil you.”

  “I do not want spoil, I want daddy.”

  The old man sighed, w how the Mad Dog dealt with his greatdaughter. ‘How I speak back when she is so cute?’ He lifted the girl up, pnting a kiss on her forehead, while the girl smiled shyly.

  “Baba…”

  “Yes?”

  “I love baba.”

  “I love you too, my Chisen,” the old man replied, w if he should spill more blood with his bde.

  Meanwhile, another old man pyed with a little girl, though her younger sibling was also nearby, drawing away with a dagger like grip upon the pencil.

  “Babo, you are so fat now!” Jirot accused with her chubby, accusatory, potato eating, mischief causing, fingers.

  “I am bulking, my dear, bulking!” the old man’s heart throbbed with pain, as though he didn’t wish to gain such weight, his grandson had informed him of the best way to gain strength so many years ago.

  “Mummy is bulking too?” Jirot asked, narrowing her eyes.

  “Even though they call me Mad Dog, not even I say such,” the old man said, pulling the girl to his chest, pnting a firm kiss on her forehead. “You ot say such things, okay?”

  “Okay…” The girl smirked.

  “Jirot, you ot, or I will tell nana.”

  “No! I did not say it! I did not!” Jirot gasped, clutg his shirt tight in hand. “If you lie I will tell mummy!”

  “I will not lie, and you ot say it, okay?”

  “Okay.” The girl calmed down, still partly afraid of the old man telling her grandmother. After all, if he told her grandmother, then she would not be able to eat two potatoes, only one. ‘How she do this?’

  “Your babo is w so hard.”

  “Good job, babo,” little Jarot said, reag out to pat the old man’s forearm, before feeling how squidgy it had bee. He squeezed it gently.

  The older man wasn’t sure how he felt about it, but since his greatson was enjoying himself, he decided to allow it.

  Just this once.

  “Babo, daddy is w hard, so I must wait,” Jirot said.

  “That is right.”

  “Even though I miss daddy, I am waiting for him.”

  “You miss your daddy?”

  “No!” Jirot replied, but she pouted. “I am waiting because I am such a good girl.”

  “You are your mother’s daughter.”

  The girl smiled. “I am daddy’s dohtur too.”

  “You are my greatdaughter too, so sometimes, you cause a mess, but only a little.”

  “Only little bit,” Jirot firmed. “I will cause mess ter.”

  “Later? What will you do?”

  “I will…” The girl thought. “I will tell daddy he is smelly boy.” She cackled with delight.

  “Oh?” Jarot replied. The girl stopped cag, upon seeing her greatfather’s look, but as he smirked, she returned back to cag. “With how much trouble you cause, you are certainly your father’s daughter.”

  “Daddy is always making such mess, mummy always ing up. How he do this?” The girl shrugged, utterly exasperated.

  “He is my grandson, after all,” the old Iyrman said, brushing the girl’s cheek with his thumb. “He must make a mess, since he is my grandson.”

  Jirot shook her head lightly, sighing. “Smelly boys.” She peeked up at her greatfather to see if he’d tell her off before she cackled.

  While the daughter caused a mess in the Iyr, the father caused a mess in the North.

  Battle OrderD20 + 1 = 4 (3)

  Health: 112 -> 81

  Strength SaveD20 + 8 = 15Success!

  Fighting Spirit: 3 -> 2Health: 81 -> 86

  Attack - Wraith (Advantage)D20 + 10 = 11 (1)D20 + 10 = 19 (9)Miss!

  Attack - Wraith (Advantage)D20 + 10 = 12 (2)D20 + 10 = 24 (14)Hit!Wraith: 3 -> 2Mana: 25 -> 24Ability: Divine Smite2D6 + 2D6 + 2D6 + 9 = 27 (5)(6)(7)27 damage!

  Onward Soar: 1 -> 0

  Attack - Wraith (Advantage)D20 + 10 = 12 (2)D20 + 10 = 24 (14)Hit!Wraith: 2 -> 1Mana: 24 -> 23Ability: Divine Smite2D6 + 2D6 + 2D6 + 9 = 27 (10)(5)(3)27 damage!

  Attack - Wraith (Advantage)D20 + 10 = 12 (2)D20 + 10 = 18 (8)Miss!

  Tough Spirit: 1 -> 02D6 + 8 = 19 (11)Health: 86 -> 105

  Sir Roseia moved with a graceful swiftness, like a petal in the wind, her bde following after her like an avanche. Even as Adam drew up his shield, he stepped back.

  “By His Majesty’s grace,” the young woman ted, before the thunder shook the air around them, her bde shaking slightly with thunderous might. A golden light spun around her bde, exploding against Adam’s armour. Adam winced as the thunderous force smmed through him, threatening to fracture his bones.

  As she tinued her assault, Adam focused, stepping forward with axe in hand, his bde swimming through the air, fshing hot and cold, their magical steel g.

  The young woman winced as she stepped back, feeling the great force of Wraith, which she had felt once before. Except, st time, it hadn’t been through a si, which had forced her cape to dissolve and to protect her, but rather, now it was blunt like a hammer, the force shattering through her body.

  Fighting Spirit: 2 -> 1Health: 105 -> 110

  Attack - Wraith (Advantage)D20 + 10 = 14 (4)D20 + 10 = 29 (19)Hit!Mana: 23 -> 21Wraith: 1 -> 3Wraith: 3 -> 0Mana: 21 -> 18Ability: Divine Smite4D6 + 12D6 + 8D6 + 9 = 93 (14)(45)(25)93 damage!

  Attack - Wraith (Advantage)D20 + 10 = 12 (2)D20 + 10 = 18 (8)Miss!

  Sir Roseia’s heart pounded wildly within her chest, clutg at her bde tighter in hand, swinging wildly, desperately. She spoke the words tic again, but even as she did, her bde barely mao gnce off of Adam’s shield, her shaking arms doing little against the half elf.

  Adam focused deeply, stepping forward, f the young woman back with his great blows. As she swung her bde wildly, Adam ducked uhe swing, and struck against her side with a great blow, which would have potentially killed an Expert ht, expending his magic with a flood of adrenaline. As he was about to raise his axe in the air, the red cape shredded into thousands of strands, disappearing into the air, and the golden light around her bde dissipated into the air.

  ‘Ah.’

  They cshed once more, but now Adam could see it, the sho the woman’s eyes. She could see it too, the smile from through his helmet.

  Fighting Spirit: 1 -> 0Health: 110 -> 112

  Attack - Wraith (Advantage)D20 + 10 = 14 (4)D20 + 10 = 16 (6)Miss!

  Attack - Wraith (Advantage)D20 + 10 = 13 (3)D20 + 10 = 22 (12)Mana: 18 -> 17Ability: Divine Smite2D6 + 2D6 + 9 = 24 (7)(8)24 damage!

  The agical steel rung through the air. The young woman ted the words to her spell once more, full of vi and desperation, the golden light spinning around her bde once more. Adam only smiled, smming his shield against her bde, aepped forward, beginning to focus once more.

  “Right,” Adam said, far too pyfully. “Last time, the Grand Duchess protected you from me.”

  “You fiend!” She snarled, managing to deflect Adam’s blow, though felt the throbbing through her forearms. She realised she couldn’t keep defending from his onsught, so thrust her bde forth.

  Adam’s axe tainst the front of her armour, his magic pulsing through into her bones.

  She crumpled, like paper.

  Victory!XP Gained: +200XP: 4 800 -> 5 000

  Adam grabbed the back of her shoulders as the woman fell, befently dropping to a knee, resting her against the arena floor. He waited a moment, before finally raising his axe, the crowd shaking the stadium with their rauess.

  Lay on Hands: 40 -> 39

  The woman gasped as the warmth of Adam’s magic filled her, and she tried to raise her sword, but Adam’s shin blocked it. Her sight returhe blurry shapes filling her mind. Someone pulled up her visor, and there she saw it, even though the vague shapes, that of a noble’s smile.

  “This time, the Grand Duchess allowed me to beat your ass,” Adam said, his voice far too light, far too pyful to be speaking to a woman who was reted to the Grand Duchess and the current King’s Sword. “ime you see me, you better not fet that I held back when I lost to you, and when I beat you.”

  Adam pulled away, raising his axe and shield in the air, cirg around the stadium, allowing the rush of emotion to fill him once more. The heat and the tingling rushed through him like a tsunami. He inhaled deeply as the appuse threateo shatter his body, while his poundi filled him with a great joy. It wasn’t quite as joyous as when his daughter bullied him, nor quite as satisfying, but there were few things as satisfying as finally giving a noble what was ing to them.

  “Yeah!” His voice carried even through the crowd’s shouting and appuse. He ran from oo the , leaping and swinging his axe through the air, and if it had not been nightval, and he hadn’t been wearing full pte, he would have pulled his shirt over his head.

  “Yeah! e on then! e on then!” the half elf shouted, pung the air repeatedly, causing the crowd to shout and cheer louder. He rushed over to one side of the crowd, raising his axe towards them. “Yeah!” He rushed to the other side, raising his shield. “Yeah!” He spun around with his shield and axe out, and tio fight the air in celebration.

  It was only when the Priest and the guards appeared, that Adam stopped, but for a moment, the guards reached for their bdes upon seeing how Adam feiowards them, his shield and axe up, the half elf coaxing them to fight him, before he sheathed his axe and ughed wildly.

  ‘Is he an idiot?’ one of the guards thought, reading to attack.

  “Mm mm mm mm mmm! I am eating good tonight!” Adam ughed as he walked into the winniion, where the winners gnced his way, surprised to see the half elf. “I hope none of you bet wrong, because damn, I bet right!”

  “How much you bet?”

  “A few thou,” Adam replied, wiggling his shoulders.

  “A few thousand?” the older fellow asked.

  “I sure did!” Adam said, boung from one side to the .

  “Then drinks are on you?”

  “Drinks are ohey’re on Kitool,” Adam said, shuffling his way over to the young Iyrman who had stepped out of the shadows when Adam started to talk about money. He tio bounce from one side to the , reag out to high five Kitool. “e on, don’t leave me hanging! I was finally allowed to beat her up!”

  Kitool spped his haly, before crossing her arms again. “Stop ag the fool, or you will be irouble with the Grand Duchess.”

  “Ah, e on!” Adam snapped his fingers as he bounced. “I finally got my reveer all these years and put-,”

  “Adam,” Kitool warned, her voice stern.

  Adam stopped snapping his fingers, though he tio bound shimmy his shoulders slightly. “You ’t stop me from dang, though.”

  “Stop it, you queer fool,” another victor said. “Win with some de!”

  “De? She was-,”

  “Adam,” Kitool warned again.

  Adam inhaled deeply, crossing his arms, finally stopping. “Fine.” He hummed quietly to himself, nodding his head lightly. ‘Hoo! Baby! What a rush! Yeah! Wear yood knickers, because I’m gonna-,’ Adam jolted slightly, inhaling deeply. ‘Whoa. Alright. Rex. e on, bro.’

  “Kitool?”

  “Yes?”

  “Man, I want to win so bad.”

  “Do your best.”

  “Yeah. You too, Kitool. You o win yment.”

  Kitool gowards the figures around her, some of whom she would still o face, from the Delirious Sword, to the others who would prove difficult. “I will do my best.”

  It wasn’t long until Jurot and Jaygak both appeared, the pair having won their bouts, Adam greeting them all with a shake of the forearm, and the smile upon his face revealed more than enough to them.

  “gratutions, Adam,” Jaygak said, smiling towards him.

  “gratutions? Didn’t you guys also bet as much as me?” Adam winked.

  Jaygak smiled, winking back. Jurot and Kitool exged a look, uanding that Adam was causing trouble for them, but luckily, they were Iyrmen. They took in the sights of the roup, each of whom would cause them the most trouble.

  As the group left the victor’s stadium together, a voice called out.

  “Executive Adam, the Grand Duchess wishes to speak with you.”

  “Ah? With little ol’ me?” Adam asked, before he turned. “Alright.”

  “I will e too,” Jurot said.

  “The Grand Duchess requested only his presence.”

  Jurot stared down at the servant. “I will e too.”

  “…”

  “…”

  Adam closed his eyes. ‘Oh. I’m in trouble.’

  Even his celebrations are ge.